Temple Mount Crisis: The Israel Police set up special surveillance cameras at one of the entrances to the Temple Mount complex on Sunday morning, which could replace the recently installed metal detectors that have been at the center of growing tensions between Israel and Muslim worshipers.
But worshipers who arrived at the Gate of the Tribes for morning prayers refused to enter the holy site and threatened to continue their violent struggle, rejecting any form of compromise.
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“We will not agree to the new inspection,” several of the worshipers clarified. “Our struggle will continue without interruption at all hours of the day.”
One of the sheikhs who arrived at the scene said that “the new measure is worse than the metal detectors,” without elaborating.
“We will not agree to any inspection,” the sheikh continued. “We will meet today and decide on our next steps.”
Mahmoud, a resident of east Jerusalem who came to pray, said the he feels like the Israeli government and the police are “making fun of” the Muslim faithful.
“We will not agree to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque through an inspection,” he said. “We are not criminals who should be humiliated. The government and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan must stop making stupid decisions. They’re just making things worse.”
Another worshiper who came to pray at the holy site claimed the Israeli government “is not interested showing respect” to the worshipers.
“They insist on that we pass through inspection but it’s not going to happen,” he asserted. “The protests will continue and we’ll sacrifice our lives for the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Whatever the outcome of the struggle will be, we are willing to pay with our lives.”
On Friday the head of the Wakf Muslim religious trust, Abdul Azim Salhab, said in a press confarence: “Jerusalem represents 1.7 billion Muslims who say in one voice NO to the metal detectors, NO to the entrance of settlers to the mosque compound.”
By Hassan Shaalan, Yael Freidson, Yoav Zitun and Elior Levy contributed to this article. Ynet News
