Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Arabs clash with police on Temple Mount during Tisha B’Av

Following a security assessment, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett allows Jews to continue to visit the site to mark the fast day.

Israeli riot police clash with Muslim worshippers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City on June 18, 2021. Photo by Jamal Awad/Flash90.
Israeli riot police clash with Muslim worshippers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City on June 18, 2021. Photo by Jamal Awad/Flash90.

Arabs hurled stones at Israeli security forces and shouted nationalist slogans on the Temple Mount on Sunday, hours before Jews began to visit the site to mark the fast day of Tisha B’Av.

The burst of violence, which according to Israel’s s Channel 12 began at around 5 a.m., was quickly dispersed by Border Police.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held an assessment of the situation on Sunday together with top security officials, following which he instructed that Jewish visits to the Temple Mount be allowed to continue.

“The prime minister is receiving timely updates and will hold additional assessments in the coming hours,” his office said in a statement.

Tisha B’Av, the Ninth of Av, is the date on which both the First and Second Temples were destroyed and is regarded as one of the most solemn days on the Jewish calendar.

Meanwhile, Washington has issued a short-term authorization permitting the sale of Iranian oil currently stranded at sea.
“This is a war crime, but it is not surprising because the Iranian regime is a terrorist regime,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said at the scene.
The U.S. military has thus far struck over 8,000 targets across the Islamic Republic, including 130 enemy vessels, according to CENTCOM chief Adm. Brad Cooper.
Cairo has taken on the role of mediator, but local media is clearly leaning toward Tehran.
There was never a question whether bar and bat mitzvahs were going to continue, says Rabbi Marla Hornsten at Temple Israel, despite the havoc that had teachers and children evacuate the building.
“We will not rest in the mission to stop the spread of radical Islam,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott stated.