|
Trending Topics
|
Arab Knesset Member Denies Jewish Claim to Temple Mount, Sparking Israeli Outrage
(Washington Post) Michele Chabin - Masud Ganaim of the Joint (Arab) List, an Arab-Israeli parliament member, drew harsh criticism from Jewish Israelis on Monday when he claimed that Jews have no religious ties to the Temple Mount, considered the holiest site in Judaism. He told Israel Radio that "historically, religiously, it is a Muslim site, period." His remarks came a day after clashes between masked Muslim rioters and Israeli police on the holy Jewish fast day of Tisha B'Av, when tens of thousands of Jewish worshippers pray at the Western Wall, which lies directly below the Temple Mount. In the past, Muslim extremists have thrown rocks from the Mount onto Jewish worshippers below, causing injuries. Police noted that the rioters had stockpiled large amounts of projectiles inside the Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount. Archaeological discoveries from the site date back to the time of the Second Temple, which the Romans destroyed in the year 70. Jesus visited the Temple, according to the New Testament.