For a selection of cases in which Honenu Attorneys represented Jews detained on or near the Temple Mount, please click here.
Temple Mount and Western Wall; Photo credit: Lee Aloni/FLASH90
Tuesday, October 1, 2024, 12:51 At the beginning of the week, a Jewish man was detained after prostrating on the Temple Mount. He was summoned to the Merchav David (Old City) Police station for a hearing. There he was informed that he was banned from the Temple Mount for half a year. Honenu Attorney Moshe Poleski is providing him with legal counsel. Over the past few weeks, there has been a change in the police policy regarding Jews ascending the Temple Mount that permits prostration at the site.
The detainee reacted to the decision: “A ban [from the Temple Mount] based solely on a decision by the police, without holding a trial or presenting evidence, is an illogical step that blatantly violates fundamental citizens’ rights. And, to be completely candid, a ban could be used only against [second-class,] right-wing activists. If a ban were imposed on first-class citizens, the entire country would be in an uproar.
“The Temple Mount belongs to the State of Israel, particularly because the state is the state of the Jews. However, the current premise is that the Temple Mount is a civil dispute between two groups, some of whom happen to be Arabs and some of whom happen to be Jews. This status quo sees the two sides of the conflict as equals. And the police act like UN enforcers, claiming they are acting ‘for the sake of your personal safety’. This not an issue of personal safety. Ascending the mount strengthens national security.”
Honenu Attorney Moshe Poleski stated, “A Jew who wanted to exercise freedom of worship on the Temple Mount was banned only to prevent angering the Arabs.”