BYU President, Jeffrey R. Holland writes to Mayor Teddy Kollek promising that BYU nor the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will proselytize in Israel. This was a condition of using the Jerusalem Center that the first presidency agreed to. Then, in December 20, 1985 President Ezra Taft Benson writes to Mayor Teddy Kollek assuring him that the Church and BYU will abide by commitments not to proselytize

This came about after a special meeting of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on July 31, 1985. These church leaders came together to decide whether they should sign an undertaking not to proselyte in the Holy Land. After much discussion and by one present reminding the others that this would not be the first time and read from the first chapter of Mormon, verses 16 and 17:

“I did endeavor to preach unto this people, but my mouth was shut, and I was forbidden . . . [to] preach unto them. . . .

“I did remain among them, but I was forbidden to preach unto them, because of the hardness of their hearts.”

Then he read from Mormon 3, verse 16: “[Then] I did even as the Lord had commanded me; and I did stand as an idle witness to witness . . . unto the world the things which I saw.”

So President Ezra Taft Benson signed this agreement, which was delivered by President Holland to Jerusalem on August 5th, that year.

(Information about the special meeting comes from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland at the Jerusalem Center 30 Year Anniversary Event on the BYU campus, October 11, 2019)