Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Naphtali Bennett did not change the norms on a contested site in Jerusalem to allow Jewish prayers there, his office said Monday, walking back comments that triggered an angry reaction the day before.
Bennett, Israeli’s new prime minister, has raised concerns on Sunday when he said Israel was committed to protecting “freedom of worship ” for Jews in hilltop plots.
Under long practice, Jews were allowed to visit _ but not Praying – on the site, which they respect as a temple mountain and where Muslims hold sacred as Al Aqsa Mosque’s house.
Palestine and the Islamic authority of the site worried that Israel slowly tried to control the area and had complained in the past the Jews continued Pray at the location.
Friction remains high there after riots helps trigger an Israeli-Hamas war 11 days in May.
Although the expression of Bennett, the status quo survives, according to an official at the Prime Minister’s office that is not permitted to speak publicly and demand anonymity.
Clarification came after a tense day where hundreds of Jewish pilgrims visited a combination at the BAW Ah the heavy police guard for Mark Tisha B’Av, a day of mourning and repentance when the Jews contemplated the destruction of the first and second temples.
The hilltop compound, they believe, is where the Bible temple once stood up and was the most sacred site in Judaism.
Muslims respect the site as a noble safeguard, home to the Al Aqsa Mosque and the third most holy site in Islam.
The previous week, Muslim worshipers briefly clashed with Israeli security forces at the Flashpoint temple.
There were no reported injuries, but the incident again raised tension.
It comes only a few days before Muslims celebrate the Eid al-Adha festival or sacrifice.