Israel Police closed the Temple Mount compound to Jews on Wednesday morning.
Jerusalem District Police Commander Yoram HaLevy said the move came after Jewish visitors supposedly broke the rule of what the police allow on the Temple Mount.
Apparently the Jew who caused the problems was an older gentleman named Yisrael Harel, who, in 1967, was one of the soldiers who liberated the Temple Mount. Harel had a disagreement with the police after he decided to stop in a location where the police did not want any Jews stopping.
This led to all visitations being canceled by the police.
The Temple Mount was closed for the remainder of the morning visiting hours, and then reopened again for the afternoon hours.
MK Smotritch called the police commander’s decision “collective punishment” and giving encouragement to terror.
Police expect further disruptions on Wednesday due to the call for a ‘day of rage’ by the Palestinian Authority leadership, and incitement by the Jerusalem Grand Mufti over upgraded security at the site.
The site was closed to everyone for two days last week in the wake of a deadly terrorist attack by three Israeli Arabs that left two Israeli police officers dead and several others wounded.
The continuing Muslim violence sparked by the closure is being encouraged by domestic and foreign Arab leaders urging the Islamic faithful to oppose the enhanced security measures installed by Israel after the attack.
