Over 1,700 Jews ascend Temple Mount on Tisha B'av
Jews on the Temple Mount (illustrative)Naama Stern/Flash90
Hundreds
of police officers from the Jerusalem District, together with
reinforcements from both Israel Police and Border Police, are working to
secure the various events and the worshipers arriving at the Western
Wall and Jerusalem's Old City to mark the fast day of Tisha B'av.
Among
the visitors to the Temple Mount were National Security Minister Itamar
Ben Gvir (Otzma Yehudit), Negev and Galilee Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf
(Otzma Yehudit), and Likud's MK Amit Halevi.
Meanwhile, 16 worshipers were arrested and detained by police following clashes with Arabs and police forces.
Wasserlauf said, "Now, on Tisha B'av, we are at the Temple Mount -
the holiest place for the Jewish people. All of the Jews throughout two
thousand years of exile prayed and begged to reach this place, to ascend
the Temple Mount. With G-d's help, we will merit to build the Holy
Temple."
Ben Gvir sent a message of unity
with the words, "On this day, at this place, it is important to always
remember - we are all brothers. Right, left, religious, secular. We are
all the same nation. And when a terrorist looks out the window, he
doesn't differentiate between us. Unity is important, love is important.
This place, this place is most important to the people of Israel, we
need to return and show our governance."
The US Embassy in
Israel's Spokesperson commented on National Security Minister Itamar Ben
Gvir's visit to the Temple Mount this morning: "The US stands firmly
for the preservation of the historic status quo with respect to the holy
sites in Jerusalem. Any unilateral action or rhetoric that jeopardizes
the status quo is unacceptable."
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