On Sunday 19 Cheshvan, for the first time in many years, a Har Habayis activist was banned from entering Jerusalem by an administrative order.

At dawn, police detectives arrived at Dov Morell’s house and served him with the order signed by IDF Homefront Commander Major-General Yoel Strik. The order bans Morell from entering Jerusalem for six months and also from making contact with approximately 30 specific Jewish youths. As with all administrative orders, it was issued without a trial and without presenting evidence. The only justification given was a statement that the order was for the purpose of, “Ensuring the security of the State, the safety of the public and maintaining public order.” Morell, a 21 year old resident of Talmon in the Binyamin region, is active in the “Chozrim LaHar” (Returning to Har Habayis) organization.

After the policemen read the order to him and served him with it, Morell tore it into pieces and stated that the order was contrary to the Torah and therefore he would not obey it. The order is in effect until the eve of Pesach, one of the times of the year during which Har Habayis activists are especially busy. According to Morell the timing indicates that the purpose of the order is to prevent his Har Habayis activism and the ban on making contact with certain individuals is intended specifically to interfere with his operating a Facebook page by the name “We Want a Jewish State”.

In response to Morell’s work encouraging Jews to go onto Har Habayis, in recent months agents from the Jewish Department of the ISA (Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet) have threatened Morell and on September 8, 2015, he was detained on suspicion of saying a blessing before drinking water on Har Habayis. Since the detention he has been banned, with no justification given, from going onto Har Habayis.

Honenu: “We denounce the issuance of administrative orders without a trial and without justification in a step which severely violates the rights of Dov Morell. Only last week it was revealed that a Muslim sheikh on Har Habayis continues to freely incite to injure Jews, which according to the commander of the Homefront Command apparently does not answer to the definition “injury to public order”, and currently we see what the security forces are concerned with – issuing a ban to a Jew working openly and legally for the sake of Har Habayis.”

Chozrim LaHar also denounces the issuance of the order to one of the organization’s activists: “The use of administrative orders in response to the ‘An Arrest is a Victory’ campaign, constitutes a red line in the fight against Har Habayis activists. Any use of a ban against a Jew because of his activities for the sake of Har Habayis and the Beis Hamikdash itself is a declaration of war against anyone who insists upon protecting the rights of Jews on Har Habayis. We will not be deterred, we will increase our activities, and we will continue to unceasingly struggle for Har Habayis.”

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)