Minister Livni, the Arab world is responding to what is happening on the Temple Mount. Do you think there is a basis to the charges that Israel is damaging Islamic shrines, and how do you relate to the attempts of the Islamic movement to stir up emotions?
and replied:-
FM Livni: There is no basis to these charges. The responsibilities and obligations of the State of Israel are based in part on our values as both a Jewish and democratic state. As such, we are obliged to allow every person to express his religious ideas and beliefs, and to preserve places holy to all religions. Needless to say, the Temple Mount is the holiest site of the Jewish faith. It also has religious importance to the Muslim population. The reconstruction does not harm, is not intended to harm and will not harm any holy site. On the contrary, the reconstruction will preserve the ramp after its collapse and other problems in the past.
It is true that there are those whose vision does not match ours, which strives to preserve religious freedom and to allow free access to holy sites for all. There are groups, residing both in and out of Israel, who would seek to prevent those holding beliefs different from theirs from realizing their religious aspirations, from accessing sites holy to them. These groups seize every opportunity to arouse the most extremist points of view. Some make political use of this, and I hope that the responsible Islamic leadership will understand and convey the message that the Israeli government is not attempting to harm or destroy anything but rather to preserve freedom of access to the holy sites of all religions.
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