Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, January 3, 2023
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, January 3, 2023
PM’s office: Ben Gvir’s Temple Mount visit does not represent ‘change in status quo’
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
People walk towards the Dome of the Rock at the Temple Mount on January 3, 2023. (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)
After criticism from Western and Arab allies over National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s visit to the Temple Mount this morning, an official in the Prime Minister’s Office declares that Benjamin Netanyahu is committed to “strictly protect the status quo on the Temple Mount without any change.”
The official adds that Israel “will not surrender to Hamas directives,” and notes that as part of the status quo, ministers have visited the Temple Mount in the past, including former public security minister Gilad Erdan.
“The claim that there is a change in the status quo is baseless,” adds the official.
