MKs from the Joint List party of the Knesset have accused the Israeli government of inciting religious conflict between Muslims and Jews for political purposes, following a particularly tense weekend at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.
The Times of Israel reported that on Sunday, during Tisha B’av, a group of Palestinian rioters and protesters barricaded themselves within the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque, armed with Molotov cocktails, firecrackers, and stones, as Jerusalem police and security forces attempted to flush them out. According to Haaretz, the police were called to the scene after receiving information about a group of Arab youths who were preparing to confront police and prevent Jewish visitors from entering the Temple Mount for the day of fasting and prayers that commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples. According to The Times of Israel, the protesters’ intent was to attack the thousands of Jewish worshipers who would be gathering at the Western Wall to pray.
The situation escalated when the Palestinians—many of them masked—started throwing stones and fireworks at the police when they began to approach the entrance to the mosque. Haaretz reported that after the initial clash, the youths fled into the mosque, throwing stones and bricks at the forces from within, and firing fireworks at them. An unidentified liquid was also thrown at the police. Once the Palestinians’ makeshift barricade was dismantled, police entered the mosque and the rioters dispersed.
The altercation reportedly resulted in a number of wounded officers and the arrest of six Palestinians. Video of the skirmish can be seen here.
However, on Tuesday MK Ayman Odeh, the leader of the Joint List party gave a different account of the cause of Sunday’s violence. He said that the altercation was not provoked by the raucous behavior of a group of Arab youths but because of Israeli agriculture minister Uri Ariel’s “provocative” visit to the Temple Mount on Sunday. On Tuesday, Odeh ascended the Temple Mount to speak to address his fellow party members and share some pointed words.
According to The Times of Israel, Odeh said: “[Uri Ariel’s] a minister, not just a settler. He’s a government representative, and the government isn’t condemning (his visit).” Even though both Jews and Muslims have religious claims to the Temple Mount, the site is under Palestinian control and Jews are forbidden by law from praying there. However, according to The Jerusalem Post:
Violence at the site has flared in the past year as Muslims have been riled by visits by non-Muslims, including religious nationalist Jews to the compound, who have been pushing the government to allow Jews to pray there.
“This means,” Odeh continued, “that the government wants to turn the political issue in Jerusalem into a religious conflict between Muslims and Jews. We reject that approach, which will lead to a bloody war.”
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Jas Chana is a former intern at Tablet.
