By Joshua B. Dermer/TPS – This article has been edited by JewishPress.com from the original version.
Jerusalem (TPS) – Temple Mount activist and soon-to-be Likud Member of Knesset Yehuda Glick seized the final opportunity on Monday morning to visit the Temple Mount.
Glick, an American-born rabbi with a distinctive red beard, is an outspoken advocate for Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount. Currently, parts of the site are open to visits by small groups of Jews, but only Muslims may pray or perform any acts of worship, per a “status quo” agreement set up by Prime Minister Netanyahu with the Islamic Waqf and the Kingdom of Jordan, due to fear of Islamic violence.
Members of Knesset have also been banned by order of the prime minister from visiting the Jewish people’s holiest site due to fear of the Islamists using the officials’ visit as a flashpoint to set off further terror attacks against Israelis.
Glick has said he would not defy the ban and would call to allow Jewish prayer on the site “from within the Knesset.”
Glick was previously banned from visiting the Temple Mount due to fears by the police that his presence would cause Arab riots and uproar. After being acquitted of the false charge of harassing an Arab woman on the Temple Mount, he was finally granted re-entry to the site three months ago over the police’s objections.
He barely survived an assassination attempt when he was shot by an Arab-Islamic gunman outside Jerusalem’s Begin Center in October 2014, following a conference concerning the Jewish presence on the Temple Mount. According to Glick, before opening fire the gunman told him, “you are an enemy of Al-Aqsa.”
He was placed at the back of the Likud slate for the Knesset in the last election and did not get a seat. However, after last week’s resignation by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Glick will be sworn in as the newest member of Knesset representing the Likud party. He will officially assume the position on Monday night at 11 p.m.
Some final words by Yehuda Glick during his last visit before becoming an MK: