Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher; Photo credit: Honenu
Wednesday, June 4, 2025, 15:21 On Pesach Sheni, one month after Passover, Arab rioters attacked several Temple Mount activists as they were arguing with police officers at one of the entrances to the Temple Mount. One of the attacks was recorded, and the video clip was widely shared on social media. The attacker, Sa’id Abu Najma, is a member of the Waqf, the Muslim organization managing the mosques on the temple mount. Currently, Honenu is demanding that the attackers be indicted and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Honenu Attorney Chayim Bleicher wrote a letter to the Merchav David (Old City) Police stating that Najma, “decided of his own accord to attack my client and his friend. He continued to berate and attack my client even after police officers had detained two rioters, and my clients had left the vicinity [of the Temple Mount entrance].”
Additionally, Najma received a “certificate of honor” from Islamic extremists, many interviews, and extensive publicity. The letter continued: “His act resonated among Arabs to the extent that it constitutes incitement and causes a great danger to Jewish visitors on the Temple Mount,” warned Attorney Bleicher.
A further attack by other rioters was not publicized. However, Attorney Bleicher is convinced that due to the many security cameras positioned around the Temple Mount “there is almost certainly unequivocal video evidence of the attack. The Temple Mount has a network of high-quality police cameras.” This attack was also very well received among Arabs.
He underscored that “This attack is representative [of Muslim violence on the Temple Mount]. As long as this incident is not penalized to the full extent of the law, it is liable to be interpreted as the abandonment of Jewish lives to the local Arabs, who will take the law into their own hands, as if they, and not the Israeli security forces, have authority at the site.”
At the conclusion of the letter, Attorney Bleicher demanded an update regarding the arrest, interrogation and indictment of the attackers.
Attorney Bleicher, who is representing the attacked Temple Mount activists, issued a statement: “The Arab rioters who attacked Jewish activists not only committed a serious crime, but also openly challenged the sovereignty of the State of Israel on the Temple Mount. The attackers behaved as if they had sole authority on the Temple Mount and in the capital city of Israel. The rioters must be penalized to the full extent of the law, in part as deterrence against additional attacks of this sort.”