Trump Considering Visit To Jerusalem Holy Site With Mosque, Temples; Netanyahu Meeting Set
JERUSALEM (CBSNewYork) -- Donald Trump, who wants to keep Muslim immigrants out of the United States, is considering visiting Temple Mount, the Jerusalem holy site that includes the iconic Al-Aqsa mosque.
An Israeli official confirmed to The New York Times on Wednesday that Trump will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Dec. 28. The official said the visit has been scheduled for two weeks.
The Jerusalem Post reported that Trump is also considering a visit to Temple Mount, a source of friction between Palestinians and Israelis.
In addition to the mosque, the site includes two ancient temples.
"If Trump the racist plans to visit Al-Aqsa, the holiest place in the world for Muslims, to harm the sensitivities of people against whom he incites, he and Netanyahu will be responsible," Taleb Abu Arrar, a member of the Knesset, told the newspaper.
"Such a visit will set the whole region on fire, I am warning," Arrar added.
It is unclear if Trump would attempt to visit the mosque.
On Monday, Trump called for a "complete and total ban" on Muslims entering the United States.
"Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life," he said in a statement.
Netanyahu is receiving some backlash over his decision to meet with the billionaire candidate. Thirty-seven Knesset members have signed a petition calling on the prime minister to cancel the meeting, The Jerusalem Post reported.
"It is embarrassing that Netanyahu is willing to legitimize Trump as a reasonable candidate who is worth a meeting with a head of state," Zehava Gal-On, chairwoman of the Meretz party, told the newspaper. "Netanyahu's willingness to meet with Trump despite his serious racist statements authorizes what the prime minister's statements showed about him long ago: that there has never been such a racist, irresponsible prime minister."