A new report by the Temple Organizations Headquarters harshly criticizes the police for their inability to secure Jewish access to the Temple Mount – the holiest site in Judaism – during the recent Sukkot holiday.
The report, which was released Tuesday by the group’s leader Assaf Fried, detailed how police continue to arrest Jews who pray at the holy site despite Israel’s freedom of religion laws, in an act of submission to the rules leveled by fiat by the Jordanian Waqf (Islamic trust) which enjoys de facto rule over the site.
Beyond the issue of Jewish arrests, the report detailed how police were unable to keep the gates to the site open for Jews even during the very limited fixed visiting hours.
Police also failed according to the report in maintaining order on the Temple Mount, which has been rocked by violent Arab riots in which terrorists hurl rocks, bricks and firebombs at police on a near daily basis – a part of the recent “silent intifada” of attacks gripping Jerusalem.
Oil was poured on the flames two weeks ago when Hamas vowed to “shed blood” on the site, with rioting escalating to the point that a band of terrorists booby-trapped Al-Aqsa Mosque to stage their usual violence – until police caught them off guard by locking them in the mosque, even as they lobbed a heavy cache of rocks and fireworks.
“Time after time the Muslims succeed in using violence to prevent the Jewish commandment of ascending (the Mount) for the holidays of Israel, and the police are overwhelmed and unable to secure the free entry of Jews to the Temple Mount,” the Temple Organizations Headquarters wrote.
In the report they called on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to cease his weak policy on foreign Islamic sources controlling the site, which comes at the cost of the religious rights of Jewish Israeli citizens.
However, there does not seem to be much hope of the demand being followed through on by Netanyahu, who after clashes last week vowed to “maintain the status quo” on the Mount.
Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has also spoken up on the issue – by inciting further violence in calling to prevent “settlers” from visiting the holiest site in Judaism “by all means.”
