Eurasia Press & News
Hamas referred to the entrance of Jewish worshippers through the Gate of the Tribes, which is reserved for Muslim entrance only, a ‘serious escalation.’ While the incident does not signal a change in government policy, Jewish groups are taking the opportunity to call for additional Jewish entry
Israel Police on Sunday played down reports by Jewish worshippers about their ascent to the Temple Mount under the supervision of an officer through a gate reserved for Muslims, in violation of the status quo at the disputed holy site.
The spokesperson for the Jerusalem District police warned about “false advertising” about the incident – which Jewish groups dubbed as ‘historical’ – saying that a group of around 50 Jews were ejected, and that those who were not violating the rules, which includes a ban on Jewish prayer at the site, were then allowed to reenter through the gate.
Although this year has already witnessed record-breaking numbers of Jewish worshippers ascending the Temple Mount, they only enter via the Mughrabi Bridge, overlooking the Western Wall plaza. Any other entrance into the contested complex is seen as an affront to the fragile religious status-quo, which permits Jewish presence but not prayer.
The story was reported by the daily Israel Hayom, and widely disseminated by Palestinian sites and on social media. A Hamas spokesperson called the move “a dangerous escalation,” while the Palestinian Foreign Ministry slammed the “flagrant violation of the status quo in Al-Aqsa,” adding that it holds the “Israeli government fully and directly responsible.”
The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs condemned what it called “the continued storming of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif by extremists, and allowing them to violate its sanctity through provocative practices and under the protection of the Israeli occupation police.”
The Gate of the Tribes, on the northern side of the Temple Mount, is usually reserved for Muslim access only. While the incident does not signal a change in government policy, Jewish groups are taking the opportunity to call for additional Jewish entry.
Tom Nisani, the director of Beyadenu, which advocates for Jewish prayer at the site, called on Israel to allow Jewish entry through additional gates, noting that several Jews entered the complex this morning “smoothly and without problems.”
The group also posted a video of Jews awaiting entrance on Mughrabi Bridge, stating that the sole entrance “is not coping with the thousands of Jews ascending the Mount.”
“The important thing is that Jews entered through this gate, and that’s historical.”
Beyadenu did not deny the police’s version of events, but responded: “The important thing is that Jews entered through this gate, and that’s historical.”
The Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City is considered the holiest site in Judaism, having been the seat of the two ancient temples. At the same time, it is also the seat of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Islam’s third-holiest site.
Since Israel conquered East Jerusalem in 1967, it allows Jews to visit on the condition that they refrain from prayer or religious rites, but radical groups have been praying there with increasing frequency, sometimes under the protection of the police.
The uptick in devout Jews entering the Temple Mount on Sunday comes on Rosh Chodesh, the celebration of the month of Elul in the Jewish calendar.
The Waqf, the Jordanian custodian of the holy site, has not yet responded to the incident.
