Trump administration backs Israel’s closing of Temple Mount

The Trump administration strongly condemned Friday’s terror attack and backed Israel in its closure of the Temple Mount.

The White House on Saturday backed Israel’s closure of the Temple Mount following a terror attack on Friday, in which two Israeli policemen were murdered, and condemned the attack in a strongly-worded statement.

“The people of the United States are heartbroken that terrorists brutally gunned down two Israeli police officers,” said Press Secretary Sean Spicer. “There must be zero tolerance for terrorism. It is incompatible with achieving peace and we must condemn it in the strongest terms, defeat it, and eradicate it.”

In the attack, three Arab terrorists emerged from the Temple Mount and killed two Israeli Druze police officers stationed nearby, prompting Israel’s closure of the holy site.

US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman also swiftly condemned what he called the “despicable” terror attack in Jerusalem.

“Shocked and horrified by the despicable attack today in Jerusalem,” Friedman tweeted. “Terrorism must be condemned by all and defeated. We pray for the victims.”

The US Consulate General in Jerusalem, which represents American interests with the Palestinian Authority (PA), called the attack a “horrific and violent act,” adding that “terrorism is unacceptable. Holy sites must be protected.”

On Saturday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a telephone consultation with the heads of Israel’s security establishment and decided to gradually open the Temple Mount to worshippers, visitors and tourists beginning Sunday afternoon.

It was further decided that the entrance gates to the Temple Mount will be equipped with metal detectors and that cameras will be installed outside the Mount to cover events on the Mount, security measures which were not in place until now.

By: World Israel News Staff and agencies