Three Israelis were detained by police Tuesday morning for trying to smuggle an Israeli flag into the Temple Mount, where they wanted to unfurl it and wave it, a police spokesman said.
One of the men, all of whom were said to be in the 20s and 30s, hid a flag in his underwear, and the two packed the flags in their bags.
Their offense apparently was violating the status quo on the Temple Mount. There is no similar prohibition for Muslims to pray or fly any kind of flag on the Temple Mount.
Last October, 13 Israelis were dragged out and arrested for praying and waving an Israeli flag on the Temple Mount. On Independence Day last year, a group of Israelis tried to enter the Temple Mount and were subjected to what they described as a humiliating search to expose hidden Israeli flags.
“We were separated from the tourists who entered the Temple Mount freely and our ID cards were taken for inspection” Eitaמ Kleinman told the Kol Yehudi radio station.
“A police officer asked us to enter a search room,” Kleinman rlated. “He apologized, explaining that he had to physically search us for a flag. We were shocked; we removed our upper garments and were searched as if we were dangerous criminals.”
After the search they were allowed to enter the Mount, accompanied by officials of the Muslim Waqf who shouted at them.