Ben-Gvir: Police can't deal with Temple Mount traffic, cabinet must convene

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night, claiming that the lack of Temple Mount restrictions for worshipers during Ramadan is unsafe, and called for an urgent cabinet meeting to discuss it again.

In his letter, he said, “I would like to warn you that even after the incredible efforts of the police, there are significant gaps in the ability to implement the prime minister’s decision without endangering human life.”

Ben-Gvir also referred to the report published this past week on the Meron disaster, for which former minister Amir Ohana was personally responsible.

“Although the minister at the time stated to the committee that he had received answers from the police that informed his opinion as to what they could do to deal with the overcrowding and that at no point were red flags raised in front of him, the committee determined that it was unable to accept these claims, and throughout the hearing, continued to insist that red flags were raised in front of him regarding the issue of overcrowding.”

This letter follows the cabinet’s decision not to place any special restrictions on Palestinians from the West Bank entering the Temple Mount, as well as a committee submission of investigation findings of the Meron disaster that happened two years ago.

Ben-Gvir continued, addressing the Temple Mount issue, saying: “Of course, I am not a prophet or the son of a prophet, and I do not know if there will be, God forbid, an event with many casualties or an emergency, but from the discussion I held and the questions I asked, I did not get the impression that the police can deal with and ensure the safety and security of the expected number of worshipers on the Temple Mount as a result of the prime minister’s decision.

“This is me waving a bright red flag in front of you and asking to re-discuss the decision, certainly given the police’s lack of ability to ensure that the event will pass peacefully,” he said.

Ben-Gvir says he doesn't feel comfortable with security capabilities following his inspection

“I was not under the impression that there was an ability to handle the heavy load at the gates of the Temple Mount, which will be created when tens of thousands arrive at the entrances of the mount, certainly not an amount of fifty or sixty thousand people,” he said. “I was not under the impression that there was a real response to a safety incident that could happen on the Temple Mount and control over what would happen there. And even more so, I was not impressed that there is an ability to limit the number of visitors to the site when there is no age limit.”

Later, Ben-Gvir again brought up the comparison to the Meron disaster, saying: “In the previous Ramadan holiday, and in the ones that preceded it, luckily no disaster happened, but the Meron committee has already determined that ‘the fact that the revelry ended in the past without loss of life does not make it a successful event.’ Beyond that, as we detailed, [Israel Police Chief Kobi] Shabtai knew that the event involved a real risk to life every year, and this information in itself obliged him to reexamine the assumptions underlying the operation plan.”

Ben-Gvir closed the letter by saying, “In light of all of the above, and due to the closeness to the beginning of the month of Ramadan and the urgency of the issue, which involves a real danger to life, I would like to urgently convene the political-security cabinet to discuss the issues of overcrowding, security, and safety, due to a lack of a satisfactory response to these issues.”