Muslim worshipers attack Jews trying to pray on Temple Mount
Video footage from Arab television emerged on Tuesday showing Muslim worshipers on the Temple Mount attack a small group of Jews who ascended to the holy site and attempted to pray.Temple Mount: 2 Waqf officials arrested for attacking Jews
Israeli authorities on Tuesday evicted eight Jewish visitors from the Temple Mount complex in response to what security forces said was inappropriate behavior at the holy site.
Police said 527 visitors, of them 400 tourists, ascended to the holy site during Tuesday morning visits.
After the last group of Jewish visitors left the compound, a gathering of Muslim worshipers began yelling slogans at the Jews.
Police and Border Police officers in the area escorted the group of Jews away from the scene and acted to subdue the disturbances.
As Israeli Jews celebrate Passover, the security services are on high alert as part of an effort to head off any attempts by religious Jews to make overt gestures on Temple Mount that might be construed as worship.
Among a number of individuals arrested during clashes between Jews and Muslims on the Temple Mount earlier Tuesday were two members of the Jordanian Waqf, the Islamic trust which administers the site.PMO to Jordan on Temple Mount: Jerusalem is acting responsibly, and Amman knows that
The two Islamic "guards" were arrested for assaulting Jewish visitors.
Israel Police also arrested nine Jews during the day, claiming they had violated the rules; presumably, this includes the ban on Jews praying or showing religious worship of any kind on the Temple Mount.
In total, 825 visitors ascended the Temple Mount Tuesday, including 557 tourists and 268 Israelis.
"The Jerusalem District Police, Border Police officers and police reinforcements in Jerusalem will continue providing extra security reinforcements throughout the city, and especially at flashpoints, in order to maintain order, public safety and welfare, as well as to regulate traffic," the Jerusalem police responded.
One day after 13 Jews were removed from Jerusalem’s Temple Mount for illegally praying at the contested holy site, the Jordanian government on Monday warned Israel of “serious consequences” if the area’s delicate status quo is breached.
Sunday morning’s impasse was further exacerbated when a group of Muslims was also removed from the compound by police for chanting “Allahu Akbar” (“God is great”) at the nearly 1,000 Jewish and Christian visitors who ascended it for the holiday.
In a sharply worded statement issued Monday, Jordanian Media Affairs Minister Muhammad al-Momani accused “Israeli settlers and police” of flagrantly violating international laws and conventions by “storming al-Aksa Mosque,” which he said could lead to “serious consequences.”
The ongoing and wholly unsubstantiated allegations that the Israeli government surreptitiously intends to seize al-Aksa – Islam’s third holiest site – has led to the recent wave of deadly terrorism which has largely fueled what many are deeming a third intifada.