Jewish Visitors Banned From Temple Mount Until End of Ramadan, Christians Limited for Holy Fire Ceremony
Jewish visitors have been barred from Haram al-Sharif/the Temple Mount for the last 10 days of Ramadan on orders of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. The announcement earlier this week said Netanyahu made the decision after security consultations. Meanwhile, The Greek Orthodox Church has blasted Israel and the Israel Police for placing restrictions on how many pilgrims can attend the Holy Fire ceremony this coming weekend in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem, saying that it is an infringement on freedom of worship.
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Netanyahu’s decision to close the Temple Mount to Jewish visitors was publicly criticized by his National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who said it is a “grave mistake that will not bring quiet.” Ben-Gvir also said, “The lack of Jewish presence on Temple Mount will automatically cause a decrease in police presence on the mount, which will create fertile ground for calls of incitement to murder Jews. When terror strikes, one must respond strongly rather than succumb to its whims.” For the last 10 years, the Temple Mount has been closed to Jewish visitors.
Meanwhile, Israel Police said it would limit the number of worshippers inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to 1,800 and another 1,200 outside, to ensure the safety of the worshippers. It is the second year that a limit has been placed on the number of worshippers, which has been as high as 10,000 in previous years. “We shall continue to uphold the status quo customs, and the ceremony will be held as customary for two millennia and all who wish to worship with us are invited to attend,” the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the Custody of the Holy Land and the Armenian Patriarchate said in a joint statement.
