Lawmakers visiting the Temple Mount in Jerusalem must avoid provocations at the volatile site, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein instructed Thursday.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who in 2015, at the height of a Palestinian wave of terrorism, barred Jewish and Arab lawmakers from visiting the Temple Mount – lifted the restriction.
Netanyahu informed Edelstein of the change in policy on Wednesday, prompting the Knesset speaker to ask parliament's chief security officer, Maj. Gen. Yosef Griff, to brief ministers and MKs on the regulations concerning visits to the site.
"As one who has always supported allowing lawmakers to visit the Temple Mount, we must implement this decision without delay," Edelstein said.
He urged MKs to follow regulations, which state that lawmakers seeking to visit the holy site must inform the Knesset Speaker's Office of their intention 24 hours ahead of time, so as to allow it to coordinate the visit with the Jerusalem District Police.
Griff cautioned MKs that violating the directive could result in "unpleasant consequences."
