Five Palestinians arrested during clashes on Temple Mount
Police closed and locked gate leading to holy site after worshippers gathered at a site which had been closed since 2003
Five Palestinians were arrested during clashes with police over an area of the Temple Mount that has been closed off for 15 years.
Police closed and locked the Golden Gate, or the Gate of Mercy, the only eastern gate to the Temple Mount, on Thursday after worshippers gathered in the Bab al-Rahma structure that has been closed since 2003 because police determined that the Islamic heritage organisation that had operated out of the building was associated with Hamas.
On Monday morning, dozens of worshippers attempted to force their way through the gate, leading to clashes with police.
Visits to the Temple Mount were allowed to continue, however.
Jordan’s foreign ministry challenged Israel over the closure of the site calling it a “flagrant violation of the historical and legal status quo and Israel’s obligation under the international law and humanitarian law.”
The Waqf, which oversees Islamic holy sites including the Temple Mount site, has called for the area to be reopened, since the offending heritage association has been closed for so long. Police are against reopening the site, according to Haaretz.
A senior Waqf official told The Jerusalem Post that if the site continues to remain closed it could spark protests in Jerusalem similar to those that broke out after metal detectors and security cameras were placed at an entrance for Muslim worshippers to the Temple Mount in 2017. Israel eventually removed the security devices.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
