Jewish Visits to Temple Mount on Tisha b’Av Up 20%

This year, 1,729 Jews ascended the Temple Mount, up from 1,440 last year.

By United with Israel Staff

Despite Arab rioting and clashes with Israeli police, 1,729 Jews visited the Temple Mount on Sunday.

Tisha b’Av, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, which commemorates the destruction of the first and second Holy Temple in Jerusalem, fell on Sunday this year.

The number of visitors marking the occasion shows an increase of 20 percent since last year on Tisha b’Av, when 1,440 Jews visited the holy site.

Initially, the police decided to ban Jewish visits on Sunday, fearing Arab violence. They reversed the decision despite the riots.

“I would like to sincerely thank Jerusalem District [Police] Commander, Doron Yedid, who managed the events on the Temple Mount responsibly and bravely and implemented the policy we decided on last week: to allow every Jew and every visitor to ascend to the Temple Mount, subject to the assessment of the security situation and ensuring the peace of the visitors,” Public Safety Minister Gilad Erdan stated.

“I will continue to work to strengthen Israeli sovereignty on the mountain as I have worked over the past four years, during which the number of Jewish visitors on the mountain has increased by 3.5 times,” Erdan said.

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