So, I’m hardly qualified to address this topic, but I feel the need to, nevertheless.
My recent visit to the Temple Mount began with an extensive security check and we were accompanied the entire time by a police escort. These measures were not for our safety, but rather to ensure we didn’t make even the slightest religious (Jewish) gesture.
Foreign tourists strolled about freely, while we Israelis were tightly surrounded by police officers, one for every Jew.
We were allowed to move only as a group, and had to follow a specified route. Deviating was forbidden, and we were being photographed the entire time. I wondered out loud if these policemen were there to protect us, or from us. Most were either Druze or Muslims, and had difficulty understanding my nuanced Hebrew.
The Temple Mount is open to Jews for only a short period of time...
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