MK Shuli Moalem ascends Har Habayit in solidarity with MK Feiglin

In an interesting development, MK Shuli Moalem-Rafaeli (Habayit Hayehudi) decided to ascend Har Habayit in protest of the banning of MK Moshe Feiglin from the Mount. She specifically said in her announcement that she went up to pray, but I did not hear of any incidents with the police or Arabs, so I assume she prayed privately and not publicly.

Moalem said that she could not bear the shame of the prevention of MK Feiglin from Har Habayit. She further said that she is distressed over the manipulative use in the name of security in order to prevent Jews from praying on Har Habayit and to walk there freely without fear of foreigners.

Moalem announced that there will be a discussion about Har Habayit in the Knesset today, specifically about the issue of the Women of the Wall, in conjunction wit the Knesset Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women as well as with the Committee of the Interior. She said that at this meeting she will raise the issue and state that conclusions reached regarding the prayers of Women of the Wall at the Kotel will also be relevant to the prayer of Jews at Har Habayit. I watched [part of] the meeting, and Moalem did indeed demand the right to pray on Har Habayit just as the WoW are deserving of the right to pray in their way.

I think Moalem's ascent is fairly similar in nature to the recent participation of MKs Tamar Zandberg (Meretz), Michal Rosen (Meretz), and Stav Shafir (Labor) in a Women of the Wall service at the Kotel donning their tallitot for the services. That soolidarity displayed by the MKs seemed to push the agenda forward. I do not think Moalem's solidarity visit today on Har Habayit will do the same, at least not directly. However, it can have a similar effect via her promotion of the issue in the Knesset meetings.

I think other MKs should do the same, with solidarity ascents of their own. Maybe even MKs Zandberg, Rosen, and Shafir should ascend Har Habayit, in line with their concern they displayed when showing solidarity with Women of the Wall. As a matter of fact, MK Shafir's statement explaining her participation fits perfectly well with showing solidarity with Jews praying on Har Habayit as well. Shafir said, at the time, "it is my honor and duty to stand here and protect the rights of all Jews from around the world to pray as they desire and believe.."

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