Youths throw rocks at MK on Temple Mount
Two arrested for attacking Moshe Feiglin, forcing him to leave the Jerusalem site
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Hundreds of Arab youths assembled Thursday morning atop Jerusalem’s Temple Mount to protest the visit of Likud MK Moshe Feiglin to the site.
Two men were arrested for throwing rocks, and Feiglin was compelled to leave the plaza, home to the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa mosque.
Feiglin, considered a hard-liner within the Likud party, was arrested for praying at the Temple Mount in October 2012 and January 2013, before he became an MK.
He has long pushed for the right of Jews to pray on the holy site, where two Jewish temples stood.
In February, Feiglin initiated a first-of-its-kind Knesset debate to examine the right of non-Muslims to enter and pray at the holy compound, with over 30 MKs from both right-wing and left-wing parties seeking to voice their opinion on the divisive topic.
Police restrictions bar Jews from praying or engaging in other religious activities while on visits to the Mount for fear that they will provoke a violent reaction from Muslims, a policy Feiglin said was absurd.
A resurgence of interest in prayer on the Temple Mount has provoked outrage among Palestinians and others in the Muslim world, who accuse Israel of attempting to “Judaize” the site, which Palestinians claim for their future state.
The Times of Israel Community.