Israel Police on Temple Mount
Israel Police on Temple MountArutz Sheva

Israeli Arabs' Islamic Movement called Sunday on Arabs to “react” to the insults hurled Thursday at the prophet Mohammed by an exasperated Jewish woman near the Temple Mount, by strengthening the Muslim grip on the Al Aqsa mosque through maintaining a presence there and resisting Jewish attempts to “burst into it.”

The newspaper Falastin attributed Muslim rage in Jerusalem to a young Jewish woman's statement against Mohammed – but did not quote what she said. The reference is to the words “Mohammed is a pig,” which the woman uttered immediately after touring the Temple Mount and suffering abuse from Muslims there.

The paper quoted an eyewitness to the incident who claimed that if it were not for reinfirced presence of the Israel Police at the location, the Mulsim women at the location would have beaten the Jewish woman because of her statement.

Arabs protested and rioted in the Old City after the incident, shouting “a nation whose leader is Mohammed will not surrender,” and “Allahu akbar.” The rioters damaged public property, including security cameras.

The Joint List of Arab parties on Sunday sharply condemned Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) for his visit to the Temple Mount earlier in the day. Ariel entered the Temple Mount Sunday morning to commemorate Tisha B'Av at the site of Temple, which was destroyed on this day over 1,900 years ago.

In a statement, the party said that Ariel's “provocative entry was meant to change the status quo, which will lead to the igniting of fires throughout the entire region,” the Arab MKs said. According to the statement, Israeli police “prevented hundreds of believers and worshippers from expressing freedom of worship and prevented them from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque by means of violence and physical force.”