Archaeologists have discovered a treasure of Second Temple-era objects, including a chisel that may have been used to build the Western Wall, but officials at the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) are not officially confirming anything until conclusive studies are completed.

IAA archaeologist Eli Shukrun told Haaretz that he discovered the 2,000-year-old chisel last summer during digging in a tunnel at the lower base of the Western Wall, popularly known by the Hebrew word “Kotel,” which was the western outer wall of the courtyard of the destroyed Second Temple. The Kotel was not a wall of the Holy Temple itself.

Shukrun also told the newspaper that he found a golden bell that may have been used by the High Priest, but the IAA reported the same discovery three years ago, and it is not clear if the archaeologist has found  an additional bell along with the chisel.

The Torah states in Exodus, Chapter 28 Verse 3, “”A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, on the hem of the robe all around.”

Shukrun and Prof. Ronny Reich, who have been digging in Temple Mount area for 19 years, also found a Roman sword and a ceramic seal that probably was used as a stamp of approval for sacrifices brought on the Holy Temple.

The Jordanian monarch is a master at knowing how to tiptoe through the raindrops.

When his own country – and in fact, the entire region – is a tinderbox, King Abdullah II knows the only safe route is to start yelling at Israel. And so he has.

After a week in which daily violence by Islamic ‘worshipers’ at the Temple Mount forced Israel Police to close Judaism’s holiest site to nearly everyone, Jordan had the temerity Monday to scold Israel for the bad behavior of Arab Muslims.

Only Muslim men over age 50 – and women of any age — with Israeli identity cards were allowed to enter the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. This, after days of rioting in which ‘worshipers’ at the Al Aqsa mosque hurled rocks stockpiled in the building at visitors and police in the area.

Officials at Jordan’s Foreign Ministry called Israeli Ambassador to Amman Daniel Nevo on Monday – the seventh and final holy day of the Jewish holiday of Passover – to condemn Sunday’s arrests of 24 rioters, the official Petra news agency reported.

Jordan called the violence on the Temple Mount a ‘violation of international law’ and ‘of Jordan’s peace treaty with Israel.’

Jordanian officials scolded Ambassador Nevo about the arrests, conveniently ignoring the fact that the violence was perpetrated by Muslim Arabs. Jordan turned a blind eye to the fact that the rioters are being egged on by Islamic imams under the auspices of the Waqf – the religious Islamic Authority the administers the site. (The Waqf has a direct connection to the Jordanian government.)

Instead, Jordan accused Israel of “the entry of radical Jews, hurting the sanctity of the Al Aqsa mosque, attacks on worshipers and employees of the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf.”

Part of the job requirement to be an Israeli ambassador in Amman is that one possess the patience of Job. (Excuse the pun.) Ambassador Nevo replied that he would pass the message on to Jerusalem, according to the report by Petra.

What is not mentioned in the report is that Jordan may be attempting to absolve itself from having to deal with the issue of the Temple Mount in any future brouhaha with the Palestinian Authority or with Arab nations.

Jordan is now officially on record of having protected the sanctity of the Jerusalem site.

Lots of noise and disapproving imagery.

But the bottom line remains that the rioters were wrong, are still wrong, and will continue to be wrong in their desecration of a holy site. The Hashemite monarch – an observant Muslim of Bedouin descent – knows this. He would never tolerate such garbage. These people would have been in jail months ago.

No Arab leader would tolerate such behavior. Most would have removed them permanently.

But it serves their purpose to incite the rioters at Al Aqsa and to encourage them to continue their violence, to keep the pot simmering in Jerusalem and elsewhere throughout Israel.

Just as they did prior to every war they launched against the Jewish nation in the past.

Each time, their manipulated Arab brethren were stupid enough to swallow the bait – hook, line and sinker. They paid a heavy price for that and so did we, with rivers of blood and years of pain. Those who realized what was happening watched in complete frustration, totally helpless to do anything about it.

And it looks like it’s about to happen again.

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is reaching the end of his productive political career, and he knows it. As corrupt, avaricious and vindictive as he has been, he has nevertheless minimized violence when he could. He knows there will be no two-state solution. It was never a viable option in any case. Nor was anyone allowed to come up with a better one, given the vicious creatures bent on terror who held power over the majority of the PA government.

JERUSALEM– For the first time since the beginning of the Passover holiday, the Temple Mount was opened briefly to Jewish visitors and tourists on Sunday, April 20. The site had been closed last week on Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday because of violent Palestinian rioting.

On Saturday night, April 19, five Arabs carrying tear gas were arrested as they tried to access the holy site.

However, this Sunday morning, American Rabbi Meir Soloveichik and his family were able to experience two full minutes on the Temple Mount, considered to be one of Judaism’s holiest sites and where two Jewish Holy Temples stood for nearly a millennium.

The rabbi’s visit was cut short when violent rioting once again broke out on the holy site. The riots forced Rabbi Meir Soloveichik and his family, who were accompanied by Temple Institute International Director Rabbi Chaim Richman, off the site within two minutes of ascending.

Two police officers were injured in the confrontation, and 24 arrests have been made. Arab worshipers threw concrete blocks and rocks at Israeli police. The visit provided an opportunity for the influential American rabbi to join the struggle for Jewish prayer and presence on the Temple Mount. The Islamic Waqf, which was given administrative control of the mount following the Six Day War in 1967, bans Jewish prayer and worship.

Rabbi Meir Yaakov Soloveichik is a world renowned American Torah scholar, teacher and leader, who gave the invocation at the opening session of the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. Son of Rabbi Eliyahu Soloveichik, grandson of the late Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik and the great nephew of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik – all of whom are credited for founding what has become the Modern Orthodoxy movement of Judaism.

He currently serves as rabbi of the Sephardic Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City, the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States.

“We are honored to welcome Rabbi Soloveichik,” said Temple Institute International Director Rabbi Chaim Richman. “His visit to the Temple Mount this morning was both spiritual and emotional for all involved. Above all else, his visit sends a strong message to World Jewry that we cannot abandon our holiest site.”

Commenting on today’s incident, Rabbi Soloveichik expressed his dismay at the current situation.

“Under the current circumstances, even to go to the Temple Mount for two minutes was a tremendous privilege,” said Rabbi Soloveichik. “I am very much in favor of ascending the Temple Mount according to Halacha [Jewish law] and after taking the appropriate halachic precautions. It is critical for Jews to understand the importance of the Temple Mount. I applaud the increasing number of Orthodox rabbis and heads of yeshivot that are going to the holy site, and I predict we will see even more Jews ascending in the future.”

Israel Police closed access to the Temple Mount to Jews and other non-Muslims on Thursday due to Arab violence a day earlier, and a resulting threat to safety that might follow.

This, on the day that tens of thousands of Jews gathered below at the Western Wall plaza in the Old City of Jerusalem for the traditional Birkat Kohanim – the priestly blessing from Jerusalem. The benediction is pronounced during the morning service on the festivals of Passover and Sukkot.

The decision to close the site was made by security personnel following Arab violence at the Temple Mount on Wednesday. One police officer was wounded, as were 24 others. One of the wounded was listed in serious condition, and 15 sustained moderate injuries.

Nearly 100 young Arab rioters clashed with police in fierce battles at the holy site, hurling large rocks they have stockpiled in large caches at the Al Aqsa Mosque, where they barricaded themselves for protection.

The rioters also hurled firecrackers at the police from inside the Islamic house of worship, as security personnel used stun grenades and tear gas to force the mob further into the mosque.

The Arab strategy – designed to prevent Jews from ascending to the Temple Mount for any length of time — is very smart, taking advantage of the Israeli government policy of not allowing police to enter the mosque. The site itself is administered by the Islamic Waqf Authority; at this point, Israel has essentially ceded control to Arab Muslim officials.

Six Arab youths were reportedly arrested during the night and early Thursday morning in connection with the disturbances.

Ultimately, Israeli security officials told Channel 2 news on Wednesday they will have to force their way into the mosque to take away the caches of stone weapons, which are just as lethal as any bullet when properly aimed and hurled.

It is important to realize that the huge piles of rocks and slabs of stone with which the young terrorists are attacking Israeli security personnel, tourists and other visitors to the site, are being stockpiled with the  knowledge and consent of the Islamic clerics in charge of the mosque. Those clerics — and their actions — are fully backed and supported by the Arab leaders in the region, including King Abdullah II, the Hashemite monarch of Jordan.

Once again, on the eve of a major Jewish holiday, Israel Police have  closed access for Jews and Christians to the Temple Mount due to intelligence “there would be disturbances” if Jews were allowed to ascend to the site.

Hundreds of tourists who flocked to the site on Monday were turned away due to violence spawned by Muslim rioters the previous day.

Police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld told The Jewish Press in a telephone interview Monday morning, “Police officials made the decision to close access to the site based on information there would be disturbances similar to those that occurred yesterday, and which caused injuries to two police officers. As a result, access to the site was restricted solely to Muslim men age 50 and above, and to Muslim women of all ages.”

Asked whether Muslim women had never caused any disturbances at the Temple Mount – which they have on numerous occasions — Rosenfeld responded: “Muslim women do not pose any problem for Israel Police. It is Muslim men under age 50 who are the most dangerous to the general population and to police officers during disturbances at the site.”

On Sunday police closed the Temple Mount to visitors — but not to Muslim worshipers — after Muslim rioters hurled rocks and firebombs (Molotov cocktails) at police officers posted at the Mughrabi Gate near the Western Wall Plaza.

Two Israel Police officers were injured in the riot which started when the site was opened to visitors.

Rosenfeld claimed he had “no idea what [you] are talking about” when asked about a report posted on the Arutz Sheva website describing a virtual takeover of the Temple Mount by “dozens of Hamas men… waving Hamas flags and ‘not allowing Jews and tourists into the Mount.’

The site has always been a flash point of contention between Jews and Muslims. There is no holier site in the Jewish faith, and it ranks third in importance in Islam.

The Temple Mount encompasses the Western Wall – the last remnant of the Holy Temple, the western retaining wall of the Temple Mount. It is the wall that was the closest to the Holy of Holies when the Holy Temple once stood in Jerusalem.

In Judaism, the Temple Mount is also known as Mount Moriah, which according to Jewish tradition is the place where the creation of the world began from the Foundation Stone at the peak of the mountain, and is where Adam, the first human being, was created.

It is also the site where the Biblical patriarch Abraham was commanded to prepare his son Isaac for sacrifice, (by the way, the Muslims believe it is Ishmael who was nearly sacrificed) and where the binding of Isaac – the Foundation Stone – took place. The Holy of Holies, around which both the First and Second Holy Temples were built, is set around the Foundation Stone.

Known to the Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, the Temple Mount site is believed to be that from which Islam’s prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven to speak with God about the details of prayer rituals after a night-long journey to Jerusalem, “the farthest mosque,” on his steed Buraq. For this reason, Islamists fight with particular ferocity over the site and do what they can to claim sovereignty over the Temple Mount.

Israel’s willingness to allow the Islamic Waqf Authority to administer the site has backfired dozens of times as increasing violence by Islamist extremists on the eve of every Jewish holiday makes it clear it is impossible for the status quo to continue.

A similar scenario was deliberately used by Hamas to ignite the Second Intifada in the year 2000 when MK Ariel Sharon made a visit to the Temple Mount just prior to the Jewish new year holidays, setting off violent Muslim riots and sparking a lethal police response. It seems likely that plans are afoot to recreate the same scenario again.

Arabs on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount began rioting at 8 AM Sunday morning.

The Muslims on the Jewish holy site began throwing firebombs and stones at police, after police opened up the Mughrabi gates to visitors.

Two policemen were hurt in the Arab attack.

Police used stun grenades to disperse the rioters.

The police subsequently closed the Temple Mount was closed to all visitors.

Arabs on the Temple Mount violently riot on a semi-regular basis to keep Jews from being able to visit, particularly before Jewish holidays, when it has become more popular for Jews to visit the holy site.

I know it is not hard news, but it happened to me just yesterday.

I  carefully thought out my preparations for the experience I was planning for my tourists on the Temple Mount.

I went  to the Mikva (ritual immersion) early that morning, and made sure to wear non-leather shoes as Halacha (Jewish law) instructs.

Then I prepared my back pack and  the contents of my pockets making sure there was nothing  that could incriminate me at the security check before entering the site.  My tzitzit were well tucked into my pants. I wore  a hat and hid my kippa in a secret compartment (I can’t disclose where – who knows who might be reading this  article?)

As we approached the security check I was confident that I would pass by as easily as if I were like the non-Jewish visitors. I recognized Motti, the Israeli police officer who has won a reputation for his keen sense of smell. He can detect a Jew a mile away.

He looked me over and I thought I passed. But I was discovered.  All my fault. I forgot an obvious thing! I totally had forgotten about the small prayer, composed by the late Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, on behalf of Jonathan Pollard. I was caught red handed! He demanded to know if I knew what this is! I said “yes, a prayer for our brother Jonathan Pollard.” He frowned and declared that it is forbidden material and was being confiscated. I could pick it up later. I was warned not to pray or make any trouble.

I asked myself how these Jews could allow themselves to be used as kapos – in the  very heart of  what is most holy to our people. How do they sleep at night? What do they tell their families when they come home from another day’s work ?

How shamed and shocked I felt, as the long line of visitors filed by.

I was being questioned and threatened by Motti and was wondering if they realized that I just did not succeed in passing for one of  them!

Fifteen minutes later I was allowed to join my rather shaken tourists on the Mount. But the best was yet to come.

As we proceeded, I heard a chanting din coming from another part of the mountain. It sounded much like the chanting of Arab rioters that I have heard so often in the media.

Coming towards me was an elderly bearded man dressed in classic ultra-Orthodox attire. He was accompanied by a few young boys. They were not trying to hide their Jewish appearance, but they had the distinct look of fear in their eyes after running the gauntlet of threats and taunts by an Arab crowd moments before.

I greeted him warmly and he responded  as one greeting a stranger on a desert island. He  and his little group were shadowed by two policemen making sure my new friends did not move their lips in prayer and thus arouse the sensibilities and ire of the Arabs. (I wondered how the Arab boys playing soccer on the holy site did not upset their sensibilities.) Our meeting was immediately reported by the nervous police escort as the walkie-talkies came alive.

After we parted and proceeded alone, I realized that we were being watched not only by the police, but by a large group of Arab youths who had marked us by our association with the bearded Jew.

It was now our turn. They dogged us with chants of “Allah hu Akbar”! ( God is Great ) The yelling of their God’s name spurred them on to increasing taunts and threats and bumping us.