A Jewish woman was taken into custody by police on Friday 8 Menachem Av, after being recorded on Har Habayis in an argument with Arabs during which she called Mohammad a pig. The clash occurred between the Jewish woman and the Arab woman who are paid to remain on the site and confront and harass Jewish visitors. As the group of Jews passed they were met with shouts of “Ala Akbar”, as is often the case when Jews visit the holy site.

When the woman was heard referring to Mohammad as a “pig”, she was taken into custody.

Honenu attorney Itamar Ben-Givir filed an urgent request to have the woman released, pointing out to the court Arabs were shouting insults at Jews when the mother was taken into custody with her daughter just hours before Shabbos.

Judge Bar-Asher Zaban released the woman after he was shown a video that the woman’s comments were indeed in response to the shouts leveled at the Jews visiting Har Habayis.

Ben-Givir was extremely critical of police, that showed only one side of the story, as if the woman insulted Mohammad without provocation.

It is added that Gedolei Yisrael throughout the generations have ruled one may not visit Har Habayis. This is the ruling of Gedolei Yisrael today as well, in addition to being the position of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)