A Jerusalem judge has backed the right of Jews to engage in silent prayers on the Temple Mount, marking the first time a court has endorsed Jewish prayer on the holy site since authorities quietly began rescinding their de facto ban on all non-Muslim prayers.On Tuesday, Justice Bilhha Yahalom of the Jerusalem Magistrates Court ruled that silent prayers on the Temple Mount cannot be construed as a criminal act, and ordered police to drop a restraining order imposed on Rabbi Aryeh Lippo, who had been barred from the Mount over his silent prayers.
She didn't say Jews could say prayers out loud. She didn't say they can build a synagogue. All the judge said is that Jews, standing respectfully and silently praying on the holiest Jewish site, cannot be considered to be doing anything criminal.
Can any statement be more obvious? What possible crime could there be?
Naturally, the Muslim world went a little crazy.
The Palestinian ministry of foreign affairs condemned Jews silently praying.
In a press statement, the Palestinian ministry of foreign affairs said that it condemns "the unprecedented decision of an Israeli court granting Jews limited right to perform silent prayers in the courtyards of al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.""It is a flagrant aggression against al-Aqsa Mosque," the statement said.
The Arab League condemned the ruling:
The Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, condemned the Israeli court’s decision to allow Jews to pray in Al-Aqsa Mosque, which sets a dangerous precedent, and reflects the new government’s intentions and continuous plans to Judaize Jerusalem and target the Palestinian presence there.
(UPDATE) And this:
The Palestinian National Council considered the decision of the Israeli occupation court to allow Jews to pray in the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, as a direct and explicit aggression against the pure right of Muslims to the first two qiblah and the third holiest mosque.
Anyone who argues strenuously against the rights of Jews to quietly say prayers at the site of the First and Second Temples is simply an antisemite. One can argue that it isn't a good idea for various reasons (real and mostly imagined,) but to say Jews have no right to pray is saying that Jews should not have the same human rights as members of every other religion.
