Written by Lene Roiser for the Alternative Information Center (AIC)
Model of the Temple distributed in the Old City of Jerusalem as a poster / Photo: Lena Roiser
The Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem's Old City is the third holiest site for Muslims after the Kaaba in Mecca and the tomb of the prophet Mohammed in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
Many Jews believe that on the Mount, buried beneath the Al Aqsa mosque, there existed two ancient temples, providing its namesake, the Temple Mount (Hebrew: הַר הַבַּיִת) or Haram al-Sharif (Arabic: الحرم القدسي الشريف, “The Noble Sanctuary“). For many Jews the Temple Mount is considered their holiest site.
This Mount is probably one of the most contested places in the world, and represents the epicentre of the religious dimension of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The number of headlines concerning Jewish extremists trying to pray or gather in the Haram al-Sharif compound and the advocacy work of the so-called “Temple organizations” are on the rise. The phenomenon however is not entirely new, with discussions of the building of a third temple on Al Aqsa’s grounds proving a popular topic amongst religious zealots and right-wing Jews. The topic is still considered somewhat outside mainstream Israeli religious discourse, however a number of incidences suggest the idea is not on the fringes anymore.
In July of last year, according to mainstream national newspaper the Times of Israel, Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel (member of right-wing party “Jewish Home”) broke “a long-standing taboo on high-ranking government officials speaking about changing the fragile status quo on the holy and contested esplanade.” Joining this controversial call, another Knesset member of Jewish Home, Zevulun Orlev, spoke in favour of the construction of a third temple last year.
Alongside the more unrealistic dreams of some religious groups and politicians to remove or destroy Al Aqsa, the ability to hold Jewish prayer in the compound is becoming an increasingly popular and widespread request among the Jewish population, and certainly no peripheral matter.
Non-Muslims are only allowed to enter the compound during 4 hours of the day and are prohibited from entering the mosque itself. Furthermore, it is prohibited for members of religions other than Islam to pray on the premises. The Chief Rabbinate of Israel, currently consisting of David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef, recently reiterated their opinion in favour of the ban on Jews from praying in the Haram al-Sharif compound. And signs, attributed to the Rabbinate, are positioned outside the site warning visitors that according to the Torah, it is forbidden for any person to enter the Temple Mount because of its sacredness.
Sign by the Chief Rabinate prohibiting the entrance to Haram al Sharif (Temple Mount) / photo: Lena Roiser
This decision may have been a relief for many, but attempts to “legalize” Jewish prayer in the site persist; including a request by Israel's Religious Services Deputy Minister Ben Dahan during an Interior Committee meeting of the Knesset in November of this year. Indeed, a number of people have been moved to ignore the ruling of the Chief Rabbinate. According to the New York Times, Israeli Police statistics show that 8,247 people visiting the site identified as Jews in 2011, compared to 5,792 in 2010. After a dip in numbers in 2012, the site saw 5,609 Jewish visitors through July of this year.
Read the rest of this article at - http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/regions/jerusalem/7586-advocacy-for-a-third-temple
Model of the Temple distributed in the Old City of Jerusalem as a poster / Photo: Lena RoiserThe Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem's Old City is the third holiest site for Muslims after the Kaaba in Mecca and the tomb of the prophet Mohammed in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
Many Jews believe that on the Mount, buried beneath the Al Aqsa mosque, there existed two ancient temples, providing its namesake, the Temple Mount (Hebrew: הַר הַבַּיִת) or Haram al-Sharif (Arabic: الحرم القدسي الشريف, “The Noble Sanctuary“). For many Jews the Temple Mount is considered their holiest site.
This Mount is probably one of the most contested places in the world, and represents the epicentre of the religious dimension of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The number of headlines concerning Jewish extremists trying to pray or gather in the Haram al-Sharif compound and the advocacy work of the so-called “Temple organizations” are on the rise. The phenomenon however is not entirely new, with discussions of the building of a third temple on Al Aqsa’s grounds proving a popular topic amongst religious zealots and right-wing Jews. The topic is still considered somewhat outside mainstream Israeli religious discourse, however a number of incidences suggest the idea is not on the fringes anymore.
In July of last year, according to mainstream national newspaper the Times of Israel, Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel (member of right-wing party “Jewish Home”) broke “a long-standing taboo on high-ranking government officials speaking about changing the fragile status quo on the holy and contested esplanade.” Joining this controversial call, another Knesset member of Jewish Home, Zevulun Orlev, spoke in favour of the construction of a third temple last year.
Alongside the more unrealistic dreams of some religious groups and politicians to remove or destroy Al Aqsa, the ability to hold Jewish prayer in the compound is becoming an increasingly popular and widespread request among the Jewish population, and certainly no peripheral matter.
Non-Muslims are only allowed to enter the compound during 4 hours of the day and are prohibited from entering the mosque itself. Furthermore, it is prohibited for members of religions other than Islam to pray on the premises. The Chief Rabbinate of Israel, currently consisting of David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef, recently reiterated their opinion in favour of the ban on Jews from praying in the Haram al-Sharif compound. And signs, attributed to the Rabbinate, are positioned outside the site warning visitors that according to the Torah, it is forbidden for any person to enter the Temple Mount because of its sacredness.
Sign by the Chief Rabinate prohibiting the entrance to Haram al Sharif (Temple Mount) / photo: Lena RoiserThis decision may have been a relief for many, but attempts to “legalize” Jewish prayer in the site persist; including a request by Israel's Religious Services Deputy Minister Ben Dahan during an Interior Committee meeting of the Knesset in November of this year. Indeed, a number of people have been moved to ignore the ruling of the Chief Rabbinate. According to the New York Times, Israeli Police statistics show that 8,247 people visiting the site identified as Jews in 2011, compared to 5,792 in 2010. After a dip in numbers in 2012, the site saw 5,609 Jewish visitors through July of this year.
Read the rest of this article at - http://www.alternativenews.org/english/index.php/regions/jerusalem/7586-advocacy-for-a-third-temple
