Temple Mount
Temple MountYonatan Sindel/Flash 90

Tom Nisani, an activist for the organization Students for the Temple Mount, was arrested last Thursday when he ascended the Temple Mount. Nisani was questioned and released, but today the police requested that the court ban him from the Temple Mount for 15 days.

According to police, Nissan sought to traverse the site differently from the rest of the Jews who ascended the Mount, and when a policeman stopped him, called the policeman a "liar," insulting an officer and disturbing the peace.

The police added the claim stating that when Nisani was asked to turn over his cell phone at the police station, he removed the SIM card before turning the phone over. Nisani took out the SIM card in front of the policemen and explained that the photographs the police sought to examine were on the card, but the police accused him of "destroying evidence."

Attorney Avichai Hajbi from the Honenu legal organization, presented a video to the court in which Nisani can be clearly heard. He did not call the policeman a liar, but asked why the policeman lied about Nisani being forbidden to walk where he wanted to. The video proved that it was the policeman who lied, making the arrest itself suspect.

Judge Mika Banki rejected the police request to restrict Nasani's access to the Temple Mount and determined that there is no reasonable suspicion that he violated the rules on visits to the Temple Mount.

The police announced that they would appeal the decision. Attorney Avichai Hajbi said in response: "The discrimination against Jews on the Temple Mount should be stopped and the sooner the better. In its decision the court made it clear to the Israeli police that there are limits to unwarranted accusations and rejected the the request [to ban my client from the Temple Mount]."