Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's request to limit the number of Muslim worshipers on the Temple Mount and Temple Mount during Ramadan, which begins in mid-March, Channel 13 reports.
The decision came despite Shin Bet's warning that the measure could further escalate tensions, particularly if it also applies to Israeli Arabs. However, the Israeli police would support a decision like Netanyahu's. The prime minister made “a balanced decision that allows for religious freedom with the necessary security limits set by professional officials,” said a statement from the prime minister’s office.
According to media reports, the issue is dividing the Israeli government. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz openly rejected the prime minister's decision. “The prime minister is bypassing the security establishment, and therefore we will make mistakes,” Gallant was quoted as saying during the meeting by the opposition Shin Bet and Defense Forces (IDF). “This is not a unit and it is not a cabinet. “That’s not how we work,” Gantz also reportedly said.
Rafah in the crosshairs, Netanyahu goes straight
Meanwhile, Netanyahu is sticking to the ongoing operation in Gaza. Rafah is always in sight, with over 1.5 million Palestinians seeking refuge and leaving the north and center of the strip. “Our brave soldiers are in the tunnels destroying the infrastructure of these murderers,” and “the Israeli army is making efforts that no other army has ever made to protect civilians,” the prime minister says.
“We cannot leave a quarter of Hamas’ combat battalions intact,” he added, speaking at the presidential conference in Jerusalem. “We will finish the job with our brave soldiers” and “we will ensure that civilians have a way to reach safe areas.”
Netanyahu against Lula
In the same hours, Netanyahu pointed the finger at Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who used the word “genocide” when referring to Israel's behavior. “The words of the Brazilian president are shameful and serious. “They mean trivializing the Holocaust and trying to harm the Jewish people and Israel’s right to self-defense,” says Netanyahu, convinced that Lula has “crossed a red line.”
According to the Israeli Prime Minister, “comparing Israel to the Nazi Holocaust and Hitler means crossing a red line,” because “Israel is fighting for its defense and securing its future until complete victory and this – he explains – in accordance with “does to international law”.
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