Police detain 13 trying to smuggle goats onto Temple Mount for sacrifice ritual
Suspects, found by police with animals in their possession, likely seeking to perform biblical Jewish sacrificial ritual in honor of Passover
Police on Monday detained 13 people suspected of attempting to smuggle goats onto the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to sacrifice the animals in honor of Passover, in line with ancient Jewish tradition.
The suspects, all of whom were between the ages of 13 and 21, were caught with goats in their possession, including one that was being hidden inside a baby carriage and another inside a shopping bag, a police statement said.
The suspects were taken to a police station in Jerusalem to be investigated on suspicion of disturbing the public order, and the goats were confiscated and transferred for necessary veterinary treatment, the statement added.
“The Israel Police operates in Jerusalem and across all sectors, along with other security agencies, both overtly and covertly, against any person who tries to shatter the order and act in contradiction to the law and the existing practices of Jerusalem holy sites,” the police said.
According to the statement, in recent days, publications have been circling aimed at encouraging extremist Jewish elements to reach the Temple Mount and carry out the sacrifices.
In recent years, fringe religious groups have increasingly sought to carry out the sacrifice at the flashpoint Jerusalem holy site, as performed on Passover in biblical times. The Returning to the Mount group makes a request each year to carry out the ritual, but is repeatedly denied by authorities as most Israeli security officials believe that it would be seen as a major change to the religious site’s status quo and spark fierce backlash from across the region.
Similar incidents occurred last year prior to Passover and sparked clashes with Muslim worshippers on the flashpoint holy site.
“We call on the public not to give a platform to extreme elements who try to or call to violate the law and order,” the police said. “The existing practice on the Temple Mount and in other holy sites in Jerusalem has been preserved and will continue to be preserved at all times, and we will not allow extremists and criminals of any kind to violate it.”
Mainstream Jewish leaders reject renewing the biblical rite of sacrifice on the Temple Mount at this time.
For decades, Muslims have accused Israel of planning to take over the Temple Mount or destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, which is built on the mount where the Biblical temples stood.
Israel dismisses the accusation and has vowed repeatedly to maintain the status quo, whereby Jews are allowed to visit there — under numerous restrictions and only during limited hours — but not pray.
