Family of one of the accused soldiers
Family of one of the accused soldiersHezki Baruch

The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court held a hearing Sunday in the case of three young men who recited the Shema prayer on the Temple Mount.

The hearing was supposed to take place about three months ago, but was postponed at the last minute after Adv. Yitzhak Bam, who represents the three on behalf of the Public Defender's Office, asked to postpone the hearing due to the birth of his son.

According to the indictment, while the three were on a tour of the Temple Mount on the eve of Yom Kippur about two years ago, they each prostrated themselves and shouted the Shema Yisrael prayer.

The indictment charges the young men with "conduct that may disturb the public peace" and "interference with a police officer in the performance of his duties."

The family of one of the defendants, a combat soldier serving in the infiltrating "Gladiolus" post on the Lebanese border, said that the IDF asked that he not be permitted to leave his base for the trial due to the coronavius restrictions, but the court ruled that the hearing was "urgent" and ordered the soldier to be tried. The family members also arrived and stayed outside the courtroom.

One of the other suspects also serves in the IDF.