From A Locked Gate to a Synagogue at the Temple Mount

Yesterday's events are reverberating.

After a Muslim pray-in at the Golden Gate along the eastern wall of the Temple Mount compound, towards the north, last Thursday, the police locked the entrance gate at the top of the stairs.

Credit

Yesterday, Muslims tried to break in and there was pushing and shoving.  Here's extract from Wafa's account:

Israeli police broke into Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City this afternoon after closing all gates leading to it and arrested individuals inside the compound after people removed chains and gates the police had earlier placed at the Golden Gate building in the compound.to prevent its use, according to witnesses.

They said a number of Palestinians removed the metal gates and chains the police had on Sunday placed at the stairs leading to the building adjacent to the closed Golden Gate, also known as Bab al-Rahmeh, considered a property of Al-Aqsa Mosque, following calls for holding the Muslim prayers at the building in defiance of the Israeli police decision.

Immediately after this, police closed all gates leading to the Muslim holy compound as its forces carried out arrests among those present inside it while forcing the Muslim worshippers to leave it.

There's a video clip here.

Here's the reaction of Mahmoud Abbas

The Palestinian presidency strongly condemned the Israeli closure of the Golden Gate (Bab al-Rahmeh) with locks and chains, warning against Israeli plans aimed at imposing the temporal and spatial division of the mosque.

He is demanding that Israel preserve "the mosque’s status quo of 1967".

Jordan:

The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned "in the strongest possible terms" the Israeli police closure of al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem and the assaults on worshipers.

The ministry's official spokesman, Sufian al-Qudah, demanded that Israel, as the occupying power, "act in accordance with international law and immediately reopen the gates, respect the sanctity of the holy place, not hamper the entry of worshipers, withdraw security forces at the holy compound and respect the feelings of Muslims," according to Jordan news agency, Petra.

The spokesperson slammed the Israeli measures at al-Aqsa as "a flagrant violation of the historical and legal status quo and Israel's obligations under the international law and the international humanitarian law, as the occupying power, and held it fully responsible for the safety of the mosque."

(UPDATE: On the Jordan/PA coordination now)

Here is the Golden Gate or Mercy Gate (Sha'ar HaRachamim) in green

Another Wafa report raises a suspicion:

Officials have expressed concern that Israel may allow Jews to hold prayers in the Golden Gate area and possibly build a Jewish temple there after separating it from the rest of Al-Aqsa compound.

It would be a wonderful site for a synagogue.  In fact, it is a two-halled structure that would easily divide, and equally so, for a men's and women's section each. It is also located way below the level of most of the Temple Mount esplanade as can be seen in the first picture above.

The blue area I marked in the photo above is where this structure is:

Seems to be a storeroom. Not a religious building.

That would fine for a temporary synagogue. It's quite near the Children of Israel Gate, off on the side, would not interfere with Muslims.

Five years ago, I suggested a site right next to the Hallel Gate (formerly Mughrabi Gate).

The Waqf has added at least two new mosques since 1967 (and are working on a third) so actually, there is no status quo regarding buildings and construction.  A small synagogue, quite unobtrusive, is feasible and would fulfill the terms of the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty's Article 9:

Each party will provide freedom of access to places of religious and historical significance...The Parties will act together to promote interfaith relations among the three monotheistic religions, with the aim of working towards religious understanding, moral commitment, freedom of religious worship, and tolerance and peace.

For My House is a house of prayer for all peoples (Isaiah 56:7).

And that should include Jews.


P.S.  For a Hebrew-language background, see here.

________________

UPDATE: Israel seems to have capitulated.  

Gate removed altogether.

Report.

Another report.


^ 

Obama Supports Jewish Prayer on the Temple Mount

IMRA sent me the remarks of Barack Obama, President of the United States, spoken at the National Prayer Breakfast event at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.

He noted that

...as Americans, we affirm the freedoms endowed by our Creator, among them freedom of religion.  And, yes, this freedom safeguards religion, allowing us to flourish as one of the most religious countries on Earth, but it works the other way, too -- because religion strengthens America.  Brave men and women of faith have challenged our conscience and brought us closer to our founding ideals, from the abolition of slavery to civil rights, workers’ rights.

and continued

I’ve felt the love that faith can instill in our lives during my visits to the Holy Land and Jerusalem -- sacred to Jews and Christians and Muslims...I’ve felt the compassion of so many faith leaders around the world...Yet even as our faith sustains us, it’s also clear that around the world freedom of religion is under threat.  And that is what I want to reflect on this morning. 

and he emphasized:

We sometimes see religion twisted in an attempt to justify hatred and persecution against other people just because of who they are, or how they pray or who they love.  Old tensions are stoked, fueling conflicts along religious lines...even though to harm anyone in the name of faith is to diminish our own relationship with God.  Extremists succumb to an ignorant nihilism that shows they don’t understand the faiths they claim to profess -- for the killing of the innocent is never fulfilling God’s will; in fact, it’s the ultimate betrayal of God’s will.
Today, we profess the principles we know to be true.  We believe that each of us is “wonderfully made” in the image of God.  We, therefore, believe in the inherent dignity of every human being -- dignity that no earthly power can take away.  And central to that dignity is freedom of religion -- the right of every person to practice their faith how they choose, to change their faith if they choose, or to practice no faith at all, and to do this free from persecution and fear...promoting religious freedom is a key objective of U.S. foreign policy.  And I’m proud that no nation on Earth does more to stand up for the freedom of religion around the world than the United States of America.  (Applause.)

And then, he noted

...THE PRESIDENT:...As we support Israelis and Palestinians as they engage in direct talks, we’ve made clear that lasting peace will require freedom of worship and access to holy sites for all faiths.  I want to take this opportunity to thank Secretary Kerry for his extraordinary passion and principled diplomacy that he’s brought to the cause of peace in the Middle East...

...And in contrast to those who wield religion to divide us, let’s do more to nurture the dialogue between faiths that can break cycles of conflict and build true peace, including in the Holy Land.

That's clear to me: President Obama supports Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount.

Thanks you, Mr. President.

Mr. Secretary of State, is that part of your solution?

^ 

Look, Are They "Storming" and "Defiling"?

This is a picture of fanatic Jews breaking into the Temple Mount, storming through the gates and defiling an Islamic holy site:

Just kidding.

Those are Arab Muslim females crossing the Western Wall Plaza.

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How About A Synagogue While We Wait for the Temple?

From Michael Freund's op-ed,

A place for Jews on the Temple Mount
in The Jerusalem Post, October 18, 2012

...we got a firsthand look at the situation which prevails at Judaism's holiest site. Put simply, it is absolutely infuriating. Brazen discrimination is practiced against religious Jews, who are singled out for special treatment by Israel's police that is not accorded anyone professing a different faith...There were other groups on the Mount at the same time as ours, including Christian pilgrims from Romania, various non-religious tourists, and Israeli Arabs. None of them were subjected to the same watchful scrutiny.

...The state of affairs on the Temple Mount is intolerable and untenable. Basic freedoms, such as the right to worship and free speech, are being trampled, and Jews are subjected to discrimination unheard of anywhere else in the Western world.
A way must be found to enable Jews to exercise their right to commune with their Maker, without further stoking hatred and intolerance. In fact, there is a simple and very practical solution to this predicament: build a synagogue on the Temple Mount where Jews would be free to pray as they wish...there is a clear historical precedent that even during periods when the Mount was under Muslim control, the rights of Jews were respected. So now that it is under Israeli sovereignty, should we accept anything less?

...The best way to prevent friction on the Temple Mount is to accommodate the needs and wishes of both Jews and Arabs, rather than squelching one at the expense of the other.  The Temple Mount is our holiest site, one that has served as the focus of our people's dreams and yearnings for the past 2,000 years. Visiting it was a powerful spiritual experience, one that touched me to the core of my very being.

But it was distressing to see the extent to which Israel's government defers to threats of Arab unrest at the expense of its own citizens and their basic rights.

Building a synagogue on the Temple Mount will underline Israel's sovereignty, while also guaranteeing the freedom of access to all religions that is at the heart of governmental policy. It would give the Muslims a chance to demonstrate just how tolerant they truly are. We don't begrudge them the right to pray, so why should they begrudge us?

...May the day soon come when that prayer, and others like it, can be recited freely by Jews in the place where the Temple once stood, and will yet stand again.

^

Islamic Freedom of Religion

Al-Hayat reports:-

The PA's Council of Ministers, during its meeting held in Ramallah yesterday, headed by Dr.. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, condemned ongoing Israeli schemes aimed at the ngoing Al-Aqsa Mosque, whether through further excavation, or storming a daily basis and provocative by the army and settlers, and invitations to destroy it, or allow the Jews to pray in and prevent Muslims from entering at certain times.He warned that further campaigns of incitement deliberate by the leaders of Israeli multi-against the mosque and praying in it may lead to a disaster, stressing the need for a pressure of an international Arab actor to stop the Israeli violations against the Aqsa Mosque and the holy city, calling the Islamic Summit held today in Mecca to take decisions of actors to address these serious measures and practices and to support the steadfastness of our people and enable it to protect it.

Compare to the above this statement that I found in the book I just noted:-

You read that part about "freedom of worship" in the last paragraph?

Nu.  So where's my freedom of worship?

They have their's:

Thousands of worshipers from the West Bank, Jerusalem and Israel headed to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque on Tuesday to celebrate Laylat al-Qadr, one of Ramadan’s holiest nights. Director of the Jerusalem office of the Islamic Waqf told Ma’an that the number of worshipers exceeded 400,000.

^

No. No. No. And No.

From the Hebrew report:

אסור להם לעצום עיניים, להתנדנד, להוציא פתק מהכיס

Or:

Jews within the Temple Mount precincts now, on police orders can neither close their eyes, schuckle (a swaying and/or rocking movement), or remove any piece of paper from their pockets.

That is in addition to the no praying, no reading from a Bible or Psalter and no prostations that are prohibited therein. Background here and the Chief Rabbinate's position.

Even Fodors Guide knows what's important:

The swaying and praying of the devout reveal the powerful hold this place still has on the hearts and minds of many Jews.

That was in relation to the Kotel.

Do you suggest we go to court?

Won't help.  The court agrees jews have the basic right to express respect through prayer but hinge that on a rquired police permission for fear of "distrubance to the public order".

Since the Muslims simply need but to threaten to riot and throw stones, although they do that, too, and the police prohibit entry, there goes prayer.

And swaying.

And closing one's eyes.

Playing soccer, however, might be allowed -

And here is a Hebrew language clip of Sunday's ascent.

^

Chanukkah Presents A Problem

Go here to understand this

نابلس 29-11-2010 وفا- وضع مستوطنون، قبل قليل، شمعدانا ضخما على مشارف مدينة نابلس بالضفة الغربية.

وقال شهود عيان إن الشمعدان وضع بواسطة رافعة قرب مثلث زعترة على بعد عدة كيلومترات جنوب نابلس، وأشاروا إلى أن هذه المنطقة تعتبر مركزا لتجمع عدد من المستوطنات اليهودية المتطرفة.

يذكر أن الشمعدان غالبا ما يستخدم في الطقوس الدينية اليهودية، ويسعى المستوطنون لفرض أيدلوجيتهم في مناطق الضفة الغربية من خلال هذه الأعمال.

ـ

ج.ض

^

Sha. Shtil. Macht Nisht Kein Gereider.

There's a Yiddish folksong (you can hear the first verse here and the full lyrics are here pgs. 8-9 of the booklet) which goes Sha Shtil, Macht Nisht Kein Gerider
which translates as:

Shush, Quiet, Don't Make Any Noise


Why that song?

Read on:-

A Jew is not allowed to pray in any overt manner whatsoever on the Temple Mount, even if he is just moving his lips in prayer, Public Security Minister Avi Dichter recently wrote MKs Uri Ariel and Aryeh Eldad (National Union-NRP).

In 1976, the Supreme Court ruled that it accepted the government's position that it was not opposed to individual Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount, providing that it was not of a demonstrative nature that could lead to public disorder. High Court rulings in recent years have also been seen to support individual, as opposed to group prayer on the Mount.

...The two MKs explained that all they intended to do was to pray, without informing the media of their plans, or wearing a talit or tefilin, or bringing a Torah scroll with them.

"It is not possible to arrest a person for 'conversing with his maker,'" Dichter replied, using the same terminology of the MKs' letter. "However it is possible to carry out an arrest for expressions of outward and demonstrative signs [of prayer]."
This interpretation, Dichter continued, "is in line with the rationale that bans Jews from praying at the site, in light of serious concerns that this will serve as a provocation, resulting in disorder, with a near certain likelihood of subsequent bloodshed."

It was further explained to the two MKs that from the police's point of view, there is no substantive difference between the prayer of an individual and group prayer, since the threat to public safety is the same. Such act would be considered "altering the status quo at the site."

Dichter stressed that the state's decision to ban Jewish prayer from the Temple Mount does not distinguish between an individual praying and that of a group, and that this has been the basis of the status quo since 1967.

And see Steve Plaut's blog post.