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Despite Protests Against Metal Detectors, Hundreds of Muslims Pray on Temple Mount

(Times of Israel) Avi Issacharoff - Hundreds of Muslims prayed on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Sunday as the site was reopened, despite disagreements among Islamic clerics over new security measures including metal detectors and cameras introduced by Israel after the terror attack on Friday that killed two Israeli policemen. Jerusalem police said Waqf officials were not required to go through the metal detectors. Despite protests, many worshipers did enter, including Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, head of the Islamic Waqf. Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan told Channel 2 TV that additional security checks for the public were now non-negotiable. "Live fire from inside the Temple Mount crosses every red line," he said. Erdan denied that the security checks constituted a violation of the status quo. Erdan told Army Radio on Sunday: "We hope to place metal detection gates at all the entrances to the Mount and reach a point where everyone who enters gets checked." Yoram Halevi, head of Jerusalem District Police, said the current metal detectors are temporary and that full, final security arrangements are still being worked out. Jews and others who wish to pray at the Western Wall, which is adjacent to the Temple Mount, are subject to security checks and must pass through metal detectors. The Mughrabi Gate entrance to the Temple Mount, used by Jews and foreign visitors, has a metal detector. Erdan acknowledged the practical challenges. "On Fridays, and during Ramadan, tens of thousands of people, and sometimes over 100,000, enter in just a few hours," he said. "There is a concern that [metal detectors] will create long lines, and that those operating the detectors will become targets for terror attacks. There is also an issue with checking women entering the Mount."
2017-07-17 00:00:00
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