MK: Jewish prayer in Temple Mount will lead to Intifada
Knesset's Interior Committee holds discussion regarding possible Jewish prayer in Temple Mount, Arab MKs slam idea, verbally clash with rightwing MKs
At the height of the argument, MK Tibi told Regev: "Because of your games in Al-Aqsa (Temple Mount), a third Intifada is about to break out. You're dangerous to yourself, to your children and to everyone. Stop playing with fire."
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The committee – which is headed by MK Regev – held a special discussion regarding the directive governing Jewish prayer in the Temple Mount.
The discussion was held at the initiative of Deputy Religious Services Minister Eli Ben Dahan and the ministry's director general. Ben Dahan suggested giving Israel's Chief Rabbis discretion in allowing Jewish prayers under certain circumstances in which worshipers were instructed to do so by their respective rabbis.
MK Jamal Zahalka (Balad) slammed the discussion and said "There is no Temple Mount, it is something virtual. There is only Al-Aqsa."
Additional Arab MKs were also critical of the deliberations, and eventually decided to boycott the session.
MK Zahalka verbally attacked MK Zevulun Orlev, and called him a "fascist, racist, settler." MK Muhammad Baraka (Hadash) added that "he who desecrates Al-Aqsa will find us there."
In wake of the vituperations and the disruptions of order, MK Regev filed a complaints against the Arab MKs. "We cannot have a situation in which a state cannot realize its sovereignty and people can't pray at sites holy to them," she said.
Regev stressed, "We don't want to go into Al Aqsa or prevent you (Muslims) from praying there, but want to enable Jews to pray on the compound as well."
She called threats of a third intifada "irresponsible."
Moran Azulay contributed to this report
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