A building engineer working for the Islamic Waqf was brought in for questioning by the police today.

The engineer was questioned in connection to construction and and maintenance activities he was undertaking that violated the antiquities law on the Temple Mount.

According to the police, the man was setting up to do work near the Dome of the Rock, on behalf of the Waqf, without obtaining the proper permissions or coordinating with the Israeli authorities.

The engineer and five of his workers were given distancing orders from the Temple Mount for 5 days.

By Michael Bachner/TPS

Jerusalem (TPS) – Israeli police on Tuesday afternoon revealed details of an attempted attack on Jerusalem’s light rail that was foiled by security forces two weeks ago.

The suspect, 21-year-old Ali Abu-Hasan who is a Palestinian Authority student of civil engineering in Hebron, infiltrated into Israeli-controlled territory with pipe bombs and a knife. Abu-Hasan intended to carry out the attack on July 17 in what he claimed would be response to visits by Jews and non-Muslim tourists to the Temple Mount complex.

The details of the foiled attack had been under a gag order so as to prevent any interference in the investigation, which was carried out in collaboration with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency). The details were published after the investigation was completed.

Abu-Hasan revealed under questioning that he had entered Israeli-controlled territory two days before his arrest by crossing through an olive grove near the Arab neighborhoods of Sur Baher and Jabel Mukaber in Jerusalem. He then changed his clothes and shaved his beard, leaving a goatee so as to blend in with the Israeli population.

The police said that the suspect prayed at a nearby mosque on the morning of July 17 and boarded a bus heading to Jaffa Street, a major Jerusalem street in the city’s center along which runs the light-rail train.

According to the investigation, Abu-Hasan decided that the light-rail would be the best target for a terror attack, since it is frequently crowded with pedestrians. Security guards noticed and became immediately suspicious of Abu-Hasan as he stood near the light-rail stop with his backpack, which contained the pipe bombs and explosives.

The light-rail security guards closed off the area and called in police bomb technicians to investigate Abu-Hasan’s backpack. They discovered three pipe-bombs tied together and dipped in rat poison with nails and screws glued onto them. Two knives and a mobile phone were also discovered in Abu-Hasan’s backpack.

Abu-Hasan claimed that he acted alone without organizational help and that he had been planning the attack for a long time. He purchased the equipment and materials needed to assemble the pipe bombs and learned about how to make them as well as to how to maximize their potential impact. He also tested the pipe bombs several times by detonating them.

Before heading to Jerusalem, the terrorist left a will in the hands of his friends at his university in Hebron, asking them to give it to his parents.

Abu-Hasan was arraigned on Tuesday at the Jerusalem Magistrates Court and has been charged with attempted murder, weapons manufacturing, and conspiracy to commit a crime. The court extended his remand until August 5.

The Temple Institute will be opening the world’s first school for training Levitical Priests to serve in the Holy Temple this year in Jerusalem. The organization has run a number of pilot programs over the past few years and is now embarking on a mission to teach Kohanim all the practical skills required to serve in the coming Third Holy Temple.

To raise the seed money for the project the Temple Institute has embarked on an Indiegogo crowdfunding project with an initial goal of $75,000.

The curriculum at Nezer HaKodesh will include courses on the Temple service, theory and practice, and the role and application of modern technology in the Third Temple. Courses such as The Sacred Temple Vessels — Aspects of Engineering and Design; and The Mathematics of the Holy Temple will be taught as part of the program.

For the last thirty years, the Rabbis and scholars of the Temple Institute have studied in-depth the ancient text needed to prepare for the Third Temple, becoming the world authorities on the subject. They have published tens of volumes and recreated more than 70 sacred vessels for use in the Third Holy Temple.

Establishing a school to train Kohanim signifies a huge step towards the realization of the reestablishment of the Temple service which has been dormant for 2,000 years since the Romans destroyed the Second Holy Temple in 70 CE.

The initiative was announced during the traditional three-week period of mourning for the Holy Temple, culminating with the Fast of the 9th of Av, when both Holy Temples were destroyed. This timing comes as no coincidence, as the purpose of the Temple Institute has always been to reframe this Jewish period of mourning into one of hope and change, highlighting that all of the prophets and sages of Israel have predicted the eventual peaceful rebuilding of the Third Temple in Jerusalem.

Rabbi Chaim Richman, International Director of the Temple Institute, commented: “We are extremely excited to announce this new step towards the restoration of the Holy Temple service. We call first and foremost upon Kohanim worldwide to support this special project, which signifies a return of their birthright. We have chosen to use Indiegogo as a tool to enable as many people as possible to be a part of this historic initiative. The Temple service represents the purest connection between man and our Creator. One third of the Torah’s commandments pertain to the Holy Temple service and we have prayed for its return for thousands of years. In a time when the world is plagued with terror and uncertainty, we enter this project with full faith that one day the Holy Temple will finally be rebuilt and the priestly service reinstated, ushering in an unparalleled era of peace and harmony among all of mankind.”

(((CLICK BELOW TO HEAR AUDIO)))

On this super-packed show: Rabbi Mike Feuer joins Rabbi Yishai on “Spiritual Cafe” to discuss Jewish rights, or lack-thereof, on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem as well as Israel-Diaspora relations as seen through the Torah portion. Then, Yishai interviews terror survivor Hadass Mizrachi whose husband was murdered before her eyes – how does she raise her kids with joy? Finally, Yishai sits down with Joe Sabag, US Director of the Israel Allies Foundation to discuss the monumental shift in the Republican platform and how to fight BDS with good laws and policies.

Yishai Fleisher on Twitter: @YishaiFleisher
Yishai on Facebook

by Michael Bachner/TPS on July 27, 2016 Jerusalem (TPS) – A group of six Israeli archaeologists visiting the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem’s Old City were attacked by employees of the Jordanian Waqf on Wednesday morning. According to the archaeologists, the Waqf officials demanded that the group leave the site after they had thought one of them picked up several olives from the ground.

Two assailants were arrested by the police and taken for questioning, but the Jewish group claims that there were approximately eight assailants in total. They also claimed that the Waqf employees took one of their mobile phones and deleted photos of the incident that had been taken and that police forces only arrived 15 minutes after the incident took place.

While the Jewish group claimed that one of archaeologists was lightly wounded in the incident, the Jerusalem police said that nobody required medical treatment following the attack.

“At first, we were not accompanied by policemen or Waqf officials,” wrote Zachi Dvira, one of the archaeologists who also heads the Temple Mount Sifting Project, on his Facebook page after the incident. “At some point, one of the participants picked up a stone from the ground. A Waqf guard who was watching us from a distance shouted at her not to pick up olives from the ground.”

“Afterwards, they decided we must end our tour even though there was plenty of time left,” he added. “An argument broke out and they became violent. Four of them assaulted one of us (Yuval Markus), tackling him to the ground and hitting him.”

“I wasn’t able to contact the four policemen who were present at the site since they were busy escorting one religious Jew,” added Dvira. “I started filming the incident for deterrence and then they attacked me and grabbed my phone to delete the footage. Only when I threatened to complain to the Waqf director by name did they return the phone. The policemen then finally arrived and arrested two of the seven or eight guards who attacked us.”

The Waqf is an Islamic trust that manages the Temple Mount on behalf of Jordan in accordance with the peace agreement signed with Israel in 1994. Waqf employees closely monitor Jews visiting the holy site and prevent them from praying, bowing, or violating the strict visitation rules imposed upon religious Jews at the site.

“This is outrageous,” Temple Mount Activist Arnon Segal told Tazpit Press Service (TPS). “These attacks could eventually result in death. The Waqf employees are being permitted to act uninhibited, without anyone putting them in their place. Netanyahu even said last week that he wanted to strengthen the Waqf. I wonder when Israeli law enforcement authorities will start enforcing the law instead of preserving international agreements that will not help us.”

The Jerusalem District Police released a statement saying that “two Waqf guards approached a group of visitors and attacked one of them during visitation hours at the Temple Mount. A police force arrested the two Waqf members and took them for questioning. The man who was attacked did not require medical treatment.”

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism though Jewish access to the site is severely restricted. The site is also the third holiest to Muslims, who refer to it as Haram al-Sharif or as the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

In the wake of the horrific murder of their daughter, the Ariel family organized over a thousand Jews to ascend to the Temple Mount. While only about 10% made it up, the nation of Israel is conscious and yearning for the Temple in new and exciting ways.

What is actually standing in the way of the rebuilding of the temple? Listen to this show to find out.

By Michael Bachner/TPS

Jerusalem (TPS) – A man from the Palestinian Authority with a history of attempted attacks against Israeli targets was arrested on Monday after planning another attack against police and Border Police forces in Jerusalem. The man, who entered the city illegally, was released from prison just two days earlier.

According to a Jerusalem Police spokesperson, forces operating in the Old City noticed a suspicious young man walking near them. They detained him and discovered that he had illegally crossed into Israeli-controlled territory from his hometown of Ramallah.

The 28-year-old man was then taken for questioning, where he admitted he was intending to commit an attack against Israeli security forces and was searching for potential targets. The police believe that the Jerusalem Magistrates Court will extend his remand.

Interrogators who questioned the suspect discovered that he was released from prison just two days earlier after having been convicted of security-related offenses. He returned to his home in Ramallah upon being released, but crossed illegally into Jerusalem shortly thereafter.

The man was arrested as a teenager on the Temple Mount in 2004 after he attempted to stab a police officer at the holy site. He served a prison term of six years for the attempted attack.

“The alertness and preparedness of the policemen led again to an arrest and to the prevention of another attack directed at security forces,” said a statement by the police. “We are ready and deployed throughout the Old City with reinforced presence for the safety of the public.”