Temple Mount activist and Likud MK Yehuda Glick arrived Monday morning at the Cotton Merchants’ Gate of the Temple Mount, but was barred from approaching the entrance to the holy site.. As he approached the gate, the MK was to halt by police managing at the scene. Glick obeyed the officer’s orders, remaining outside of the gate, where he prayed. Glick broadcast the event live on Facebook. Shortly after the visit to the Old City, Glick responded to reports that he had attempted to ascend the Mount, calling the claims “baseless”. “Recently, some things have been falsely publicized in my name. Just as I clearly stated when I entered the Knesset, I am a law-abiding person and will not violate orders, and I therefore have no intention whatsoever to violate the Prime Minister’s… order banning MKs from the Temple Mount. The report that I attempted to enter the Mount today is utterly baseless.” Glick’s visit outside of the Mount came after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s recent decision to bar Knesset Members and ministers from the holy site. On Sunday, Glick responded, declaring he would not accept such a restriction for long. “As long as it is the directive, I will of course honor it,” said Glick. “But it’s very saddening that because of the incitement against the state and agitation to violence by some Arab MKs, every Knesset Member has to pay the price.” Despite his pledge to adhere to the order, Glick emphasized that such obedience would not continue indefinitely. “That being said, if this order continues for an extended period, I may be forced to consider acting against the decision. I won’t rule out any legal action – public, political, or judicial.”
