D4Christ
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- Aug 25, 2009
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Temple Institute
No Temple Mount Discrimination Against Religious Jews
On Friday, the Court ordered the police to stop discriminating against religious Jews at the entrance to the Temple Mount. The ruling judges were Rubenstein, Meltzer, and Salim Jubran.
Yehuda Glick, a long-time Temple Mount activist, had filed a suit against the "special treatment" given to religious Jews who wish to visit the holy site. While other visitors are merely checked for weapons, religious Jews must show their identity cards, have the number entered into the police computer for tracking, and are not permitted to walk around the Mount without a police and Waqf escort. In addition, they are often not allowed to enter the site at all until other religious Jews who arrived earlier complete their visit.
Based on affidavits attesting to the above by various rabbis and other religious visitors, the judges ruled that the discrimination must stop. All evidence of discrimination must be shown to the authorities, and if the practice continues, the court will once again address the issue.
Glick’s counsel, Attorney Aviad Visouly, said, “This is the best Temple Mount ruling that has ever been handed down by the Supreme Court. For the first time, the Court has given practical meaning to Jewish civil rights on the Temple Mount.â€Â
Visouly said the ruling certainly stems from the ongoing increase of Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site in the world. In the past year, police statistics show that 7,000 religious Jews visited, up 30% from the year before. “Credit goes to the Temple Institute, the Movement for the Establishment of the Temple, El Har HaMor, Manhigut Yehudit, the Sanhedrin, and the political activities of MKs Urei Ariel, Aryeh Eldad, and Michael Ben-Ari, all of the National Union," Glick said.
Entry to the Temple Mount is a matter of controversy among Orthodox rabbis. Most frown upon it, but others permit it after precautions such as immersion in a ritual bath and study of the exact route, and more, are taken.