Some quick remarks: 1. An embarrassing and foolish episode by the Israeli police- but hardly surprising. The police in Israel is in a state of rapid decline and politicization. Some of the reasons are structural; others are directly tied to the appointment of Itamar Ben-Gvir- a convicted felon, a disciple of Kahanism, and a former member of the outlawed racist movement Kach- as minister in charge. This nomination was a personal decision by Benjamin Netanyahu. Ben-Gvir has sidelined professional officers, elevated individuals with little experience to senior roles, and driven standards to new lows. There is now an appeal before the Supreme Court seeking his removal on the grounds that he is effectively not obeying the law. The attorney general- whom Netanyahu is seeking to dismiss- supports the appeal. 2. This event today should not be interpreted as a policy shift in the Old City of Jerusalem. The swift Israeli backtrack reflects that. It is not a case of a policy tested and abandoned; rather, it appears that a junior officer made a discretionary call- amid fears of an Iranian ballistic missile strike- that if there were restrictions on events in the Old City, even the Patriarch and a small entourage would not be allowed entry. 3. This government- again, with Ben-Gvir and Netanyahu’s tacit backing- is the most hostile to other religions since the state’s founding. This is also evident in the erosion of the status quo on the Temple Mount. The former police chief of Jerusalem was fired by Ben Gvir because he didnt agree to make changes to the status quo. Yet freedom of religion remains the law of the land. That is precisely why this story was exposed in the Israeli media and immediately became a major issue, covered as it was: because it is not the norm. Another couple of years with Ben-Gvir with the backing of the Likud, and it might become exactly that.