Jerusalem District police officers and Border Police forces foiled an attempted break-in and Passover sacrifice on the Temple Mount last Friday, after a group of suspects allegedly tried to bring a young goat onto the site.
During the operation, officers identified a group of youths arriving at one of the gates. Members of the group were reportedly carrying a goat intended for sacrifice and a slaughtering knife.
They bypassed a police checkpoint and entered the area adjacent to the Temple Mount while attempting to force their way inside. Police prevented the suspects from entering the compound, blocked their path, and detained or arrested 21 individuals for questioning.
The suspects were brought before the Magistrate’s Court, which ordered their release. That decision remained in place even after an appeal was submitted to the District Court.
Police stated that they “will continue to act decisively to preserve public order, security, and the fabric of life in the Old City and especially at the holy sites, while firmly enforcing the law against any attempt to disrupt order."
The “Lama Nigara" (“Why Should We Be Excluded") movement, whose members were involved in the incident, said in a statement: “This day symbolizes the call of our ancestors who were impure during the first Passover and longed to offer the Second Passover sacrifice. In these days, the call of ‘Why should we be excluded’ is renewed - we too want to offer the Passover sacrifice and sacrifices in general. We strengthen the detainees; the time has come to return to the Temple Mount in its entirety and rebuild the Holy Temple."
The activists were represented by attorneys Nati Rom and Daniel Shimshilashvili from the Honenu legal aid organization. Shimshilashvili said: “Absurdly, the investigative unit chose to request an extension of our clients’ detention by no fewer than five days, using arguments that, after the Simchat Torah massacre, have no place in our society. The court accepted our arguments, and the claim that the entire Middle East would burn because Jews seek to exercise freedom of worship in our country did not impress the court, which ordered our clients’ release and even unusually rejected the police request to delay implementation of the decision."
Attorney Rom added: “Regarding Temple Mount activists, I find it puzzling that the police consistently come to court with exaggerated requests while knowing that the court will completely dismiss them."