A massive boulder from Jerusalem’s Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site, came crashing down Monday onto an egalitarian prayer platform, just meters away from a woman. The site, located near Robinson’s Arch, has been at the center of controversy due to Jerusalem’s recent decision to scrap plans to create a new mixed-gender, pluralistic prayer section adjacent to the main Western Wall plaza. The Israel Antiquities Authority is investigating the incident, which came a day after tens of thousands of worshipers filled the same platform for services marking Tisha B’Av, which commemorates the destruction of the two biblical Jewish Temples. The wall itself is one of the last standing remnants of the Second Temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. Meanwhile, more than 1,400 Jews on Sunday made a rare mass ascent to the Temple Mount—known to Muslims as the al-Haram al-Sharif, atop which sits al-Aqsa Mosque—drawing sharp condemnations from both Palestinian and Jordanian officials. Amman, the custodian of Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, released a statement “condemn[ing] in the strongest terms…the provocative incursions of extremists and settlers.” For its part, the Jordanian Embassy in Tel Aviv sent a letter to the Israeli Foreign Ministry calling for an “immediate halt” to the visits. A Palestinian Authority spokesman likewise weighed in, describing the occurrence as “a flagrant challenge to the Arab and Islamic nations and a violation of international laws.” Given prevailing sensitivities, Jews are granted limited access to the complex—generally once a week for a few hours—whereas Israeli law forbids them from praying at the site. The Temple Mount has long been a flashpoint for religiously-motivated violence, with regular clashes erupting between Muslims and Israeli security forces.
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