The Temple Mount or Haram As-Sharif

The Temple Mount or Haram As-Sharif

(IsraelWire-9/28-09:25-DST) The Thursday morning visit to Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, or Haram As-Sharif as it is called by the Arab population, was marred when Arabs began hurling stones and other objects at the delegation as it was leaving as well as at security forces.

Opposition leader MK Ariel Sharon accompanied by a Likud delegation, spent one-hour on the holiest site to the Jewish people, explaining that his intentions were not to provoke a conflict as was alleged by Arab MKs and the Moslem Wakf Authority. Sharon stated that a Jew wishing to visit an area in the capital of Jerusalem may do so without having to explained his intentions. Sharon told reporters following the visit that he too wants peace, but does not agree with the path being taken by Prime Minister Ehud Barak and his government. He accused the prime minister of lacking the political experience to navigate the delegate negotiations involving the PLO Authority (PA) and the United States.

In advance of the Likud visit on the Mount, Arab Members of Knesset and Islamic religious leaders issued warnings that violence would result from the visit to the site. The PA appointed Jerusalem Mufti, Sheik Arama Tsabari, warned Sharon not to attempt to visit the Mount, a site considered holy to the Nation of Islam.

A large police force was on hand during the visit to maintain order, with troops taking immediate action several times to prevent an outburst of violence. When the Likud delegation began to depart the area, stones began to fly, leading to the injuring of tens of Israeli security personnel, with at least one sustaining a head injury.

Arab sources report that four persons were injured by rubber-coater steel bullets fired by security forces in their effort to maintain ordfer and protect the elected Israeli officials. Faisal Husseini, who holds the PLO Authority’s (PA) Jerusalem portfolio told reporters he was brutally beaten on his legs by Israeli security forces, requiring medical attention. MK Abdulmalik Dahamsha accused border police of striking him and other Arab MKs as well. Also on hand to incite the crowd was MK Dr. Ahmed Tibi, who condemned Sharon’s actions. Tibi also accused border police of striking him and treating him with brutality.

According to a CNN report, Husseini, who was working to incite the large crowd and accused Israel of “trying to steal the Moslem holy site,” rejecting any attempt to legitimize the visit by the Israeli MKs.

Sharon following the visit told reporters that it was obvious the Arabs were no as willing to live side by side with the Jews as he was, explaining that his visit was a sign of peace and not a gesture of hostility.

As Israeli and negotiating teams continue to meet in Washington in the hope of breaking the deadlock in the Oslo process, the main bone of contention remains the Temple Mount which was liberated by Israeli paratroopers in the June 1967 Six Day War. Since its liberation of the Old City of Jerusalem, governments of Israel have permitted the Moslem Wakf Authority autonomous religious rule over the Mount. In turn, Moslem leaders have barred Jews from praying on the Mount, the holiest site to the Jewish nation, the site of the First and Second Temples.

In addition, as documented by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), the Wakf Authority continues illegal construction on the Mount, primarily in the area known as Solomon’s Stables, having eradicated a great deal of any trace of the site’s Jewish roots, ignoring the priceless artifacts dating back to the destruction of the Second Temple, and ignoring agreements made with the government that call for coordination with the IAA prior to undertaking any construction. Seeking not to jeopardize the ongoing Oslo process, the government of Prime Minister Ehud Barak has all but turned a blind eye, hoping to sign an agreement with PA Chairman Yassir Arafat before his shattered coalition is toppled by the opposition.

At this time, the Likud delegation has long left the Mount and the injured have been transferred to medical facilities. A larger than usual security force is maintaining a distant presence on the Mount, ready to act in the event of renewed Islamic violence.