A senior police officer: "A member of the Knesset goes up to the Temple Mount? This is not unusual"

Sami Marciano, commander of the Jerusalem district's front area, spoke this morning (Thursday) on Nissim Meshal and Sivan Cohen's program on 103FM and referred to the security alert, against the background of the flag parade that is planned later in the capital and the threats from terrorist elements.

Jerusalem Day begins: high alert in the security system

"The city of Jerusalem is celebrating a holiday. We have been preparing for several weeks, also in organized headquarters work on an operational axis, an administrative axis, we have reinforcements of thousands of police officers who are in Jerusalem, many visible and undercover police officers, special units and technologies are activated to enable all the day's celebrations Jerusalem," he said at the beginning of the interview.

He also commented on the explosions around the Temple Mount: "The Temple Mount is always the focal point that manages to concentrate a great deal of incitement, especially on the Internet. What happened on the Temple Mount yesterday and the day before, a year or two ago, is what will happen today. There is no change in what happens on the Temple Mount, not in the procedures, not in the visits The march does not go inside the Temple Mount, it goes through the alleys of the Old City and does not enter the gates of the Temple Mount. There is no change, and we conveyed this message in every possible media."

Marciano added: "Each entry of a MK or minister to the Temple Mount is accompanied by a situation assessment and a report to the Knesset officer. We are receiving a situation assessment headed by the commander of the Jerusalem district and also headed by the Minister of Defense and we are following the procedures. We have received some of the requests, situation assessments have been carried out."

In conclusion, he said: "It is not unusual for the MK to go to the Temple Mount. There is no change in the procedures, the Temple Mount today is conducted as it is every day of the year regardless of the march. It is important to say in this context that we maintain full freedom of worship, there will be no Muslim who wants to come to the Temple Mount and will not be able to come as a result of the parade."