Jordan claims Israeli abuse against Muslims at the Temple Mount. The situation is the opposite at the site, which is controlled by the Jordanian Muslim Trust.
While non-Muslims suffer routine discrimination and abuse when visiting – or attempting to visit – Judaism’s holiest site, the Jordanian government is blaming Israel for the heightened Temple Mount violence in recent weeks.
On the eve of Passover, Hamas terrorists began rioting at the Mount and attacked police with rocks, which resulted in a police ban against Jewish worshipers visiting the site for fear of igniting the situation.
The Mount was filled with terrorists waving Hamas flags, who gained control of the area for several hours. Jews were prevented from visiting for most of the duration of the seven-day holiday due to the Temple Mount violence.
According to the Jerusalem Post, “The Jordanian Foreign Ministry asked Israeli Ambassador Daniel Nevo on Monday to convey to Israel Jordan’s protest and rejection of recurring Israeli violations against the al-Aksa Mosque in Jerusalem, Jordan’s Petra news agency reported.”
Passover is one of the three festivals during which Jews make the pilgrimage to the site in larger numbers, according to biblical tradition. It is located on the ruins of the First and Second Temples.
Temple Mount Violence Increases on Jewish Festivals
On Saturday night, during the interim days of Passover, five Arab teens were arrested and taken in for questioning after they tried scaling the eastern wall of the compound, carrying tear gas.
“Amman told the Israeli ambassador that ‘assaulting Muslim worshipers and allowing [in] Jewish extremists’ must stop and that Jordan holds Israel, as the ‘occupying power,’ responsible for the security of the mosque and the Muslim worshipers there,” the Post reports.
Nevo was warned that “such violations and attacks are tantamount to a flagrant violation of international law and the peace treaty between Jordan and Israel and constitute an extreme insult to bilateral relations,” Petra reported, the Post continues.
On Sunday morning, 24 Arabs were arrested for throwing rocks, police confirmed. That same day, the Temple Mount violence forced Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, a world-renowned American spiritual leader who was visiting the site, to leave quickly.
“Police used nonlethal stun grenades and tear gas to disperse the rioters, many of whom barricaded themselves in al-Aksa mosque, where officers are forbidden from entering,” the Post adds.
The situation, in which non-Muslims are treated with extreme hostility, “is a national catastrophe,” Rabbi Chaim Richman of the Temple Institute told Israel National News.
“In the middle of Jerusalem there is a city-state with diplomatic immunity where the enemy flag is unfurled and where plans are being made to attack Jews… that is absolutely unspeakable,” Rabbi Richman stated, pointing to the control of the Mount by the Jordanian Waqf (Muslim Trust).
Several lawmakers are calling for a change in government policy and increased Israeli sovereignty over the area in order to ensure freedom of worship for members of all faiths.
Date: Apr. 22, 2014