Jew detained for reciting blessing on Temple Mount

Tuesday, September 8, 2015, 14:58 On the afternoon of Tuesday, September 8, a 21 year old Jewish man was detained on the Temple Mount after reciting the customary “shehakol” blessing before drinking from a water bottle. According to another Jewish man who was with the detainee on the Temple Mount, the detainee asked the police officer for permission to drink from the water fountain at the site. The officer refused and instead one of the policemen present offered him a bottle of mineral water.
The detainee thanked the policeman, recited the “shehakol” blessing, took a drink of water from the bottle, and then the policemen informed him that he was detained on suspicion of reciting a blessing.
Shortly after the detention a Honenu attorney began work on the case.
In response to the incident Honenu stated that, “Almost every day Jews on the Temple Mount are detained on increasingly ridiculous charges. To detain a Jew because he recited a blessing before drinking water is scandalous. If this had happened outside of Israel it would have been considered antisemitism.”