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The Western Wall plaza (below) and the Dome of the Rock beyond, located on the Temple Mount. (Israel Insider)
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07/01
WorldNetDaily.com |
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07/01
Haaretz |
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| By Ellis Shuman July 1, 2003 |
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Israeli Police recently escorted twenty small groups of tourists and Israeli Jews on visits to Jerusalem's Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism which has been off limits to non-Muslims since the start of the Intifada in September 2000. The tourists did not visit the mosques on the site. The Waqf Religious Trust, responsible for the mosques, objects to the visits and Palestinian officials warn they could trigger a third Intifada.
Jerusalem District Police Spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby confirmed yesterday that for the last two months, the police at the Western Wall station have been accompanying groups of tourists visiting the Temple Mount. He added that occasionally, "to avoid very small groups, the police proposed to the tourists that they join the group visiting the mount."
The police's decision to allow non-Muslims to visit the Temple Mount was coordinated with Jerusalem Police Commissioner Mickey Levy and senior government officials, including Internal Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi. About two weeks ago, Hanegbi announced that Jews would soon be allowed on the Temple Mount, "even if no agreement is reached with the Waqf (the Muslim religious organization that supervises the mosques on the site)."
The members of right-wing organizations, including the Temple Mount Faithful, were not allowed access to the Temple Mount, Army Radio reported, and the visitors who toured the site did not go into the Muslim mosques there.
According to Army Radio, the Waqf was aware of the tourists' visits to the Temple Mount, but Waqf Director Adnan Husseini claimed he heard for the first time only yesterday that Israeli police were actually bringing in visitors.
Husseini said the Israeli act was a breach of the status quo that prevented non-Muslims from accessing the site in order to ease tensions during the Intifada.
Al-Aqsa mosque director Sheikh Mohammed Hussein said the Waqf specifically told Israeli officials to prevent the visits, Israel Radio reported.
Ikrimah Sabri, the Palestinian Authority mufti in Jerusalem, warned a "bloodbath" would result from the Israeli visits. Ahmed Abdel Rahman, a senior political adviser to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, said: "This could be the trigger for the third Intifada. How else can we interpret the stupidity of Israel's police minister...?"
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