http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/15799Op-Ed: The Temple Mount and the Status QuoWhat is it about this status quo that is so appealing to the Security Minister and Police Chiefs?This week Jews around the world celebrate the holiday of Sukkot, which is one of the three holidays which Jews are commanded to travel to Jerusalem and bring offerings to the Temple. While the Temple itself remains destroyed, hundreds of Jews gathered to ascend to the Temple Mount on Sunday morning only to be met with signage that the site was closed to non-Muslims.
When discussions of Jewish rights—or the lack thereof—and the Temple Mount are had, the resounding response from successive governments and police chiefs, for the most part, has been one of maintaining the status quo. This is something which would seem sensible, if it were not for the fact that the same proponents of maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount speak of the non-feasibility of doing the same in Judea and Samaria.
This Sunday marked the third straight day of violent Arab rioting which has seen the Temple Mount remained closed throughout the holiday of Sukkot. Police officers have been injured and while the violent rioters post photos of their weapon stockpiles to social media along with Hamas and ISIS flags, only a handful have been arrested. Moreover the Temple Mount remains open to Muslim “worshipers”, enabling new rioters and weapons to enter and replenish the existing ones.
In recent weeks the Chief of the Jerusalem Police has resigned under unexplained and suspicious circumstances. Additionally, the Security Minister MK Ahranovitch has gone as far as to claim a reduction in violence in Jerusalem. His statements contradict the empirical evidence, statements made by Prime Minister Netanyahu about the need to end the ‘silent intifiada’ in Jerusalem, and the fact that this time last year the EXACT same situation existed on the Temple Mount.
What is it about this status quo that is so appealing to the Security Minister and Police Chiefs? Instead of closing the site to violent criminals police begin abusing religious Jews from the moment they line up at the sole entrance for non-Muslims. The Police’s enforcement of Waqf policies against Jewish prayers and access are in direct contradiction with Israeli law, Supreme Court rulings, and international human rights law.
Recently I visited the Temple Mount with a small group on a Thursday morning. Arriving at 9:30 am we only gained access at about 10:30 am. Others from our group had been waiting since 7:30 am. While the head of the police repeatedly told us we would be allowed up shortly, dozens of Christians and non-religious Jews passed us with little delay.
After 10 minutes on the Temple Mount we were escorted off for no apparent or given reasons although there was little in the way of Arab violence apart from the usual screams of ‘Alah Akhbar’. When we returned in the afternoon we were given a full 45 minutes to walk the perimeter of the Temple Mount, despite the Arab mobs being both verbally and physically aggressive to our group.
I had the privilege to speak with 4 police officers at length during both trips. One officer was a Jew and he was not interested in talking, he was extremely nervous and constantly looking over his shoulder. He appeared to be angry with us for being the cause of the Arab aggression. The other officers I spoke to were Druze. They were friendly and sympathetic. They explained that they merely carry out orders received from the upper echelons and that if given the order to suppress Arab violence while simultaneously facilitating Jewish access—and even prayer—it would be “easy” for them.
In maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount the government is wasting untold thousands of shekels on a security system that is ineffective and essentially operating in contravention of Israeli law. Honorable police officers are afraid and unable to act as police officers, instead being relegated and forced to carry out dirty politics.
A few months ago, on Israeli Independence Day, a group of Jews coincidentally congregated at the exit from the Temple Mount which all Jewish worshippers are forcefully pushed out of by police. About 100 of them began to sing and dance (a song about rebuilding the Temple, no less). The Arab response was eye opening. With their jaws dropped the mob who had been chanting death threats moments earlier was silent. A showing of Jewish strength was met with quiet.
On the same day, a video showing a group of Jews being rushed off the Temple Mount by police is coupled with scenes of the usual Arab aggression. In fact, when Muslim access to the Temple Mount has had restrictions in place (such as age etc.), there has been virtually no mass rioting. This is no coincidence.
There has been an increase in calls by both MK’s and political activists, as well as the general public through social media, for MK Aharanovitch to step down if he is unable or unwilling to restore quiet to the capital. Indeed the Temple Mount is the heart of Jerusalem—according to the Arab rioters as well—and so control of the site means control of the city.
Nothing has changed unfortunately since I wrote about the security situation on the Temple Mount at this time last year. The time has come to end the status quo, one which is demonstrably unsustainable and illegal.
Topic: Arab rioters locked inside the Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount. (Read 596 times)