Jordan’s Foreign Minister Slams ‘Extremist’ Jews Who ‘Stormed’ Temple Mount On Fast of Av

TEL AVIV – Jordan’s foreign minister on Tuesday slammed Israel for the record-breaking 1,300 Jewish “extremists” who “stormed” the Temple Mount for the Tisha B’Av fast commemorating the destruction of both Jewish temples that once stood there.

Ayman Safadi told an emergency gathering of foreign ministers from 57 countries that even though the recent crisis regarding metal detectors installed at the holy site may be over, more turmoil is on the horizon.

“The number of extremists who stormed Al-Aqsa [the Temple Mount plaza] today stands at a record number, greater than any other since the beginning of the Israeli occupation in 1967,” Safadi said at an emergency Executive Committee meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul.

However, “many more dangerous crises will erupt as a result of continued Israeli violations if Israel does not uproot the sources of the tension, if the occupation doesn’t end, if east Jerusalem is not independent and not the capital of the sovereign Palestinian State along the 1967 lines,” Safadi warned.

The Waqf Islamic Trust, which administers the holy site, is funded by Jordan. Azzam al-Khatib, director of the Waqf, also criticized the large number of visitors, saying, “This is unprecedented, unacceptable and should stop.”

Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Saturday said Amman worked to prevent the “Judaization” of Muslim and Christian holy sites and reverse Israel’s recently imposed security measures at the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site.

Metal detectors and security cameras first installed after Israeli-Arab terrorists smuggled guns onto the Temple Mount and opened fire on July 14, killing two Druze-Israeli policemen, sparked outrage throughout the Arab world, which accused Israel of trying to control the holy site.

On Tuesday’s fast day, over 1,300 Jewish visitors passed through metal detectors at the Mughrabi Gate – the only gate through which non-Muslims can enter – and were asked to leave their identity cards with police. As per standard policy at the holy site, they were escorted by police during the entire visit to ensure that they did not break the regulations on the site, such as those forbidding prayer to non-Muslims.

Police said nine people were forcibly removed from the site for not adhering to the regulations, in all likelihood for attempting to pray or bow.

The number was a dramatic increase from the 100 or so people that usually ascend the holy site. Yeraeh, a group advocating for Jewish visitation and prayer rights at the Temple Mount, attributed the rise to the recent unrest, saying more mainstream Jews are interested in asserting Jewish sovereignty over the site.

MK Yehudah Glick (Likud), an activist for Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount, praised the large numbers that went to visit, saying  it showed Jews “were not afraid.”

“The people of Israel are returning to the Mount,” he said.