The office of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett clarified this morning that Israel has not changed its policy of maintaining the status quo at Jerusalem’s flashpoint Temple Mount. A day earlier, Bennett had said during a radio interview that both Jews and Muslims have “freedom of worship” on the Temple Mount. The comment was widely interpreted as asserting the right of Jews to pray at the holy site. A tweet from Bennett’s office yesterday aggravated matters, stating, "Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke with Public Security Minister Bar-Lev and Israel Police Inspector General Shabtai and thanked them for managing the events on the Temple Mount with responsibility and consideration, while maintaining freedom of worship for Jews on the Mount."
This morning however, Bennett’s office clarified that he misspoke, and that he actually meant that both Jews and Muslims have “freedom of visitation rights” at the Temple Mount compound.
