Israel decides against Ramadan restrictions on Palestinians - Netanyahu

There will be no initial changes regarding entry to the Temple Mount during Ramadan, according to the decision of a security establishment meeting led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday.

Prayer goers will be allowed to enter the site of the Temple Mount in numbers "similar to previous years" during the first week of Ramadan, which begins on Sunday, and Israel will assess weekly "aspects of security and safety and make decisions accordingly." The decision meant in effect that there will be no new restrictions placed on prayer goers even though Israel is currently at war, and indicated an attempt to avoid a potential increase of violence.

Every week after that, there will be an official situational assessment, and decisions to change the limitations will be made accordingly.

According to Israeli media reports, this model was recommended by the IDF and the Shin Bet.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the beginning of the meeting that Israel will do "everything" to ensure freedom of worship during Ramadan while also "maintaining security and safety needs."

"Israel's policy has always been and always will be to maintain the freedom of worship for all religions. Of course, we have done this during the Ramadan holiday in the past, and we will do it again now," he said.

"We will do everything to maintain the freedom of worship on the Temple Mount while appropriately maintaining security and safety needs, and we will allow the Muslim public to celebrate the holiday," he said.

The meeting included Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Minister-without-portfolio Gadi Eisenkot, top security officials including IDF Chief of Staff Hertzi Halevy and Israel Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai, Attorney-General Gali Bahrav-Miara, and a number of other officials convened on Tuesday evening in order to discuss and set policy over visitation rights to the Temple Mount site in Jerusalem during the month-long Muslim holiday of Ramadan.

Ben-Gvir: Did nothing happen on October 7?

After the decision, Ben-Gvir wrote on X, "Hamas celebrations on the Temple Mount ≠ total victory."  Ben-Gvir has been vocal about limiting the amount of worshippers at the Temple Mount for weeks.

In an accompanying statement, Ben-Gvir said that "the decision to allow visits to the Temple Mount during Ramadan similar to previous years, against the police's position and my position, shows that Prime Minister Netanyahu and the small [war] cabinet think that nothing happened on October 7. This decision endangers the citizens of Israel and could lead to a Hamas image of victory."

חגיגות חמאס בהר הבית ≠ ניצחון מוחלט

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) March 5, 2024

United Arab List Chairman Mansour Abbas also responded to the decision: "I congratulate the Prime Minister on the responsible decision to allow freedom of worship for Muslim worshipers at Al-Aqsa Mosque. I call on the Arab public to exercise their right to pray and observe the mitzvot in the holy month while observing the law and public order."

Around the same time of the announcement, Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan said that israel would face "very serious consequences" if it banned Palestinian Muslims from entering holy sites during the coming month of Ramadan.

"We are conveying our messages to the relevant authorities regarding the need to prevent provocations ahead of the upcoming month of Ramadan," Erdogan told a joint press conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ankara.

"The demands of radical Israeli politicians to restrict Muslims' access to the Harem al-Sharif are complete nonsense. The consequences of taking such a step will undoubtedly be very grave," he said.

Israelis don't need to be reminded that they live in a "tough neighborhood," White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday when asked about the White House's conversations with Israel on the tensions around the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

"I don't think they need to be reminded about the prospect of violence particularly in a sensitive time, like Ramadan, they don't need us to remind them of that, they're more aware of it," Kirby said.