Right-wing lawmakers on Monday lambasted Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for walking back a statement he made allowing Jewish worship on the Temple Mount.
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Bennett and Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas locked horns over the issue on Sunday, after Bennett said that Jews were allowed to pray in certain parts of Temple Mount on the occasion of Tisha B'Av, in which Jews mourn the destruction of the two temples and a variety of other calamities.
As the compound borders the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jews are barred from praying on the premises so as not offense Muslim sensibilities. The issue is a longstanding bone of contention with regards to the status quo on the site, which is holy to both religions.
"Settlers and MKs who trespass into the Al-Aqsa Mosque could lead to disturbances and a regional religious war," Ra'am's leader warned. "We will not allow this to happen – we won't tolerate prayer and the singing of Hatikvah in the mosque that is under Islamic ownership, all 35 acres."
Bennett then tweeted, both in Hebrew and in Arabic, that the latest events do not reflect any change of the rules that prohibit Jewish religious practices in the plaza, which houses two of the most sacred sites in Muslim tradition.
The Religious Zionist Party issues a statement slamming the prime minister: "Mansour Abbas got upset so Bennett again bent to his will, this time at the expense of Jews' rights on the Temple Mount. Unfortunately, Israel is being held hostage by terror sympathizers."
RZP leader Bezalel Smotrich tweeted, "Jews have been allowed to pray on the Temple Mount for six months. [Former PM Benjamin] Netanyahu and [former Public Security Minister Amir] Ohana made it happen quietly, without headlines and without taking credit.
"Bennett issued a public statement for political gain and was forced to walk it back, causing damage that is likely to set things back and undermine Jewish rights for freedom of worship on the [Temple] Mount. This is the difference between responsibility and populism."
Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, said, "This is another example of how a coalition based on Ra'am's support goes about things. The Islamic Movement demands and Bennett folds.
"This won't do Bennett or Abbas any good. Jewish worshippers will continue to pray at the Temple Mount, the most sacred place in Judaism, whether the Islamic Movement and its accomplice, the prime minister of Israel, like it or not."
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