Jews Finally Call for Synagogue on Temple Mount in Response to Muslim Takeover
The area was closed 16 years ago by court order after it was used as a meeting place for Hamas-related organizations. Last Friday, Arabs began protesting and broke the lock, entering the site.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the site closed but the police have yet to carry out that order. Haaretz reported that the Waqf (Muslim authority) director-general Sheikh Azzam al-Hatib requested permission from the police to bring construction materials into Sha’ar HaRachamim for renovations and according to Waqf sources, his request was not denied.