Police close Temple Mount to visitors

Jerusalem Police closed off the Temple Mount on Sunday, after posters calling for right-wing activists to visit the site caused unrest in the Muslim population of East Jerusalem. Muslim worshipers will be allowed to enter and pray.

A poster placed on billboards across Jerusalem called on right-wing activists to visit the Temple Mount on Sunday, and stated the Jewish Temple would be built on the ruins of the mosques.

The Temple Mount is home to the Aqsa Mosque, and is the site where the first and second Jewish Temples once stood.

Police sources told the Maariv newspaper that supporters of Moshe Feiglin, the leader of the “Jewish Leadership” (Manhigut Yehudit) faction within the Likud Party, visit the place every month but this was the first time there were implicit calls for them to damage Muslim property.

Jerusalem Police District chief Nissan Shaham decided to close off the Temple Mount to visitors for fear of potentially violent protests in response to the posters.

Moshe Feiglin told Maariv he had nothing to do with the posters. He added that he was confident the police would quickly find those responsible.

During the recent primary elections in the Likud Party, Feiglin was the only candidate to run against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, earning 25 percent of the votes.