A tour guide who visited Har Habayis last week and read Tehillim was released without restrictions by a Jerusalem court over objections of police. The man’s crime was that he dared to read Tehillim on Har Habayis. He was arrested and charged with disturbing the peace. He explained to police that he was reciting Tehillim as he studied the holy site in preparation for bringing tour groups.
Police tried to release the man but demanded that he sign a document agreeing not to revisit Har Habayis for 15 days. When he refused to sign he was held in custody for an additional 24 hours.
Honenu attorney Adi Kedar turned to the Jerusalem Magistrate Court seeking an urgent hearing since he felt there was no justification for the arrest, yet alone holding the suspect in custody. Kedar requested his immediate and unconditional release. In response to Kedar’s urgent request to the court, police decided to release the suspect immediately, without restrictions.
Kedar used the opportunity to once again condemn the actions of Jerusalem police, who he feels enforce a discriminatory policy on the holy site that deprives Jews of their basic Freedom of Religion rights.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
Unbelievable–in a Jewish State, in Jerusalem, at the Temple Mount, the Jewish police arrest a Jew for reciting from the Tehillim !!! ….. ….. !!!
a goy,
Gerry Mullen
For of all it’s a Jewish State in the sense of that it’s run by a secular irreligious government who don’t even שומרי תורה ומצות.
Rav elyashiv’ zt”l said its assur to go up unto the har habayis! Anyone who does is chayiv kareis! In גלות we have to maintain a low profile. Going on the har habayis could cause bloodshed.