Israeli government officially funds plans to build "The Temple" in place of Al Aqsa Mosque

Occupied Jerusalem- Israeli sources revealed that their government approved a decision to pay, retroactively, the $36,000 in allocations assigned by them over the past three years to the extremist Holy Temple Institute group. The sources added that Education Minister Zevulun Hammer of the National Religious Party decided to allow government funding of such groups. The freezing of government funding to the group, which plans to build a Jewish temple in place of Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock mosques in Jerusalem, was imposed by former Education Minister Amnon Robenshtine (Meretz). Justifying his decision, Minister Hammer said he was convinced that the

leaders of the group were not extremists. Commenting on Hammer's decision, Robenshtine said he was astonished because the money the group will receive from the government will be used to fund extremist activities in East Jerusalem. He added that Rabbi Areil, the leader of the group, was the number two man in the Kach movement.