This type of foolishness will stop only when the courts can be shown that people should be allowed to exercise their right to prayer, and should be provided Police protection if someone threatens to prevent them (especially with violence) from performing non-violent simple acts of prayer.
The Police are just acting according to their official policy on this, which goes something like this: Since Jewish prayer on Har HaBayit might be misinterpreted (intentionally) by certain Arab leaders as some kind of attack on their mosques, which will lead to those leaders illegally inciting the Arab masses against the Jews causing a feared illegal violent mass disturbance which would require massive Police and/or Army intervention to quell; therefore, the Police consider any act of Jewish prayer on Har HaBayit as an action which could lead to dangerous violence. In the interests of preventing outbreaks of violence, therefore, the Police do not allow Jews to exercise their right to prayer on Har HaBayit.
However, since the actual right of Jews to pray on Har HaBayit has, as far as I have heard, been recognized by all government institutions, and the Police are just preventing it out of PRACTICAL fears of the dangers which might result; and since, the absurdity of the Police position (preventing peaceful citizens from exercising their rights because of the threat of violence from illegal, incited mobs) should be easily understood to any clear-headed person; we need a strong legal appeal to the courts to order the Police to cancel their present policy, and to provide protection to peaceful praying Jewish people whenever there is a threat of violence against their legal right to pray.
If such Police protection were publicly known to all to be prepared in advance, and to of a type which would take decisive action to stop any violence against Jews fulfilling their legal right to pray (and against innocent people around Israel who might be injured by threatened riots in general); this would probably provide a deterent which would prevent most of the threatened violence against Jews praying, and the violence threatened in general (i.e., in other parts of Israel) if Jews pray on Har HaBayit.
It was publicized in the past that Aryeh Sonnenberg participated in a Test Case of praying on Har Habayit and being arrested for doing so. If utilized properly, this Test Case,could provide an excellent venue to demand that the courts order the Police to allow Jews to pray on Har HaBayit. What is happening with this Test Case?
This type of foolishness will stop only when the courts can be shown that people should be allowed to exercise their right to prayer, and should be provided Police protection if someone threatens to prevent them (especially with violence) from performing non-violent simple acts of prayer.
ReplyDeleteThe Police are just acting according to their official policy on this, which goes something like this:
Since Jewish prayer on Har HaBayit might be misinterpreted (intentionally) by certain Arab leaders as some kind of attack on their mosques, which will lead to those leaders illegally inciting the Arab masses against the Jews causing a feared illegal violent mass disturbance which would require massive Police and/or Army intervention to quell; therefore, the Police consider any act of Jewish prayer on Har HaBayit as an action which could lead to dangerous violence.
In the interests of preventing outbreaks of violence, therefore, the Police do not allow Jews to exercise their right to prayer on Har HaBayit.
However, since the actual right of Jews to pray on Har HaBayit has, as far as I have heard, been recognized by all government institutions, and the Police are just preventing it out of PRACTICAL fears of the dangers which might result; and since, the absurdity of the Police position (preventing peaceful citizens from exercising their rights because of the threat of violence from illegal, incited mobs) should be easily understood to any clear-headed person; we need a strong legal appeal to the courts to order the Police to cancel their present policy, and to provide protection to peaceful praying Jewish people whenever there is a threat of violence against their legal right to pray.
If such Police protection were publicly known to all to be prepared in advance, and to of a type which would take decisive action to stop any violence against Jews fulfilling their legal right to pray (and against innocent people around Israel who might be injured by threatened riots in general); this would probably provide a deterent which would prevent most of the threatened violence against Jews praying, and the violence threatened in general (i.e., in other parts of Israel) if Jews pray on Har HaBayit.
It was publicized in the past that Aryeh Sonnenberg participated in a Test Case of praying on Har Habayit and being arrested for doing so. If utilized properly, this Test Case,could provide an excellent venue to demand that the courts order the Police to allow Jews to pray on Har HaBayit.
What is happening with this Test Case?
Catriel Lev, Ramat Bet Shemesh Alef