Rabbi Aryeh Lipo, a teacher at the Temple Mount Yeshiva, received an order Thursday from Israel Police preventing him from entering the Temple Mount for three months.
The order was prompted by Rabbi Lipo's protesting the repeated harassment of groups of Jews on the Temple Mount by the Waqf. Rabbi Lipo serves as a teacher at the Temple Mount Yeshiva and ascends the Temple Mount regularly every day for the past year.
Rabbi Lipo responded to the order issued against him: "I come daily from Ra'anana to the Temple Mount, in all weathers, to pray for peace for the whole of Israel. We must end the disrespect to this holy place. A proper response to this order would be additional Jews ascending the Temple mount. "
The Temple Mount Yeshiva commented: "We are shocked by the despicable decision of the Temple Mount police to prevent Rabbi Lipo from performing his daily pilgrimage to the Temple Mount. It is inconceivable that the same Waqf officer who was friends with the terrorist who murdered Eli Kay remains on the Temple Mount while Rabbi Lipo, who radiates peace to all, is expelled."
"Despite the challenges, over the years we have maintained a friendly relationship and full coordination with the police," the Yeshiva added. "Unfortunately, we now see with regret that the police do not respect that connection, and decide to disgrace one of the Yeshiva's rabbis after many requests from us to try to avoid this unpleasantness."
The Temple Mount Yeshiva announced that it intends to act in all possible ways to overturn the decision, and called on the public to support the Yeshiva, Rabbi Lipo, and his right to ascend the Temple Mount daily as an emissary of the whole of Israel.