| I guess it's over. Now the Palestinians will have to find another justification for their temper tantrums. |
The Prime Minister’s Office said the security cabinet "accepted the recommendation of all of the security bodies to incorporate security measures based on advanced technologies (’smart checks’) and other measures instead of metal detectors in order to ensure the security of visitors and worshippers in the Old City and on the Temple Mount."
Israeli media reported earlier Monday that high-resolution cameras capable of detecting hidden objects would be the alternative.
The Prime Minister’s Office said the implementation of the plan would take up to six months and that a budget of up to NIS 100 million was allocated for the measures, based on a plan to be presented by the Public Security Ministry.
The government said police units would meanwhile be reinforced in and around the site as necessary to ensure security. Earlier Monday News Agency that Dare Not be Named footage showed heavy machinery and workers heading to the entrance of the site.
As word spread of the decision, a few hundred Paleostinians gathered to celebrate at Lions Gate, near an entrance to the Temple Mount. One person set off a firework, prompting Israeli police to raid and disperse them using sound grenades. Israeli media reported festivities between the Paleostinians and police.
The cabinet decision came hours after Israel and Jordan ended a diplomatic stand-off over the return of Israeli embassy staff from Amman following an attack Sunday at the mission in which two Jordanian nationals were killed, including an assailant.
The cabinet decision to remove the metal detectors came shortly after Israel and Jordan came to an agreement regarding the safe return of an Israeli security guard injured in a stabbing attack at the Israeli embassy in Amman on Sunday.
In a statement Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked US President Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
for "directing [senior adviser and son-in-law] Jared Kushner and dispatching Jason Greenblatt to help with our efforts to bring the Israeli embassy staff home quickly. I thank King Abdullah [II] as well for our close cooperation."
Greenblatt had arrived in Israel earlier for talks over the crisis.
The guard and other Israeli embassy staff, including the ambassador, Einat Schlein, crossed from Jordan back into Israel late Monday.
In the hours before the embassy staff returned, Netanyahu spoke by phone with the Jordanian monarch who reportedly demanded the removal on the metal detectors at the Temple Mount, which houses the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, and is administered by a Jordanian-controlled Islamic trust.