In Israel last Friday, a Jerusalem district court reversed a Magistrate Court's decision that would have allowed Jews to pray on the Temple Mount. The appeals court heeded concerns by Israeli authorities that allowing Jewish prayer there could lead to violence that could endanger national security. As reported by Haaretz:
The earlier ruling by the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court concerned a Jewish man, Arye Lipo, who was barred from the Temple Mount for 15 days after the police caught him quietly praying there. The court rescinded the ban, ruling that the man, “like many others, prays on a daily basis on the Temple Mount.”...
Under an unofficial understanding, Jews are allowed to visit but not pray on the Mount, which is known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary. Although the police enforce this, recent months have seen a loosening of the status quo, with more Jews praying in the compound individually and even in groups.
Noting that Lipo prayed “quietly” and privately, the magistrate's court said that “this activity by itself is not enough to violate the police’s instructions.”...
Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanua called the decision "blatant aggression against the Al-Aqsa Mosque and a declaration of war...."
