Hundreds of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza will be allowed to pray on the Temple Mount on Fridays during Ramadan.
Israel’s Defense Ministry made the announcement on June 16, a day ahead of the start of the Muslim holy month. The Palestinians also will be allowed to visit family members inside Israel and the West Bank, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, the Orthodox Union has encouraged its members to participate in a letter-writing campaign calling for an end to anti-Jewish harassment on the Temple Mount, a site holy to both Muslims and Jews.
In a June 16 statement, the OU noted that it was “neither endorsing entry upon the Har Habayit [Temple Mount] nor addressing the dispute surrounding the halachic permissibility of ascending the Har Habayit.”
Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount are not allowed to pray on the site. Jews are routinely harassed there. Israel Police reportedly also hound the Jewish visitors to make sure they are not praying.
A June 16 Knesset committee meeting to discuss an increased Jewish presence on the Temple Mount was halted shortly after it began due to fighting among lawmakers. — jta