Why one Arab Knesset member provoked Israeli police on the Temple Mount
The outburst by Knesset member Jamal Zahalka on the Temple Mount this week reveals the dangerous game he is playing at the sacred site, staging himself as a victim while world leaders gather at UN headquarters.
The visit by Knesset member Jamal Zahalka (Joint List of predominantly Arab parties) to the Temple Mount on the morning of Sept. 29 gave the impression that he wanted to incite a major riot and drag the police officers accompanying a group of Jewish worshipers at the site into a conflict with him. Video footage of the visit featured later that day on various social media platforms and TV news showed Zahalka insulting the police and trying to provoke them.
Zahalka arrived at the site after several tense days in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, world leaders who had gathered in New York for the annual meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations were keeping a close eye on the Temple Mount. In his speech, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi addressed the escalation in tensions, saying that events in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa underscore the need for a “decisive final solution” to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Upon leaving for New York, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that in his speech he would “demand a halt to this wild incitement” on the Temple Mount.
As one of the most provocative members of the Knesset, Zahalka can be relied upon to exploit the sensitivity surrounding the Jewish High Holidays to the bitter end to advance his political agenda. This is especially true this year, when the atmosphere is particularly volatile. Furthermore, Zahalka seemed to want to direct a message from the Temple Mount to UN headquarters in New York to ensure that the issue remains on the international agenda.
Just 10 days ago, Zahalka traveled to Jordan as part of a delegation of Knesset members from the Joint List. In their meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II about tensions at the Temple Mount, they painted a bleak picture, claiming that Israel was attempting to seize control of the mosque and making conditions for Arab worshipers there more difficult. After the meeting, the king was quoted as saying, “I am following everything that’s happening closely and watching what will be in the coming days, and this will be an important subject in my meetings with world leaders at the UN next week.”
