Netanyahu defends ‘not easy’ decision to remove Temple Mount metal detectors

The Israeli public overwhelmingly disapproved of the removal of added security on the Temple Mount, prompting the prime minister to explain his decision.

Following a tense period marked by multiple deadly terrorist attacks and widespread rioting by Palestinians, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered an explanation of sorts for his decision to remove added security from the Temple Mount compound. The prime minister’s comments arrived prior to the weekly cabinet meeting and were intended to shed light on a decision that few Israelis supported.

“I am in tune with peoples’ emotions, I understand their emotions, I know full-well the the decision we made was not easy,” Netanyahu explained.

“Still, as prime minister, as the person responsible for Israel’s security, I must make decisions calmly and rationally. I do so with an overall situation of the entire map, a broad view of the challenges and threats we face, some of which are not known by the public and the nature of which I cannot discuss in detail,” the prime minister elaborated.

The metal detectors, introduced after Muslim terrorists murdered two Israeli policemen with weapons stored in the Al-Aksa compound and wielded on the Temple Mount, were immediately met with violent rioting by Palestinians and a steady stream of incitement from political and religious leaders in the Islamic world and the Palestinian government. The incitement and violence culminated in the murder of three members of the Salomon family by a Palestinian terrorist, who posted on Facebook his intention to kill Jews prior to the horrific Sabbath stabbing attack.

Bizarrely, leaders throughout the Muslim world reacted with vitriol to metal detectors on the Temple Mount, notwithstanding the fact that the same security measures are used in Mecca and at numerous other Islamic holy sites.

Netanyahu’s comments this Sunday focused on what he referred to as the “wider” picture with regard to security for the Jewish state, alluding to additional considerations of which, he claims, the public is unaware. He acknowledged that the decision to remove the metal detectors was deeply unpopular throughout Israel, with close to four out of five citizens disagreeing with the move.

In addition to thanking security forces for their vigilance during this recent period of heightened risks, Netanyahu also announced the allocation of an additional NIS 100 million specifically for security in the Old City.

By: World Israel News Staff