Police on Sunday morning have closed the Har HaBayis to all non-Muslim visitors amid reports that right-wing extremist Jews plan to attempt a takeover of the holy site.
The police move was based on a posting appearing on the Har HaBayit Shelanu website, which quoted Moshe Feiglin, who heads the Manhigut Yehudit faction within Likud, as calling for the masses to come to Har HaBayis today, Sunday,19 Shevat 5772 to destroy the mosques on the site.
To Feiglin’s dismay, who habitually visits Har HaBayis on the 19th of the month, when he arrived this morning with his entourage they learned police had already closed the area. Feiglin and his supporters are calling on Israel Police to probe the matter, wishing to learn who is behind the provocation of posting such a declaration in his name when in essence, there is no truth to the statement. Feiglin is confident that if police make a minimal effort, the responsible person will be apprehended.
It appears that over recent days flyers were distributed in Yerushalayim, supposedly in Feiglin’s name, announcing the Sunday morning event on Har HaBayis. The flyer could have led the website to publicize the posting. Feiglin supporters fear elements wishing to delegitimize Moshe Feiglin are behind the move.
Police officials released a statement that both Har HaBayis and the Kosel are religious sites and as such, the department will not tolerate any attempt to capitalize on these locations to advance one political agenda or another.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
Well, the police in Israel (and elsewhere) ARE SUPPOSED TO prevent a breach of the peace. And in Israel, the police are supposed to surpress political dissidents (when you get to Eretz Yisrael, note that you aren’t in Kansas anymore).
forget about the halachic distinctions.
to call jews who feel they belonging on the most organic jewish site for basic ultimate identity of jewishness is political dissidence is skewed SHAMEFUL thinking and pure cowardice of the highest order.
and the worst political dissidents is examples of all over the world of muslim bigotry where no jews dogs and women are allowed.
soo you should rethink your principles and then lose some to win some.
which is what all real men do. its called sacrifice.
To Baron (no.2).
If you somehow think it would be a good idea in the current circumstances in EY to add one additional source of tension and possibly trigger another round of demonstrations and bloodshed over control of har habayis you have a really perverted sense of priorities. Please take your mindless “macho” (aka “what all real men do”) and sacrifice yourself. Don’t put the security police in harms way so that some political hacks can go up to har habayis to score political points.
The fact that Feiglin goes up every month for 10 years is besides the point
That Jews cannot call to g-d on their holiest site being watched by a waqf guard is the worst sort of breach of religious freedom in the western world
Thousands of tourists go up yet a Jew is subjected to adverse malignancy
And is improper towards rewarding the Muslims for bigotry and not allowing jewish pilgrims to be there
It is the Muslims who use the area for incitement for blood and worst political thuggery
Inexcusable