The Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that recently installed metal detectors would remain in place for now at the entrance gates to the Temple Mount, amid continuing Muslim riots over the security measure.

Netanyahu, who was in Hungary meeting with the leaders of several central European countries, said he had been in consultation with senior security officials and that no decision had been made to remove the metal detectors, which were put in place following last Friday’s terror attack near the Temple Mount that killed two Israeli Druze police officers.

“We want to solve the crisis in the quietest way possible, and return the quiet,” Netanyahu said. “We are speaking with the Arab world, and explaining that there is no change in the status quo. This is a measure to prevent the use of weapons on the Temple Mount, something that happened for the first time.”

According to reports, Israel has been working closely with Jordan and the Palestinian Authority to keep the situation on the Temple Mount under control. Hundreds of Muslims converged on the Old City of Jerusalem on Wednesday for a fourth straight day of rioting, with violence breaking out between some of the protesters and police.

Netanyahu’s office tweeted an infographic on Wednesday showing security checks at holy sites around the world, including at the Ka’bah in Mecca and the Imam al-Sadiq Mosque in Kuwait.

“The metal detectors and security measures at the Temple Mount prevent terror and protect worshipers — like at religious sites everywhere,” the infographic said.