From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Education non-profit presents US envoy photo of Jewish Temple on Temple Mount
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleUS Ambassador to Israel David Friedman receives an unusual gift today: a poster showing the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, but with a Jewish Temple standing in place of the Muslim Dome of the Rock shrine at the site.
Friedman was visiting the Bnei Brak headquarters of the Achiya organization, an ultra-Orthodox non-profit that works to empower and integrate children with learning disabilities.
As he takes part in an event at the location, an employee of Achiya hands him the large poster.
The event is first reported by the ultra-Orthodox website Kikar Hashabat. Reached for comment by Channel 10, the US Embassy in Israel slams the gift, saying, according to the Hebrew-language TV report, “We have demanded an apology from the organization for allowing one of its employees to present this controversial image to the ambassador during his visit. The American policy is absolutely clear: We support the status quo on Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount.”
The US Embassy says later that the poster was “thrust” in front of the ambassador, and that he was disappointed to have been taken advantage of.
האם התמונה הזאת שפורסמה ב-@kikarhashabat תסבך את שגריר ארה"ב בישראל? בתמונה, שצולמה בסיור בבני ברק, נראה דיוויד פרידמן כשהוא עומד מחויך ליד צילום של ירושלים, שבו במקום מסגד אל-אקצה נראה דגם של בית המקדש. הדיווח של כתבנו בוושינגטון @nathanguttman #חדשותהערב pic.twitter.com/X15W5aQDxF
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) May 22, 2018
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