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Rightist Israeli party leader claims Al-Aqsa as holiest place for Jews

February 17, 2014 at 1:50 am

On Friday, Aryeh Eldad, head of the new Israeli far-right political party, Power to Israel, claimed that Jews entering the “Temple Mount” (Al-Aqsa Mosque) face “unbearable treatment”.

Eldad, who is an extremist member of the Israeli Knesset, said: “Unlike Muslims, Jews suffer a kind of religious persecution when they want to perform their prayers in (the Al-Aqsa Mosque).”

The former member of the rightist National Union Party criticised the Israeli police stationed at the entrances of The Al-Aqsa Mosque and denounced the kind of treatment “visitors” receive when they go to perform prayers. Here Eldad was alluding to the detention of the Likud’s rightist leader, Moshe Feglin, when he entered the sanctuary’s courtyard.


“The Temple Mount,” Eldad claimed, “is the holiest place for Jews in this country; however, they cannot perform their prayers freely there.” According to Eldad, anyone [Jews] visiting the mosque can only stand in silence and if it is feared that they will perform a prayer, they are detained and taken out.

Commenting on the sound of the Muslim call to prayer in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Eldad said: “Besides it being illegal, it frightens and annoys residents in the area and the victims are the Jews.” He added: “The police do not pay attention to that.”

A notorious Israeli official, who has been interviewed on the Mount Tour with the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the background, claimed that Arab residents in Jerusalem build new homes without licenses while the municipality turns a blind eye to them.

In contrast, Eldad claims Jews cannot build new houses as the municipality keeps inspecting their legal status, and sometimes their houses are destroyed.

Pledges to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque and replace it with the alleged Jewish Temple are still one of the most widely used electoral slogans touted by candidates of the Israeli Knesset. These candidates also pledge to expel Palestinian residents from Jerusalem. Plans to divide the sacred courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Mosque are also among slogans and pledges touted by extremist Jewish candidates.