Hundreds of Israeli Jews visited the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem on July 30, marking the fast day of Tisha B’Av. According to Jewish tradition, both Jerusalem Temples located on the site were destroyed on the same date, years apart. Regulations at the site, which is holy to both Muslims and Jews, prevent Jews from praying there while visiting. Thus, police detained 13 Jewish worshipers for defying the rules and lying on the ground in prayer and mourning. Another 10 Jewish visitors were detained today and taken out of the compound for similar reasons.
Jews are allowed to ascend the Temple Mount compound during two times slots a day — one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Police reports read that about 800 Jewish visitors entered the site in the morning hours, in groups of 20 that were admitted every few minutes. A few hundred more visited the site during the early afternoon slot, though no exact number was communicated. According to some reports, Jews and Muslims clashed in the old city of Jerusalem, but apparently no one was injured.
