Bennett Backtracks On Temple Mount After Pressure From Arab Coalition Members And Jordan

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — For a brief moment on Tisha B’Av it appeared that the Bennett administration had succeeded in achieving a major breakthrough regarding Temple Mount, the most sensitive site in the Middle East. After Hamas threatened and sent rockets in May due to perceived intrusions on the El-Aqsa mosque, it appeared that Israel would take a step back and restrict entry to the site. However recently for the first time public prayers have taken place on Temple Mount, and prime minister Bennett sent a message of support on Tisha Be’Av stating that he thanked the Public Security Minister and the Police Commissioner for the “freedom of worship” at the site. More than 1600 Jews ascended to Temple Mount during Tisha Be’Av.

Bennett’s statement, as well as clips of MKs from Bennett’s Yemina party ascending to Temple Mount with one of them, MK Amichai Shikli, singing the national anthem at the site, succeeded in arousing the ire of Bennett’s coalition partners Meretz and Ra’am as well as angering the Jordanian kingdom which has taken responsibility for the site. [Moshe Dayan in 1967 transferred authority to the Waqf, which is under the jurisdiction of Jordan]

The Arab-Israeli Islamist Raam Party, condemned the Jewish visits to the mount, saying that “the people of [Raam] and the activists of the Islamic Movement will defend the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque with their bodies,” according to Haaretz. They added that “we warn Israel that a large number of settlers are charging in and violating the sanctity of the El-Aqsa mosque since this morning. This could lead to violent incidents and could inflame the situation in Jerusalem and the entire region which could lead to a disastrous religious war, especially when Knesset members are allowed to charge into El-Aqsa and conduct prayers and religious rites and read the anthem.”

Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority also condemned the visits, with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas calling them “a dangerous Israeli escalation.”

Cairo also denounced “the renewed violations of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli extremists under the protection of the Israeli forces,” according to a spokesperson for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Just a day later the Prime Minister’s office has backtracked, fearing a coalition crisis with the Arab parties and a deterioration of the warming relations with Jordan. The office told Army Radio that “there is no change in the status quo on Temple Mount. The statement referred to freedom for Jews to visit Temple Mount and not to freedom of worship.”

The Religious Zionist party immediately attacked Bennett, stating that “once again [Ra’am leader] Mansour Abbas gets angry and Bennett capitulates, this time regarding Jewish rights on Temple Mount. Unfortunately the state of Israel is held captive by supporters of terror.”

MK Betzalel Smotrich tweeted that “for the past half a year Jews have been allowed to pray on Temple Mount. Netanyahu and [former public security minister]Ochana did this quietly without headlines and without receiving credit. Bennett immediately declared public support in order to get credit and was forced to capitulate and caused damage which will harm Jewish rights to freedom of worship on the mount. That’s the difference between responsibility and populism.”