Israel Police on Monday stopped Jews from visiting Temple Mount and detained one person for attempting to violate regulations in place as part of the status quo maintained between Muslims and Jews over decades.
That agreement reached in the immediate aftermath of the 1967 Six Day War, stated that the site, which houses the Al Aqsa Mosque will remain a Muslim shrine while Jews will worship at the Western Wall, believed to be the outer perimeter of the Jewish Temple of ancient times.
On Sunday, The Jerusalem magistrate court ruled that Jews who prayed on Temple Mount, in violation of the status quo were in no violation of the law.
The ruling will be appealed by the prosecution.
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Jewish worshipers that were prevented from entering to Temple Mount compound
(Photo: Roi Zaga)
A police official said the force will continue to enforce the existing rules.
Although the ruling on Sunday was made by a lower Israeli court, it generated condemnation from Jordan, a threat from Hamas, and an Israeli government clarification.
But some insisted it must be a watershed moment.
"Police's failure to accept the court's decision is the end of democracy," far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben Gvir claimed on Monday. Ben Gvir has himself been stopped from entering the mosque compound last year, fearing provocation.
Muslim Waqf officials have asserted that Israel was chipping away at the status quo. Their claims have rallied Palestinians to riot on the holy site.
Israel has said it will maintain the status quo.
“there will be no change in the status quo on Temple Mount," the government secretariat said in a statement. " The court’s ruling solely relates to three Jewish minors who were brought before it and the decision has no effect on the freedom of worship at the site."
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry, condemned the decision by the court. “It allows radicals to conduct rituals in the al-Aqsa mosque area and around the complex,” the ministry said.
"This is a blatant violation of the international decisions concerning Jerusalem, including the decisions of the United Nations Security Council, which all clarify the need to preserve the situation in the holy city. The decision is also a serious violation of the historic and legal status quo in the Al-Aqsa Mosque," the ministry went on to say.
"Jordan does not recognize Israel's judicial authority in the compound and warns against granting permission for extremists to the compound, which is considered a place of worship for Muslims only," the statement concluded.