Itamar Ben-Gvir’s statement about the status quo on the Temple Mount conveys two dangerous messages. Ofer Shelah, a researcher at INSS, writes:
The announcement by the Minister of National Security Ben-Gvir about granting permission for Jews to pray on the Temple Mount could be seen as yet another statement by a reckless politician who proves almost daily that for him, being in power does not mean taking responsibility, but rather the opposite: It’s a platform for being irresponsible and actually endangering lives. In his statement there was another, even more dangerous message: I am the political echelon, and I am the decision-maker. The trouble is that in this matter, Ben-Gvir is right.
The political weakness of Prime Minister Netanyahu and his fear of the government being dismantled give Ben-Gvir a position of power, through which he truly becomes the “political echelon.” He uses this position to gain cheap popularity, while others pay the price. Just as it was with the weakening of the police, the same applies to the Temple Mount. One can only hope that the stance of Aryeh Deri and the ultra-Orthodox against both Ben-Gvir’s inclusion in a limited cabinet and the ascent to the Temple Mount will reflect a degree of responsibility that will have a real effect on Netanyahu in the face of the dangerous chaos that Ben-Gvir seeks to create.
Itamar Ben-Gvir’s statement about the status quo on the Temple Mount conveys two dangerous messages. Ofer Shelah, a researcher at INSS, writes:
The announcement by the Minister of National Security Ben-Gvir about granting permission for Jews to pray on the Temple Mount could be seen as yet another statement by a reckless politician who proves almost daily that for him, being in power does not mean taking responsibility, but rather the opposite: It’s a platform for being irresponsible and actually endangering lives. In his statement there was another, even more dangerous message: I am the political echelon, and I am the decision-maker. The trouble is that in this matter, Ben-Gvir is right.
The political weakness of Prime Minister Netanyahu and his fear of the government being dismantled give Ben-Gvir a position of power, through which he truly becomes the “political echelon.” He uses this position to gain cheap popularity, while others pay the price. Just as it was with the weakening of the police, the same applies to the Temple Mount. One can only hope that the stance of Aryeh Deri and the ultra-Orthodox against both Ben-Gvir’s inclusion in a limited cabinet and the ascent to the Temple Mount will reflect a degree of responsibility that will have a real effect on Netanyahu in the face of the dangerous chaos that Ben-Gvir seeks to create.