Jordan send a letter of protest to Israel’s foreign ministry Sunday after some 1,500 Jewish worshipers entered the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem’s Old City to mark Tisha B’av, the Jewish fast mourning the destruction of the two Temples which once stood on the site.
“This is a blatant violations of Israel’s obligations as an occupying power, in accordance with international law,” Jordanian Minister of State for Media Affairs Jumana Ghunaimat wrote, adding that the ascension is “a violation of all international conventions and conventions that emphasize that the places of worship of all religions should be respected.”
Outside the only entrance to the Temple Mount Jews are allowed to use, activists from Students for the Temple Mount, a student organization promoting awareness and connecting Jews to our holiest site, which currently houses the Muslim Haram al Sharif complex, as well as the Al-Aqsa Mosque, held a demonstration. Dressed in construction worker’s garb, the activists chanted “no more crying, time for building.”
Several other activists were arrested after praying or bowing at the site in contravention of Israeli police orders.