Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declined to enforce restrictions on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s authority over sensitive police matters, including those related to the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, according to Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs. This position runs counter to recommendations made by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who proposed limits on Ben-Gvir’s involvement in such issues, requiring that decisions receive approval from either Netanyahu himself or the government.

The disagreement arises amid ongoing negotiations between Ben-Gvir’s representatives and the Attorney General’s office, following a hearing before Israel’s High Court of Justice in April. The court was addressing petitions calling for Ben-Gvir’s removal from his post, citing allegations that his interference in police operations undermines democratic norms.

Since assuming office, and increasingly over the last two years, Ben-Gvir has pushed to alter long-standing policies regarding the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa Mosque site. He has exerted pressure on successive commanders of the Jerusalem District Police—who traditionally set visitation and security protocols at the compound—to permit Jewish prayer activities previously restricted at the site. Under Ben-Gvir’s tenure, authorities have allowed Jewish worshippers to pray aloud and prostrate themselves in the compound. Additionally, police have largely ceased enforcing limits on the display of Israeli flags there, a move critics attribute directly to Ben-Gvir’s influence.

Central to the current discussions is a document drafted by Baharav-Miara last year. The draft permitted Ben-Gvir’s reentry into the government following his resignation over objections to a Gaza cease-fire, conditional on his acceptance of certain limits that would clearly define his role in police affairs. The document aimed to restrict Ben-Gvir’s control over areas deemed “exceptionally sensitive,” a category that explicitly includes the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Despite this, sources indicate that Netanyahu dismissed the Attorney General’s proposed clause requiring his or the full government’s consent for decisions in such sensitive areas. Instead, authority would remain primarily with Ben-Gvir, who would consult with the Jerusalem District Police chief but not necessarily with higher political leadership. One source familiar with the matter described this arrangement as effectively delegating critical decision-making on sensitive issues to Ben-Gvir alone.

Last week, the State Prosecutor’s Office requested an extension from the High Court to provide the updated version of the document, delaying further judicial review. Petitioners maintain that Ben-Gvir continues to overstep the document’s provisions by intervening directly in police operations, including influencing decisions of the Jerusalem District Police commander. Attorney Gilad Barnea, representing several petitioners, criticized the delays as enabling “racing fascism” through court postponements.