Bennett rolls back Temple Mount ‘religious freedom’ call
Israeli prime minister’s office says he ‘misspoke’ when he said Jewish freedom of worship within the holy compound should be maintained
Israel’s prime minister Naftali Bennett denied claims a decades-old ban on Jewish prayer atop the Temple Mount was being rolled back after hundreds of worshippers visited for Tisha B’Av.
Some visitors on Sunday were seen reciting scripture on the compound without intervention from Israeli police.
In previous years Jews have been allowed to visit but not pray at the holy site, with officers enforcing the ban by searching visitors for pocket psalm books.
The Temple Mount is known to Muslims as Haram esh-Sharif and hosts the al-Aqsa mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam.
There were brief clashes earlier on Sunday between Israeli police and Muslim worshippers opposed to the Tisha B’Av visits.
No serious injuries were reported in what police described as stone throwing early in the day by several Palestinian youngsters who it said were then dispersed.
Palestinian officials said police forcefully evacuated Muslim worshippers to clear the way for the Jewish visitors and fired rubber-coated bullets.
The visit of over 1,600 Jews, most of them Orthodox, was mostly peaceful, prompting Bennett to thank police for “maintaining freedom of worship for Jews on the Mount”.
But the prime minister’s office said he had misspoken by suggesting both Muslims and Jews should have freedom to worship at the holy site.
It added the religious status quo would remain in place at the site, the Times of Israel reported.
The Palestinian Authority called the Jewish visits provocative and a “serious threat to security and stability”.
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.
