Israel has finally decided to put an end to the Muslim harassment and violence on the Temple Mount by outlawing the groups that organize and fund the attack.

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon signed an order Tuesday night outlawing the Murabitoun (for men) and Murabitat (for women), the Hamas-affiliated Muslim organizations that plan anti-Jewish provocations on the Temple Mount.

Ya’alon acted upon the recommendation of the Shin Bet (Israel’s Security Agency) and Israel Police, having been convinced that the step was necessary in order to defend the security of the state and public order, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The activities of the Murabitoun and Murabitat are a main factor in creating tension and disturbances on the Temple Mount in particular and in Jerusalem in general. Consisting of women and children in many cases in order to mitigate police response, they engage in incitement and dangerous activity against Jewish worshipers and tourists at the site, often leading to violence.

Violent Muslims regularly confront Jewish visitors with verbal – and occasionally physical – abuse, often in large crowds, with the aim of discouraging Jews from setting foot on the holiest site in Judaism. In many cases Israeli police have had to close the Mount to Jewish visitors as a result of the extreme hostility.

“The aforesaid organizations strive to undermine Israeli sovereignty on the Temple Mount, change the existing reality and arrangements at the site and infringe on freedom of worship. They are linked to – and frequently guided by – hostile Islamic organizations,” the statement read.

The declaration was signed after receiving the approval of Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein, which means that henceforth, those who participate in, organize or finance activity by the Mourabitoun and Mourabitat are committing a prohibited act and are subject to trial.

Ya’alon stated, after signing the order, that “the State of Israel allows freedom of worship to all its citizens, tourists and visitors, regardless of their religion, and holds this to be an important and essential basic value. However, we have no intention of allowing violent and inciteful elements to harm public order and threaten the safety of worshipers especially at a sensitive and holy site such as the Temple Mount.”

Well-Organized and Funded Anti-Jewish Provocations

At first glance, the violence on the Temple Mount may seem like a spontaneous outburst of Muslim religious fervor, but intelligence has revealed that the phenomenon is well-organized and well-funded by terror elements.

In April 2014, the Shin Bet arrested Mahmoud Mohammed Issa Tuama, a senior Hamas terrorist who provided a detailed account of Hamas as the driving force behind the outbreaks of violence on the Temple Mount.

Tuama said that Hamas was behind the projects of Omara al Aqsa, an Islamic institution that acts to prevent visits by Jews on the Temple Mount, using hundreds of activists who stay on the Temple Mount compound day and night. In fact, the Shin Bet and Israel Police administratively closed the institution in late 2013 due to violence incited by Hamas and the Islamic institution.

Tuama further revealed that Hamas was using Omara al Aqsa in Israel as a front organization to promote its terror activities and for the transfer of funds to many projects in Jerusalem.

Under the cover of religious studies, the rioters stay day and night on the Mount in order to prevent the arrival of Jews to the holy site. Hamas pays these provocateurs a salary of 4000-5000 NIS per month.

By: Max Gelber, United with Israel 

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