Just at the end of the Six-Day War, when all of east Jerusalem, which includes the Old City and the Temple Mount, came into Israel’s possession, Defense Minister Moshe Dayan made a fateful decision. He decided that Muslims could continue to visit the Temple Mount, which they call the Haram al-Sharif, at all days and times. Jews, however, who had been barred from visiting either the Western Wall or the Temple Mount when the area was ruled by Jordan from 1949 to 1967, would be severely circumscribed in their visits, which would take place during a three-hour period in the morning and one hour in the afternoon, and only on five days of the week. But more fateful still was Dayan’s decision – he consulted no one – to prohibit Jewish visitors to the Mount from saying prayers aloud or even silently. He apparently wanted to placate the Arabs at the very moment when they had been so thoroughly defeated that they would have resigned themselves to whatever the Jews wanted, including exercising the right to pray openly and to visit for many more hours on the Mount. Dayan was not thinking through what such a policy would mean for Jews everywhere.
Within the last few years, little by little, the Israeli police have quietly begun to look the other way when Jews on the Mount silently mouthed prayers. That partial victory in practice led three young Jews to pray openly on the Mount, testing the limits of the new policy. They were arrested, and their lawyers went to court to challenge their detention. The result was a ruling by the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court, one long desired by many Jews, that undoes Dayan’s decision in June 1967.
A report on the new ruling is here: “Jerusalem court rules in favor of Jews praying on Temple Mount,” i24 News, May 22, 2022:
The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court on Sunday ruled that Jews are now allowed to recite the Shema prayer and bow down on the Temple Mount.
The decision was taken following an appeal by the legal defense group Honenu against the arrest of three young Jews, detained after praying at the site. They received a 15-day restraining order.
The status quo at the site, administered by the Jordanian Waqf, allows Muslims to visit and pray there almost every day, while Jews are not allowed to pray there and can only visit the site on certain days at fixed times.
Judge Zion Saharay said that the recitation of the Jewish prayer “Shema Israel” presents no “reason that could lead to breach of peace,” saying three young Jews should not be banned from the site, as the police demanded.
“We are very happy with the court’s decision. It is time for the Israeli police to start arresting the rioters and people who commit crimes in Jerusalem, and to protect the inhabitants. They must stop dealing with esoteric issues while violating blatant religious freedom for Jews on the Temple Mount,” Honenu group lawyer Nati Rom said.
These Jews are being allowed to say a single prayer, the Shema, and to bow down on the Temple Mount. The “Shema” is as innocuous a prayer as one could imagine. It’s the Jewish declaration of faith:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
This decision was a victory for religious freedom, undoing what Dayan never should have done in June 1967. Alas, this decision may be overturned. The Israeli police have appealed the ruling. A report on that wrongheaded appeal is here: “Police Appeal Court Ruling Allowing Jewish Prayer on Temple Mount,” Algemeiner, May 23, 2022:
The Israeli police have appealed the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court ruling. They claim that allowing Jews to pray at the Temple Mount will cause an increase in “tension” with Muslims.
Well, of course it will. But whenever Israeli Jews assert their rights, from enforcing their property rights in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, to praying at the Temple Mount, this immediately causes “tension” with the Muslims, who are unwilling to accept anything the Jews may do, no matter how innocuous or justified. Why must peaceful Jewish worshippers be prevented from saying prayers at the holiest site in Judaism because the Muslims threaten violence? Those threatening need to be put in their place, informed that just as no one is allowed to interfere with their Muslim prayers being said in the Al-Aqsa Mosque or on the Al-Aqsa Compound, similarly, no one will be allowed to interfere with the prayers of Jews on the same site. When the Jews started to pray silently on the Mount during the last year, the Muslims made all kinds of threats. The prayers continued to be mouthed. And nothing happened. There Is no reason why the Arabs will behave differently this time, when Jewish prayers are said (softy, no doubt) aloud. The Arabs will push as hard against the Jews exercising their legitimate rights as they can, but if they are met with what the Revisionist leader Zev Jabotinsky called the “Iron Wall,” they will back down.
Nadav Shragai has an interesting take on the controversy, and on the ”Shema Israel” prayer, here: “The Battle for the Temple Mount,” Israel Hayom, May 24, 2022:
…There is no phrase more Jewish than the basic declaration of faith in “Shema Yisrael.” There is no prayer more Jewish than the one that accompanies us from the moment we enter the world until the moment we leave it. And there is no more natural place to say it – quietly or demonstratively – than the Temple Mount.
We need to remind ourselves of these simple truths today, when Israeli policemen are dragging Jews who recite “Shema Yisrael” on the Temple Mount away from it; and when court cases are actually presented for the record as “The State of Israel versus ‘Shema Yisrael.'”
We now have the State of Israel going to court in the hope of overturning the recent decision of the Jerusalem Magistrates’ Court that Jews should be allowed to say prayers aloud on the Temple Mount. Let us hope that that decision is not overturned, and that the Israeli government treats Jews on the Temple Mount just as it treats Arabs. Yes, there will be some Arab riots, but after the expected tantrum, with a show of force by the police on the Mount, now protecting rather than prohibiting Jews saying prayers, the Muslims will in the end accept, with oriental fatalism, the new status quo.
Fitna says
While Islam is the worst ideology in human history and is a wrecking ball when it comes to creating peace and harmony with other humans, what has made the Muslims so successful in their dominance and conquest of non-Muslims is their adherence to a common goal.
They act in unison, as one voice and one army against non-Muslims. This is unfortunately what is sorely lacking among non-Muslims. The trouble is that we have competing groups/factions who all have their own interpretation of how to deal with Islam.
Many on the far-Left refuse to accept and deal with reality as it is. They seek to appease and surrender instead of working to end Islam. While those on the center-right recognize that Muslims are our enemy and seek to defeat them by whatever means it takes.
Just imagine if all of us non-Muslims were as united and ardently opposed to Islam as Muslims are opposed to us. In fact as we hold almost all the cards, we could end Islam overnight if we wanted and throw them out of our countries, Muslims couldn’t do anything about it, unless their countries wanted to declare war on us.
The only reason we don’t is because of cowards and traitors amongst us that have sold out western civilization and threw the rest of us under the bus. We cannot adequately deal with Islam until we deal with the opponents amongst us. It’s largely Leftists and some fools on the Right who have stopped any meaningful opposition against Islam.
We see this issue even more glaringly in smaller nations like Israel. It’s time to get serious and tough on traitors in our midst. Use the laws on the books and throw them in jail for giving aid and comfort to our enemies including any corrupt politicians that help Islam and take bribes from rich Muslims to advance their aim.
If Israel was smart, they’d throw out all the non-loyal Arabs in their country. There’s too many of them and they also seek Israel’s destruction from within. What good is having one of the most powerful militaries in the world if you refuse to use it to protect your citizens or if you allow seditious elements to defeat you from within?
Unfortunately now that Leftists are in power in the US, it’s no surprise they’re using the state to go after center-right groups. Trump had the chance to crush pro-Islam Leftists and expunge the government of these infiltrators and as well as Islamic groups embedded in the US, but he preferred to be in the limelight and brag about how great he is.
This is why I was a supporter of Ted Cruz since he truly understood the threat of Islam, so did John Bolton (largely) but the US voted for a blowhard celebrity instead, foolish mistake and a missed opportunity.
somehistory says
This is true. As Mr. Raymond Ibrahim has stated so well, mozlums have backed down when their opponent stands ground against them, and doesn’t back down.
The old saying, “give them an inch and they’ll take a mile,” applies to mozlums. Denying the inch, also denies the mile.
Infidel says
The major mistake Israel made in 1967 was not demolishing the al Aqsa mosque. They should have demolished it, and started building the Third Temple of Solomon there. It would have been off the table
India made the same mistake, and is only now looking at recovering temples that were razed and mosques built on them. Israel should talk to them and initiate the same process
somehistory says
If you want to rid your house of termites, you don’t just swat the ones who fly out and land on your dresser or dining table. You have to go to the source.
mortimer says
The time just after the Six Day War was the time to revise the rules on Temple Mount and clearly it was a lost opportunity.
A commission should have been established to do so and there should have been a synagogue constructed on Temple Mount where pious Jews from around the world could enter and pray to their heart’s content.
That would have been fair to Jews and allowed Muslims not to be ‘exposed’ to the sight of Jews praying. A leader with some diplomacy might have imposed that solution. It is so reasonable for Jews to pray at the holiest site in their religion.
somehistory says
The “only thing “on earth that is “constant is change.” Changes could be made. big changes. The mozlums would just have to live….or die….with it.