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Various groups continue to push Jerusalem even closer to its foretold role in the End Times. Private efforts are underway to not only rebuild the temple but to restore Israel to its original borders. Even more ominous, new plans for a Palestinian peace settlement may even herald the arrival of the Antichrist.
Standing today in what Jews believe is the historical location of the first two, is the Al-Aqsa Mosque - the third holiest site in Islam . To recognize it as the only possible rebuilt Temple, or to even seriously attempt to tear it down to replace it, both constitute seemingly unresolvable religious and thus political problems. Nonetheless, the idea of rebuilding some Temple somewhere is difficult to abandon entirely:
For the last 1900 years, Jews have prayed that God would allow for the rebuilding of the Temple. This prayer is a formal part of the thrice daily Jewish prayer services.
However, not all rabbis agree on what would happen in a rebuilt Temple. It has traditionally just been assumed that some sort of animal sacrifices would be reinstituted, in accord with the rules in Leviticus and the Talmud . However there is another opinion, beginning with Maimonides , that God deliberately has moved Jews away from sacrifices towards prayer, as prayer is a higher form of worship. Thus, some rabbis hold that sacrifices would not take place in a rebuilt Temple. Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook , the first chief rabbi of the Jewish community in pre-state Israel , holds that sacrifices will not be reinstituted.
A few very small Jewish groups today support constructing a Third Temple today, but most Jews oppose this, for a variety of reasons. Most religious Jews feel that the Temple should only be rebuilt in the messianic era, and that it would presumptuous of people to force God's hand, as it were. Further, there are many ritual impurity constrictions that are difficult to resolve, making the building's construction a practical impossibility.
Additionally, many Jews are against rebuilding the Temple due to the enormously hostile reaction from all Arab and Muslim nations that would likely result - even were the building to be complementary to those holy to Islam , there would be high suspicion that such a building project would ultimately end with the destruction of these and the rebuilding of the Temple on its original spot.
Some fundamentalist and evangelical Christian groups, especially those who follow a dispensationalist theology, believe that the Jewish people will build the Third Temple shortly before, or perhaps after, "true" Christians have been raptured

As you know my brothers and sisters, Jerusalem temple must be rebuilt to fulfill prophecy.

Brothers and sisters, I would like to hear your input please.

Quote from: DreamWeaver on March 30, 2004, 01:07:29 AM

Why a physical temple? Christ was given once for all and has gone into the true holy of holies in heaven. Why would God want another temple built on earth to resume animal sacrifices after Christ's once for all sacrificial fullfillment?

Dan 9
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Mat 24
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

If one considers these two key scriptures, concerning the rebuilt temple and temple sacrifices, it is clear that only because of a peace treaty, would sacrifice be allowed on an alter at a rebuilt temple at the present site...................or...........it could be that the temple to be rebuilt is not built at what is presently considered to be the present Holy Site. Where it is presummed Solomon's temple was built.

Besides it is not Solomon's temple that God's prophecy promises to rebuild, the fallen tabernacle of David (Amos 9:11), and it was not at what is considered the Holy Site today.

When King David, purchased Ornan's threshing floor (at 1 Chr 21:15-29) for the site of the House of God, which Solomon, built, the Tabernacle of the Lord which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering, was at Gibeon.

After Solomon built the House of God, the Tabernacle (also Known as "the Tabernacle of David) was moved from Gibeon to Jerusalem, it was later moved to the City of David which is refferred to as Zion (2 Chr 5:1-2).

It could be, that this house of God, may not be on what is called the Holy Place on temple mount, it could be a hundred yards from the present location, this could be very significant, since Israel could use their desire to build a temple to enter into an peace treaty, which would allow them to resume sacrificial worship.

Whether there is something to this or no, either way, I think we all recognize, there will be somekind of sacricifial worship being conducted at the Holy Place (whereever it is) as per Daniel's prophecy..

Blessings,

Petro

"If you don't use it, you lose it," explained Nachman Kupietzky when asked why he brings Jews to the Temple Mount.

The Chief Rabbinate is on record as banning Jews from treading on the mount due to its sacredness, but Kupietzky, like other observant Jews who habitually visit there, says he is careful to avoid that part of the mount which includes the Dome of the Rock, traditionally delineated as the area that contained the ancient Temple.

Channel 2 reported Monday that the present and past chief rabbis had reiterated the standing Chief Rabbinate ban on Jews ascending the mount, though spokesmen said they were not aware of any such declaration.

The Temple Mount was closed to non-Muslim visitors
last August at the onset of the Aksa Intifada.
Since the Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims, tourists and Jews have made 65,000 visits, according to police.

The Muslim Wakf does not permit Jews to pray on the Temple Mount. Rabbi David Elboim, head of Yeshivat Torat Habayit in Geula and a frequent leader of visitors to the Temple Mount, claims that Israeli police humiliate Jews as they check them for contraband prayer books, pulling out papers and asking if they are not prayer sheets.

He said that Internal Security Minister Tzahi Hanegbi's warnings that unspecified Jewish extremists might attack the site to upset the political process were driven by the desire for more funds and personnel.

"In the year since the Temple Mount reopened, there hasn't been as much as the sound of a flea. Instead of giving us a medal for good behavior, Hanegbi besmirches our good name. Jews around the world face the direction of the Temple Mount when they pray, yet on the site itself we are not allowed to pray."

Kupietzky says that he asks the groups he leads to wear caps and to look as much like tourists as possible. "Once my son joined one of my groups, and his kippa wasn't covered. We were delayed 20 minutes until a special police escort was found."

The years in which Jews were banned from visiting the Mount were the same ones in which Wakf construction wreaked havoc on the ancient site, said Elboim, pointing out that piles of destroyed antiquities could still be seen.

Elboim is one of the few haredim who ascend the Temple Mount, but he insisted that many rabbis do permit Jews to go up, so long as they immerse first in a mikva (ritual bath) and wear non-leather shoes.

He noted that even as mainstream a figure as Rabbi Moshe Tendler, son-in-law of the late leader of American Orthodoxy Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, planned to visit the Temple Mount next week.

From the kitchen in her Mount of Olives home, where she can see the Temple Mount as she cooks, Zipporah Piltz agrees with Elboim that there has been a discernible rise in the number of observant visitors to the mount. But she would like to see a greater representation of women.

Among those rabbis that do allow their congregants to ascend the mount, a majority do not allow women to do so, notes Piltz, because the rules of purity regarding their ascent are more complex.

Also, it has been 1,934 years since Rome's legions set fire to Jerusalem's Temple, and sent the Jewish people into centuries of wanderings, humiliation, and bleeding.

Why this calamity happened, and how it could have been avoided, remains debatable. The Sages assumed the Temple was lost due to divine action, which stemmed in turn from the Jews' loss of respect for God, and for each other. Historians focus on the Jews' lack of social cohesion and political realism.

We have no sagelike pretensions. But it is important to think carefully and responsibly about Jewish action, then and now.

First, let there be no doubt about what happened two millennia ago. The Jews, faced with the Roman Empire's advance eastward, initially tolerated it, but ultimately tried to resist it, and failed. In challenging the Romans, the Jews generally failed to enlist the Jews of the Diaspora, who already comprised the majority of the nation.

The Jews of Judea themselves were also far from united about the cause, which many, particularly among the elite, opposed. Some, like Galilee commander Josephus Flavius, defected, and ended up resented by subsequent generations. Others, most notably Rabbi Yohanan Ben-Zakai, left the cause at later stages, when they soberly figured it was lost. They were later instrumental in preparing the Jews for a future of religious observance without political sovereignty.

Still, the bottom line of the war was that Judea blundered fatally: first, by picking a fight with an enemy it could not possibly defeat; second, by failing to muster the kind of solidarity that is indispensable for any national victory. The fact that Jerusalem's zealots and moderates were fighting each other even while they were being besieged by the Romans is mind-boggling. Judea had become awash with a kind of messianic zeal that made many ignore the military balance of power that was so obviously against them. During the Roman siege the Sicarii zealots knifed moderates and torched strategic food stocks that could have saved lives in the besieged city.

In recent years, Israel has been threatened by two kinds of zealotry. There was the messianic zealotry of Oslo, which held not only that a new and wondrous dispensation was at hand, but that the prudent reservations of half the country could be dismissed and indeed scorned as so much reactionary guff. More recently, we have seen another brand of zealots, who seek to impose their vision on a country that is in many ways ambivalent about (and often hostile to) the Greater Israel project. Reports – hopefully baseless – about present-day fanatics seeking to attack our elected leaders in order to stop the move toward disengagement bring to mind our forefathers' self-destructive excesses.

Lurking behind all this is all too often a mentality that insists on blurring the lines between religious and national idealism, and the actual wishes of the people and their elected leaders. It is a mentality that characterizes fundamentalists like former convict and Jewish underground activist Yehuda Etzion, who this week openly called for the removal of the mosques from the Temple Mount.

source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4424185.stm

(http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40935000/jpg/_40935371_templemount203body.jpg)

Thousands of Israeli police have surrounded the Temple Mount in Jerusalem amid fears that Jewish extremists plan to storm the site.
The operation follows reports that extremists hope to thwart Israel's withdrawal from Gaza by inflaming tensions with Palestinians.

Palestinian militants say they will end a truce if Jewish protesters enter the al-Aqsa mosque built on Temple Mount.

The Temple Mount is known as the Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) to Muslims.

Last month, Israel's Channel Two TV station showed a video that it said showed plotters, including rabbis and far-right extremists, discussing ways to occupy the site, which is holy in both Judaism and Islam.

The meeting of representatives from 30 different groups took place at a secret location in Jerusalem's Old City, the TV station said.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei appealed to Israel to stop any action against the compound, saying it would cause the region to "explode".

Large numbers of Israeli police were deployed around the Temple Mount compound in mid-February for fear of an attack by Jewish extremists.

Significance

Opponents of the Gaza withdrawal plan have been protesting in a number of ways, including blocking traffic on major roads causing massive jams.

Israel is due to withdraw all settlers and the troops that protect them from Gaza in July this year. Israel has occupied Gaza since 1967, and will retain control of the strip's external borders, airspace and coastline.

The Temple Mount compound, in the old city in East Jerusalem, covers an area of 35 acres.

The site is holy to Jews because it is the site of the First and Second Temple in ancient times. It is known in Jewish tradition as the "abode of God's presence".

It is also of deep religious, political and national significance to Palestinians and to Muslims around the world.
*********************************************

This isn't the first Israeli police have done this, but still interesting non the less.

Grace and Peace!

Temple Mount shut to non-Muslims
By ETGAR LEFKOVITS

Citing concerns of renewed violence on the eve of
Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip, Jerusalem police announced Saturday that the Temple Mount will be shut to non-Muslims on Sunday as the nation marks Tisha Be'av and the destruction of the two ancient temples at the site.

The widely expected move, which was taken by Jerusalem police chief Cmdr. Ilan Franco and approved by Internal Security Minister Gideon Ezra, was made due to fears that Jewish ultra-nationalists, who might enter the site as part of a last-minute attempt to thwart the disengagement plan, could provoke clashes between Arabs and Jews.

Concern over Arab disturbances has also prompted
police to once again bar all Muslim men under the age of 45 from entering the ancient compound.

Tens of thousands of Jews were expected to flock to the Western Wall during the 25-hour fast day starting Saturday night, with thousands of police officers positioned all around the Old City to maintain the peace.

A police chopper and newly-installed closed-circuit TV at the site will help police, who have set up a temporary HQ in the area to monitor the situation throughout the day.

The Temple Mount has long been a flash-point of
violence in the past, and Israeli security officials have repeatedly expressed concern that Israeli far-right extremists may try to carry out an attack there in order to sabotage this week's withdrawal from Gaza.

The recent shooting attack by a Jewish terrorist on a bus in northern Israel, in which four Israeli Arabs were killed, has only added to the tensions at the Temple Mount, with various Islamic leaders calling on their followers to flock to the site on Sunday to "protect" the mosques.

In years past, the site has been repeatedly closed
down to non-Muslim visitors on Tisha Be'av –
considered the darkest day on the Jewish calendar – including just last year.

The former head of the Shin Bet, Avi Dichter, has
cited the possibility of an assassination attempt on the life of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the threat of an attack by Jewish extremists on the Temple Mount as two of the gravest concerns among security officials ahead of the Israeli withdrawal.

With the walled-in compound heavily guarded by police – who repeatedly bar such Israeli fringe groups like the Temple Mount Faithful or the ultra-nationalist Revava organization from entering the compound – security officials have warned in the past that Jewish extremists might try to fire a missile or a rocket at the mosque compound.

Several months ago, three Jewish extremists were
questioned by police for allegedly planning to fire a missile at the Mount, but charges were never filed against them since they changed their minds even before they were arrested.

Separately, Jerusalem police were also preparing for a large right-wing protest outside the prime minister's residence on Sunday, after settler leaders announced their intention to form a human chain around the Jerusalem government compound.

To understand the significance behind this day to the Jews I am also posting the following article.

Aug. 12, 2005 4:26
Background: Tisha Be'av - from sadnesss to hope
By SAM SER

"For this," wrote the prophet Jeremiah, "our heart is faint, and our sight has grown dim: for Mount Zion, which is desolate, and foxes walking upon it."

The destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE by the Romans under the command of Titus, which Jeremiah foretold and then witnessed, is but one of the many tragedies to have befallen the Jewish people on Tisha Be'av – the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av – which will be observed from Saturday evening through Sunday evening.

The First Temple was also destroyed on that day in 586 BCE, at the hands of Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard of Babylonian king
Nebuchadnezzar. The last stronghold of the Bar Kochba rebellion was captured on Tisha Be'av in 135 CE, and on that date a year later, the Roman emperor Hadrian rebuilt Jerusalem as a pagan city which the Jews were forbidden to enter.

According to tradition, Tisha Be'av was also the day on which it was decreed that the Israelites, after the Exodus, would not enter the Promised Land following the sin of the spies. In addition, the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 is said to have occurred on Tisha Be'av.

The day has become a symbol of Jewish national suffering and misfortune, marked by somber prayer and avoidance of all manner of physical pleasures, including a strict fast and abstentions from bathing and shaving. Many Jews even refrain from travel on Tisha Be'av, as it is regarded as an inauspicious day.

Despite the sorrow entailed in the commemoration of all these events, there are those who have found cause on Tisha Be'av to recall a hopeful tale. As told in the Talmud, the great sage Rabbi Akiva and three of his colleagues were approaching Jerusalem; upon seeing a fox dart out from the ruins of the Temple, the three wept, while Akiva laughed.

His colleagues were incredulous, noting the verse from Lamentations quoted above. Yet Akiva responded by quoting a verse from the prophet
Zecharia: "Old men and old women will once again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with his staff in his hand because of advanced age, and the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in its streets."

Explained Akiva, "The Holy One, blessed be He, has declared that just as the first prophecies have been fulfilled, so shall the latter. I am
joyous that the first have already come to pass, for the latter shall surely be fulfilled in the future."

Answered the rabbis, "Akiva, you have comforted us, Akiva, you have comforted us!"

Sheikh Ismail Nawahda, preaching to Moslem masses on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Friday, has brought it out into the open: the call to restore the Moslem Khalifate, or, "Genuine Islamic Rule."

A plan for the "Return of the Khalifate" was published secretly in 2002 by a group called "The Guiding Helper Foundation." The group explained that it wished to "give direction to the educated Muslim populace in its increasing interest in the establishment of Islam as a practical system of rule."

This past Friday, Feb. 24, however, the plan went public. Sheikh Nawahda called publicly for the renewal of the Islamic Khalifate, which would "unite all the Moslems in the world against the infidels."

The Khalifate system features a leader, known as a Khalif (the title literally means the successor to Mohammed), who heads worldwide Islam. Assisted by a ten-man council, his decisions are totally binding on all Moslems.

According to the Foundation's vision of the Khalifate, significant punishment can only be meted out for 14 crimes, including "accusing a chaste person of fornication," "not performing the formal prayer," and "not fasting during Ramadan."

The Foundation recommends working to restore the Moslem dictatorship using a system of small groups around the world. The purpose is so that the "enemies of Islam" who "will definitely try to stop us" will have a "much harder task, if not impossible, if they are faced with a myriad of small groups of differing locations, ethnicities," etc. This method also "ensures that if one group... is found and cut off, other similar groups will remain undetected."

Sheikh Nawahda reminded his Temple Mount audience that the first step taken by Muhammed in stabilizing his rule was to form the nucleus of the first Islamic country in the city of Medina. Nawahda also said that the status of Moslems around the world has dropped drastically ever since the collapse of the last Khalifate in 1924, after Turkey became a democratic republic.

Nawahda called upon the Arabs of the Palestinian Authority to rise above their personal and party interests, and said that Moslems must return to Islam and join forces in the struggle against the West. He praised the worldwide protests against the anti-Muhammed cartoons, and encouraged the Moslem public to continue such activities. He implied that those who insulted Muhammed are liable for death. The Sheikh designated the Moslem masses as a strong point that can be utilized in the fight against the West.

Some how, I missed this.................. :'(

))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Muslim Preacher on Temple Mount: Restore Worldwide Islamic Rule
11:59 Feb 26, '06 / 28 Shevat 5766
By Hillel Fendel

Sheikh Ismail Nawahda, preaching to Moslem masses on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Friday, has brought it out into the open: the call to restore the Moslem Khalifate, or, "Genuine Islamic Rule."

A plan for the "Return of the Khalifate" was published secretly in 2002 by a group called "The Guiding Helper Foundation." The group explained that it wished to "give direction to the educated Muslim populace in its increasing interest in the establishment of Islam as a practical system of rule."

This past Friday, Feb. 24, however, the plan went public. Sheikh Nawahda called publicly for the renewal of the Islamic Khalifate, which would "unite all the Moslems in the world against the infidels."

The Khalifate system features a leader, known as a Khalif, who heads worldwide Islam. Assisted by a ten-man council, his decisions are totally binding on all Moslems.

According to the Foundation's vision of the Khalifate, significant punishment can only be meted out for 14 crimes, including "accusing a chaste person of fornication," "not performing the formal prayer," and "not fasting during Ramadan."

The Foundation recommends working to restore the Moslem dictatorship using a system of small groups around the world. The purpose is so that the "enemies of Islam" who "will definitely try to stop us" will have a "much harder task, if not impossible, if they are faced with a myriad of small groups of differing locations, ethnicities," etc. This method also "ensures that if one group... is found and cut off, other similar groups will remain undetected."

Sheikh Nawahda reminded his Temple Mount audience that the first step taken by Muhammed in stabilizing his rule was to form the nucleus of the first Islamic country in the city of Medina. Nawahda also said that the status of Moslems around the world has dropped drastically ever since the collapse of the last Khalifate in 1924, after Turkey became a democratic republic.

Nawahda called upon the Arabs of the Palestinian Authority to rise above their personal and party interests, and said that Moslems must return to Islam and join forces in the struggle against the West. He praised the worldwide protests against the anti-Muhammed cartoons, and encouraged the Moslem public to continue such activities. He implied that those who insulted Muhammed are liable for death. The Sheikh designated the Moslem masses as a strong point that can be utilized in the fight against the West.

Muslim Preacher on Temple Mount: Restore Worldwide Islamic Rule (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=99210)

Muslim access to holy site unrestricted
despite Islamic threats to Israeli elections

JERUSALEM – One day before national elections here, Jerusalem police this morning closed the Temple Mount to Jews and Christians in response to what officials say are specific threats – mostly by Muslim groups – related to disrupting the voting.

The Temple Mount is the holiest site to Judaism. Muslims today were able to access the Mount without restrictions.

"We had information that if the Jews come to the Temple Mount, the Muslims will start violence. So we took the decision to close the Mount to Jews and tourists," Jerusalem police spokesman Shmulik Ben Ruby told WorldNetDaily.

Police say they received alerts that Palestinian militants and Jewish Temple Mount activist groups are planning to use the politically charged period immediately prior to the elections to instigate provocations on the Mount.

The police would not specify which groups were associated with any threats to the Temple Mount, but a source in the Jerusalem District Police Department told WND the warnings were "mostly concerning Muslim groups."

Leaders of the major Jewish Temple Mount organizations denied to WorldNetDaily they were planning any provocations.

But Raed Sallah, leader of the Islamic Movement, an extremist group that promotes Muslim sovereignty over the Mount, reportedly has been delivering speeches at Israeli mosques urging Muslims to rush to the Al Aqsa Mosque on the Mount before elections to protect it from "Jewish attacks." The Movement has been providing buses to bring Muslims to the Al Aqsa Mosque.

The Islamic Movement has been involved with Temple Mount violence, including leading riots that officially started the Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in 2000 after Arab protesters threw rocks at Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall. Those riots took place just prior to Israeli elections following a visit to the Mount by then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon. Palestinian leaders, including the late Yasser Arafat, have admitted they used Sharon's Temple Mount visit as a pretense to start the intifada.

Muslims have carried out all violent attacks on the Temple Mount the past few years. Still, the police today took action to restrict access only to Jewish and Christian visitors in response to the election-related threats.

Police are also on high alert throughout the country for terror attacks by Palestinian groups seeking to impact the elections.

Police spokesman Ben Ruby said the police will reassess the situation on election day tomorrow and may again bar Jews and Christians from the site.

Non-Muslims regularly are barred from the Temple Mount on most hours throughout the week.

The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until the intifada started in 2000. Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians.

The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003. It still is open but only Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered "sensitive" by the Waqf, the Muslim custodians of the Temple Mount.

During "open" days, Jews and Christian are allowed to ascend the Mount, usually through organized tours and only if they conform first to a strict set of guidelines, which includes demands that they not pray or bring any "holy objects" to the site. Visitors are banned from entering any of the mosques without permission of the Wafq, the Muslim custodians of the Mount. Rules are enforced by Waqf agents, who watch tours closely and alert nearby Israeli police to any breaking of their guidelines.

by Ariel Natan Pasko

"Without vision, the people run wild...." (Proverbs 29:18) King Solomon could have been living in modern Israel. "Palestine" just became "Hamastan". Social and economic problems are growing in Israel, due to the escalating Islamic siege (the "peace process"), supported by much of the West. Yet, with elections coming up, almost no one running seems to have a clue what to do.

Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, zigzagging from Right to Left over the years, has apparently come under the influence of his far-left wife. Most of the Kadima party are either ladder-climbing junior politicians drifting Left, or senior-level corruption-laden hacks. It's still not clear exactly what they stand for beyond getting elected.

Oh, right, Kadima is calling for "compassionate" capitalism, in contrast to Likud's "tough Thatcherism". They want to carry out more unilateral expulsions of Jews, setting "permanent" borders by 2008. They promise no political dialogue with a Hamas government (maybe just a little, using a back door "security cooperation" excuse). And, well, getting elected.

Likud's not much better. They're the party that brought you the first ethnic cleansing of the 21st century, kicking the Jews out of Gush Katif. Netanyahu had something going when he was finance minister, but committed most of the mistakes I warned about in my article, "Israeli Capitalism with a Human Face" (Part I and Part II). That has brought about what I predicted, a "neo-socialist backlash", in the guise of the mustachioed Stalin look-alike, Amir Peretz of the Labor Party, spouting 1950s Histadrut (trade union) rhetoric. Neither Likud nor Labor can get us out of this mess; heck, they both have conspired for the last fifty-some years to create it.

Avigdor Liberman's secular, Russian "law and order" party, Yisrael Beiteinu, wants to de-Judaize Israel by introducing civil marriage. In contrast, the overly sectoral Hareidi (religious) parties, Shas or United Torah Judaism, have their hearts in the right place, but that doesn't substitute for good policies.

Which leaves us with the newly combined National Union-National Religious Party of Rabbi Benny Elon and Zevulun Orlev, and Hazit (the National Jewish Front) led by Baruch Marzel. Both groups are made up of hard-working, primarily religious Jews who are supporters of settlement in the Land of Israel. Unfortunately, National Union has dropped its "transfer" plank from the combined platform due to NRP pressure.

Hazit continues in the tradition of Kach, Yamin Yisrael and Herut, calling for the expulsion of Arab enemies from the Jewish State. Hazit has adopted the political reform program of Professor Paul Eidelberg (Yamin Yisrael), including his proposed "Jewish and Democratic Constitution". It's not bad as reform plans go.

"Without a vision, the people cast off restraint; but those that implement the Torah [vision], they will rejoice!" (Proverbs 29:18)

The first priority of a leader is to create a powerful vision. Jewish leaders must present the nation of Israel with worthy goals. They must create meaning for the Jewish people; goals worth striving for, worth sacrificing for, based on the vision of our Prophets, for a just and prosperous society; goals based on the Torah's vision of the Jewish people's Messianic future.

Several Israeli writers of the Left have recently analyzed the differences between the "Palestinians" and Israelis. They've pointed out that the goal of "Palestinians" is very concrete, a Palestinian State; whereas, Israel's goal of "peace" is abstract, nebulous and difficult to express. The Arabs of Judea, Samaria (the West Bank) and Gaza have been better able to formulate policies and mobilize their population for the struggle. Lamenting the situation, Israeli leftists argue that "peace" must be "concretized", visions of a better future must be built, in order to rally the Israeli masses.

They are definitely onto something and we need to be concerned.

For some time now, I've been saying the biggest problem for the Israeli Right, the nationalist and religious public, is that the Left has captured the Israeli political agenda. Their "peace pipe dreams" have lulled Israelis into a "false Messianic stupor". At best, the Right has been reactive, a reactionary movement trying to hold onto what was, while Shimon Peres, Yitzchak Rabin, Yossi Sarid, Yossi Beilin, and, more recently, Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert, have undermined the national camp with their "positive" agenda. That's why Likud has been drifting Left for years. That's why Likud finally imploded. That's why Kadima came into being. Binyamin Netanyahu was part of this and hasn't changed.

Even politicians from the NU-NRP sat, until the last moments, in the Sharonist Expulsion Government, watching Gush Katif's planned destruction. NU-NRP officials are campaigning on the theme, "You need to vote for us, to keep Netanyahu in line." They don't even imagine themselves leading the nation, only as "backbones" for Likud.

The Jewish people deserve leaders who exude confidence in their glorious future. It's time to think big and take power in Israel.

Instead of being reactionary and the nay-sayers of Israeli society, always being "against" the agenda of the Left, the Right - and specifically the religious Right, the Torah nationalists - has to present its own positive agenda, no holds barred, to Israeli society. Patriotic nationalist and religious politicians have to stop playing the game by the rules of the Left. It's time to tell the nation what we are for; it's time for the pro-Geulah - pro-Redemption - forces to start advocating clear policies that will enable the Jewish People to achieve its redemptive-Messianic goals in history.

Do you think the G-d of Israel brought the Jews home from all four corners of the earth, after nearly 2,000 years of exile, just for the fun of it?

What might some of these goals be? They can be summarized as kingdom, war, law, prosperity, righteous justice and spirituality.

1. Israel needs a strongly pro-Jewish government. Prof. Eidelberg's Jewish Constitutional Democracy Movement isn't a bad start. Better yet, how about exploring a kingdom? While waiting for the Son of David to arrive, the Torah empowers the Jewish people to establish a temporary government of its choosing. The Maccabees had a kingdom. Monarchy provides a type of stability that democracy doesn't.

2. With the rise of Islamo-fascism worldwide, Iran, Al-Qaeda and particularly Hamastan in parts of the Land of Israel, a strong hand must be used by Israel to defend its people and interests. The conclusions of an earlier article of mine, "There is Only a Military Solution", ring truer today than ever. In war, you fight to win. Tell the Jewish People the truth: the Arabs in Israel, the so-called "Palestinians", are Amalek trying to replace us in our homeland. This is total war; there will be only one winner, the Jewish people.

3. The legal system of Israel should be brought in line with the values of the Torah. A Sanhedrin, a working Jewish Supreme Court according to Torah Law, is beginning to come into existence through the efforts of many rabbis and lay leaders.

4. A society based on Torah Law will both free up the economy in key ways and establish healthy limits to economic activity, stressing other values beyond consumer consumption. It will encourage chesed (acts of kindness) and tzedek (righteousness and justice) through the social sector, building prosperity without hurting the poor and the weak. A just and prosperous society is our goal. The final stage of ingathering the exiles will be accomplished, bringing historical justice to the Jewish people.

5. We need to clean off the Temple Mount those insults to our religion, the so-called dome and mosque. Jewish spiritual rebirth demands complete control of our holiest places in the Land of Israel. Let's think really big. It's time to build the Third Temple on the Temple Mount.

Really big dreams, really big goals, are what sustain people through difficult times and drive them on toward success. It's time for Jewish leaders with real vision to step forward, say what needs to be said, and show the Jewish people the way to national redemption and spiritual fulfillment. Jews will rally around leaders who have their real interests at heart. Jewish destiny and a glorious future lie before us, it's up to us to reach out and grab it.

"Where there is no vision, the nation becomes discontent; but when the Torah [vision] is implemented, they will rejoice!" (Proverbs 29:18)

It's time to think big and take power in Israel.

Various groups continue to push Jerusalem even closer to its foretold role in the End Times. Private efforts are underway to not only rebuild the temple but to restore Israel to its original borders. Even more ominous, new plans for a Palestinian peace settlement may even herald the arrival of the Antichrist.

Standing today in what Jews believe is the historical location of the first two, is the al-aqsa mosque (dome of the rock) the third holiest site in islam . To recognize it as the only possible rebuilt Temple, or to even seriously attempt to tear it down to replace it, both constitute seemingly unresolvable religious and thus political problems. Nonetheless, the idea of rebuilding some Temple somewhere is difficult to abandon entirely:

For the last 1900 years, Jews have prayed that God would allow for the rebuilding of the Temple. This prayer is a formal part of the thrice daily Jewish prayer services.

However, not all rabbis agree on what would happen in a rebuilt Temple. It has traditionally just been assumed that some sort of animal sacrifices would be reinstituted, in accord with the rules in Leviticus and the Talmud.

However there is another opinion, beginning with Maimonides , that God deliberately has moved Jews away from sacrifices towards prayer, as prayer is a higher form of worship. Thus, some rabbis hold that sacrifices would not take place in a rebuilt Temple. Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook , the first chief rabbi of the Jewish community in pre-state Israel , holds that sacrifices will not be reinstituted.

A few very small Jewish groups today support constructing a Third Temple today, but most Jews oppose this, for a variety of reasons. Most religious Jews feel that the Temple should only be rebuilt in the messianic era, and that it would presumptuous of people to force God's hand, as it were. Further, there are many ritual impurity constrictions that are difficult to resolve, making the building's construction a practical impossibility. Additionally, many Jews are against rebuilding the Temple due to the enormously hostile reaction from all arab and muslim nations that would likely result - even were the building to be complementary to those holy to Islam , there would be high suspicion that such a building project would ultimately end with the destruction of these and the rebuilding of the Temple on its original spot.

Some fundamentalist and evangelical Christian groups, especially those who follow a dispensationalist theology, believe that the Jewish people will build the Third Temple shortly before, or perhaps after, "true" Christians have been raptured

The Temple will not be rebuilt till God is ready though.

Daniel 9:27 And he shall enter into a strong and firm covenant with the many for one week [seven years]. And in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and offering to cease [for the remaining three and one-half years]; and upon the wing or pinnacle of abominations [shall come] one who makes desolate, until the full determined end is poured out on the desolator.

Matthew 24:15 So when you see the appalling sacrilege [the abomination that astonishes and makes desolate], spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the Holy Place--let the reader take notice and ponder and consider and heed [this]--

These two verses tell us, in the future the temple will be rebuilt. Rebuilt and defiled by the anti-christ. This will happen in the second half of Tribulation. Known as the Great Tribulation.

Resting in the hands, of the Lord.
Bob

Genesis 18:21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know."

Quote from: JoBeth on March 27, 2006, 10:00:48 PM

Thanks for the welcome!!! That answer didn't help me much...But I don't think the Bible goes against itself, and think it would be an abomination to God to have animal sacrifices after He has given His only Son as the final sacrifice...God can do anything, but does not go against what His word says....

Hello JoBeth,

WELCOME!

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i160/tlr10/357/welcome.gif)

I sincerely hope that you enjoy Christians Unite.

JoBeth, even worse abominations are foretold in Bible prophecies, and I have no doubt that they will be fulfilled completely at God's appointed time. The anti-Christ (satan) will rule over the earth from Jerusalem for 3 1/2 Years in the last half of the Tribulation Period. The Holy Bible refers to this time as "Jacob's Trouble or Great Tribulation". It will be a time of horror for Israel and the entire earth. This period of time will be ended with the Second Coming of Christ, and God will pour out His Wrath on evil. JESUS CHRIST Himself will then rule and reign over the earth from the Throne of David in Jerusalem for 1,000 years.

JoBeth, you are right that the Holy Bible can't go against itself, and it doesn't. There are no contradictions in the Holy Bible at all. Hebrews 10 makes a comparison between Law and Grace. JESUS CHRIST dying on the Cross for our sins was and is the greatest example of God's Grace and Love toward man. Christians have no doubt at all that JESUS CHRIST was and is our Lord and Saviour, but Israel rejected Him and they are still waiting for the Messiah. Israel has been punished for rejecting JESUS CHRIST, and the worst punishment is yet to come in the Tribulation Period. I must also add that the Tribulation Period will be a time of EVIL like the world has never known or seen. Some people think that the descriptions given in Daniel and Revelation are just dreams, or they explain them away as nothing in some other way. BUT, they are quite real and they represent Bible Prophecy that will be fulfilled perfectly and completely at God's appointed time.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Romans 10:8-10 NASB But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

This news article is taken from their own web site.

______________________

The Temple Mount Faithful Movement
Will March to the Temple Mount to
Make a Pesach Pilgrimage to the
Temple Mount on the 16th Nissan 5766
(April 14, 2006)

We Shall Bring With Us the Omer Offering
and Blow the Silver Trumpets of the Third Temple

On the fourth day of the Pesach festival, 16 Nissan 5766 at 9:30 a.m. the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement will make a Pesach pilgrimage to the Temple Mount and will bring an Omer offering to the Temple Mount to the G-d of Israel. This is an offering of the first wheat from the fields of Israel. The Faithful Members will cut the Omer offering from the fields of Israel exactly as our forefathers did in the time of the First and Second Temples. The Word of G-d to Moses will become real again:

"And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the people of Israel, and say to them, When you come to the land which I give to you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring the Omer (a sheaf) of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest; And he shall wave the Omer before the Lord, to be accepted for you; on the next day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And you shall offer that day when you wave the Omer a male lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering to the Lord. And the meal offering of it shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the Lord for a sweet savor; and the drink offering of it shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin. And you shall eat nor bread, nor parched grain, nor green ears, until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings" Leviticus 23: 9-14

We are so excited to renew this holy commandment of G-d to His people at a very special time of redemption of the people of Israel. We feel that time is short and the Temple is soon to be rebuilt on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. We hear the call of G-d to Israel at these critical times not to wait more and to rebuild the Temple so that He can dwell again among His people. The Faithful Movement is not waiting longer. We decided to answer this call of G-d and we are making the campaign and the preparations for the end-time Temple of G-d. The pilgrimage and the offering of the Omer by the Faithful Movement on Pesach is an important part of it and fulfillment of G-d's commandments. We know very clearly that the rebuilding of the Temple and fulfilling the commandment of G-d to make the pilgrimage three times a year on the three major festivals, Pesach, Shavuot and Succoth will finally remove the pressure and the desire of the enemies of Israel and most of the world to take from Israel the land. G-d taught us this very clearly in His Word: "Thrice in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. For I will cast out the nations before you, and enlarge your borders; nor shall any man desire your land, when you shall go up to appear before the Lord your God thrice in the year" Exodus 34: 23-24

To symbolize the uniformity of the people and the land of Israel around the G-d of Israel on His holy mountain we shall also bring with us samples of earth from all of the areas of Israel especially from Judea, Samaria and Gaza that are now under pressure from the enemies of Israel and all the world to give them away to the so called Palestinians. We will also bring a large model of the Third Temple and carry it to the Temple Mount to show to the people of Israel and to all the world that the building of the Third Temple is no longer a theoretical vision but a practical and actual project to be built soon in our lifetime. We shall swear faithfulness to G-d, His holy mountain and Jerusalem while our faces will be towards the location of the holy of holies: "If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember you, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy" Psalms 137: 5-6

Again will be heard all over the hill of G-d our prayer of Hallel that were prayed by our forefathers when they made the pilgrimage on the three major festivals to the First and Second Temple. We shall blow the two silver trumpets that we prepared for the Third Temple exactly according to the Word of G-d. These are the Psalms 113-118 that start with the exciting Psalm 113: "Hallelujah! Praise, O you servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. From sunrise to sunset the Lord's name is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, who dwells on high, Who looks far down to behold the things that are on heaven, and on the earth! He raises up the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap, That he may set him with nobles, with the nobles of his people. He gives the barren woman a home, and makes her a joyful mother of children. Hallelujah!"

After all of this we will march around the walls of the Temple Mount blowing the shofar and praying the Pesach prayers exactly as our forefathers did and Joshua did in Jericho when he wanted the walls of the enemy to fall.

We shall also call to the priests, that will make the priestly blessing in front of the western wall, and to the people of Israel to make their prayers no more in front of the western wall which is outside of the Temple Mount but to walk up to the Temple Mount and to there make the priestly blessing and their prayers on the Temple Mount on the original location of the Temple exactly as our forefathers did and as G-d is now expecting His people to do. We shall tell them that the time of the western wall, the Wailing Wall, that foreigners that occupied the land of Israel and forbid the Jews from walking up to the Temple Mount and worship there and allowed them to do it only in the small narrow place of the western wall outside of the Temple Mount is over. We shall tell them that at this godly time of redemption the western wall that expresses destruction and exile is over and only the prayers that will be done on the Temple Mount will be accepted and answered by the G-d of Israel in these end-times of redemption. We will call the people of Israel to immediately purify the Temple Mount from the pagan foreign enemies of Israel and to immediately start to rebuild the holy Temple of G-d.

This will be an exciting event and an important stage and part of the exciting and critical time of the godly redemption that the people of Israel are experiencing in these days. Everyone in Israel and outside of Israel is called to participate in this godly end-time event and to have the privilege to be a part of it. One day exciting pages will be written in the books of history about these end-time events in Israel and parents and grandparents will share with their children and grandchildren how they were a part of them and how exciting end-time godly history was made them.

Al Aqsa official: Jewish temples existed
Says proof passed down over the centuries by mosque custodians

JERUSALEM – Contradicting most of his colleagues, a former senior leader of the Waqf, the Islamic custodians of the Temple Mount, told WorldNetDaily in an exclusive interview he has come to believe the first and second Jewish Temples existed and stood at the current location of the Al Aqsa Mosque.

The leader, who was dismissed from his Waqf position after he quietly made his beliefs known, said Al Aqsa custodians passed down stories for centuries from generation to generation indicating the mosque was built at the site of the former Jewish Temples.

He said the Muslim world's widespread denial of the existence of the Jewish temples is political in nature and is not rooted in facts.

"Prophet Solomon built his famous Temple at the same place that later the Al Aqsa Mosque was built. It cannot be a coincidence that these different holy sites were built at the same place. The Jewish Temple Mount existed," said the former senior Waqf leader, speaking to WorldNetDaily from an apartment in an obscure alley in Jerusalem's Old City.

The former leader, who is well known to Al Aqsa scholars and Waqf officials, spoke on condition his name be withheld, claiming an on-the-record interview would endanger his life.

While the Islamic leader's statements may seem elementary to many in the West, especially in light of overwhelming archaeological evidence documenting the history of the Jewish temples and description of services there in the Torah, his words break with mainstream thinking in much of the Muslim world, which believes the Jewish temples never existed.

"I am mentioning historical facts," said the former leader. "I know that the traditional denial about the temple existing at the same place as Al Aqsa is more a political denial. Unfortunately our religious and political leaders chose the option of denial to fight the Jewish position and demands regarding Al Aqsa and taking back the Temple Mount compound. In my opinion we should admit the truth and abandon our traditional position."

The leader said his conclusion that the Jewish temples existed does not forfeit what he calls "Islamic rights" to the Temple Mount and Al Aqsa Mosque.

"Yes, the temple existed. But now it is the place of the mosque of the religious who came to complete the divine religion [that started with Judaism] and to improve humanity," said the leader.

"We believe that Islam is the third and last religion. It came to complete the monotheistic message. The mosque is here at the place of the temple to serve for the same purpose, for the work Allah"

Al Aqsa Mosque built by angels?

The First Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple, mentioned hundreds of times in the Torah, was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's "presence" dwelt.

The temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays.

The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left in tact.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed in about 709 to serve as a shrine near another nearby shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark what Muslims came to believe may have been the place at which Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven during a dream to receive revelations from Allah.

Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran. Islamic tradition states Mohammed took a journey in a single night from "a sacred mosque" – believed to in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to "the farthest mosque" and from a rock there ascended to heaven. The farthest mosque later became associated with Jerusalem.

Muslims worldwide deny the Jewish temples ever existed in spite of what many call overwhelming archaeological evidence, including the discovery of Temple-era artifacts linked to worship, tunnels that snake under the Temple Mount and over 100 ritual immersion pools believed to have been used by Jewish priests to cleanse themselves before services. The cleansing process is detailed in the Torah.

According to the website of the Palestinian Authority's Office for Religious Affairs, the Temple Mount is Muslim property. The site claims the Western Wall, which it refers to as the Al-Boraq Wall, previously was a docking station for horses. It states Muhammed tied his horse, named Boraq, to the wall before ascending to heaven.

In a previous interview with WorldNetDaily, Kamal Hatib, vice-chairman of the Islamic Movement, claimed the Al-Aqsa Mosque was built by angels and that a Jewish Temple may have existed but not in Jerusalem. The Movement, which works closely with the Waqf, is the Muslim group in Israel most identified with the Temple Mount.

"When the First Temple was built by Solomon – God bless him – Al Aqsa was already built. We don't believe that a prophet like Solomon would have built the Temple at a place where a mosque existed," said Hatib.

"And all the historical and archaeological facts deny any relation between the temples and the location of Al Aqsa. We must know that Jerusalem was occupied and that people left many things, coins and other things everywhere. This does not mean in any way that there is a link between the people who left these things and the place where these things were left," Hatib said.

'True' Islamic tradition affirms temples

But the former senior Wafq leader told WND "true" Islamic tradition relates the Jewish temples once stood at the site of the Al Asa Mosque. He said Al Aqsa custodians passed down history over the centuries indicating the mosque was built at the site of the former Jewish temples.

"[The existence of the Jewish Temple at the site is obvious] according to studies, researches and archaeological signs that we were also exposed to. But especially according to the history that passed from one generation to another – we believe Al Aqsa was built on the same place were the Temple of the Jews – the first monotheistic religion – existed."

He cited samples of some stories he said were related orally by Islamic leaders:

"We learned that the Christians, especially those who believed that Jesus was crucified by the Jews, used to throw their garbage at the Temple Mount site. They used to throw the pieces of cotton and other material Christian women used in cleaning the blood of their monthly cycle. Doing so they believed that they were humiliating, insulting and harming the Jews at their holiest site. This way they are hurting them like Jews hurt Christians when crucifying Jesus.

"It is known also that most of the first guards of Al Aqsa when it was built were Jews. The Muslims knew at that time that they could not find any more loyal and faithful than the Jews to guard the mosque and its compound. They knew that the Jews have a special relation with this place."

Temple Mount: No-prayer zone

Currently, even though the Jewish state controls Jerusalem, the Waqf serve as the custodians of the Temple Mount under a deal made with the Israeli government that restricts non-Muslim prayer at the site.

The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until September 2000, when the Palestinians started their intifada by throwing stones at Jewish worshipers after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the area.

Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians.

The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003. It still is open but only Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered "sensitive" by the Waqf.

During "open" days, Jews and Christian are allowed to ascend the Mount, usually through organized tours and only if they conform first to a strict set of guidelines, which includes demands that they not pray or bring any "holy objects" to the site. Visitors are banned from entering any of the mosques without direct Waqf permission. Rules are enforced by Waqf agents, who watch tours closely and alert nearby Israeli police to any breaking of their guidelines.

The former senior Waqf leader said the Jewish temples have lost their purpose:

"As we are the religion who are here to correct everything that was before us there is no need for the Temple. Allah chose Islam as its final and favorite religion."

Muslim leaders warn of renewed threats against Al-Aqsa Mosque by extreme Jewish groups

The Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, Sheikh Mohammed Hussein, along with two Arab members in the Israeli parliament, have called upon the Arab and Muslim community to stand up to the dangers threatening the holy al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the third-holiest site in Islam.

The al-Aqsa Mosque, constructed in 674 CE on the site where Muslims believe the Prophet Mohammed stood as he ascended into heaven in 621 AD has come under increased threats in recent weeks as hostilities flare in the region, with extreme Jewish groups making threats to take over the Muslim holy site and destroy the al-Aqsa Mosque to replace it with a synagogue. Such an attack on the Muslim holy site would enrage Muslims throughout the world, who flock to the mosque as a site of pilgrimage.

The Israeli government has been supportive of the extreme Jewish groups, most recently by closing the Al-Magharba gate into the Mosque, by increasing military presence (Israeli forces completely control entry to the Mosque), and by allowing 'archaeological' digs underneath the mosque that threaten to undermine the foundations, thus causing the mosque to fall.

The Mosque is currently facing several immediate dangers: the destruction of parts of the Western wall by Israeli government-supported developers, thus destroying important parts of Islamic history, the closing of Al-Magharba gate and threats issued by extremist Jewish groups to assault the holy Aqsa Mosque on the anniversary of the destruction of their alleged temple.

Jewish religious extremists have previously attempted to blow up the mosque - three Jewish terrorists were apprehended by Palestinian guards in 1990 with a 'backpack bomb' that they had smuggled into the Mosque in order to blow it up. The current intifada (Arabic for 'shaking-off' - the current open conflict that has lasted six years) also began in relation to the al-Aqsa mosque, after then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon made a provocative visit to the site, surrounded by dozens of Israeli soldiers and provoking protests by Palestinians in which hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets, and 19 unarmed protesters were killed by Israeli police.

In a meeting this week between Muslim leaders living inside Israel, the Grand Mufti and other leaders urged all Palestinians living inside Israel, along with those in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and all Arab and Muslim nations to play their role in defending the holy Aqsa Mosque in the light of increasing threats by extremist Jews to assault the holy site on the anniversary of the alleged destruction of a Jewish temple on the site in 63 BCE by the Romans.

Israel is Attacked Again by Missiles and
Other Weapons With the Backing of Arab
and Islamic Countries -
The G-d of Israel and His Faithful Israeli
Soldiers Will Win this Battle as Well

As these words are being written Israel is being attacked by two evil terrorist organizations. Israel is being attacked from Gaza in the southwest by the Hamas terrorist organization and from Lebanon in the north by the Hezbollah terrorist organization. These two evil terror organizations are fighting against Israel with the backing of Iran and Syria especially and other nations which arm them with missiles and other kinds of weapons. Missiles are shot from both sides on Israeli towns and cities. Israel is again paying a price of blood for protecting the holy land of the G-d and the people of Israel and the end-time godly event that is taking place in Israel. This is another war against Israel with one clear goal. To destroy Israel and to push the Israeli nation into the Mediterranean. These evil terrorist organizations have the backing of the Arab and Islamic countries and other countries in the world. Together they prepare even much more heavy weapons including nuclear bombs and chemical missiles directed at Israel. They know and understand that Israel is the only obstacle before their goal to occupy all the world especially the western world and to make it an Islamic world. Israel is now again fighting against so many enemies and their terror agents of Hamas and Hezbollah. It is not only a battle for survival and protecting our fathers and mother, sisters and brothers against an inhumane cruel enemy that their religion is calling for murder, hatred and destruction. This is a battle for protecting the major godly event which is taking place in Israel now. The rebuilding of the Kingdom of G-d, His values and morals in the holy land that G-d gave to His chosen people Israel in an eternal covenant. This is a major godly event which will be an opening for the redemption of all mankind based on G-d's values and morals at a time when it is so needed. Israel will again win this battle. The small Israel will overcome this difficult time. As it was in the biblical times the G-d of Israel, the Creator of the Universe, is fighting together with the Israeli soldiers against the messengers of the devil. These evil powers want to destroy what G-d is doing with Israel at these critical times and to eliminate not only Israel but the great hope for all the world for a better mankind. They have illusions that they can win the battle against G-d and His people Israel. They never learned from their own experience and experience of other evil powers throughout the history of Israel that believed that they can destroy the G-d and the people of Israel. They were all defeated by the G-d of Israel and His Israeli soldiers and have disappeared completely under the judgement of G-d from the stage of history. The same will be their destiny now as G-d promised to His people Israel through her great prophets. They have no chance. Who can challenge the G-d of Israel and the Universe and His Israeli soldiers who swore to dedicate and give their lives for their beloved G-d, His Word that He gave them in the Torah and the holy wonderful land that He gave them forever. G-d promised Israel that His eyes, His heart and His attention will be day and night on His people Israel and their Promised Land to protect and save them from any enemy that will come to destroy His beloved wife Israel. This is not the first war against Israel and not, as we see, the last of them. This is another stage in the end-time war against Israel that started in 1948 and it is coming closer and closer to its climax. Israel together with the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is ready to face this actual war and this that is going to come, the end-time war which as G-d called it through His prophet Ezekiel "the Gog and Magog War" (please read Ezekiel 38 & 39, Zechariah 12 & 14, and Joel 4). The victory belongs to the G-d of Israel and the Universe who is determined to complete His major end-time event which is called Israel and to bring to pass the eternal cause and mission that He gave to His chosen people Israel. To be a holy nation, a kingdom of priests, a treasure and a light to all the nations.

Israel is now experiencing one of the most critical stages in the process of Redemption, the exciting process that the G-d of Israel is leading in the last century, especially since the foundation of the State of Israel in 1948. This is, as I said above, another stage in the beginning of the end-time war, the Gog and Magog War, against Israel. As G-d promised this end-time war against Israel will be the last stage before the climax of this process and the most exciting part of it: The building of the end-time Temple of G-d on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to be a house of prayer, worship and love for Israel and all mankind and the coming of the end-time Messenger of G-d, Mashiach ben David. This will open the time of redemption for all mankind. All the friends and the lovers of the G-d of Israel and His people Israel, which is now facing another evil war from evil enemies, are called to stand with and encourage her at this critical moment. All those wonderful brothers and sisters all over the world are called to stand with, help and encourage the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement that fulfills a major part in this campaign and even more so in the near future, and G-d will bless those who bless Israel as He promised.

Gershon Salomon
Chairman, Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement

Shofar, so good: Blower to return to Temple Mount
Man sounding Jewish instrument silenced for fear of offending Muslims

A Jewish man who was barred from the Western Wall after blowing the shofar, or ceremonial ram's horn, during prayer services for last weekend's Rosh Hashana high holiday is allowed to return to the holy site after an Israeli judge yesterday cancelled a police restraining order.

Shmulik Ben Ruby, a spokesman for the Jerusalem Police Authority, told WND earlier the Jewish man, 19-year-old Jerusalem resident Eliyahi Kleiman, was taken forcibly from the Western Wall last weekend for fear the sound of the shofar he was blowing would offend nearby Muslims congregating on the Temple Mount, which is opposite the wall.

"Hundreds of Muslims went up to the Temple Mount. In order to prevent any tensions between the two sides, we asked Kleiman to stop blowing the shofar," Ben Ruby said. "He continued and so he was removed and detained."

The shofar traditionally is blown hundreds of times during Rosh Hashana prayers.

The incident took place Sunday morning, the second day of the two-day Rosh Hashana holiday, when a group of about 20 Jews gathered at the northern-most section of the Western Wall commonly referred to as the "Small Wall." The little-known area stands opposite the spot at which the Holy of Holies is believed to have resided and is considered by Jews to be the most holy section of the Western Wall.

The Holy of Holies is a room within the Tabernacle of the Jewish Temple in which Jews believe God's presence dwelt. During the First Temple period, from the 10th century B.C. to 586 B.C., the Holy of Holies was said to have housed the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the Ten Commandments.

The "Small Wall" is located within a mixed Jewish and Arab section of Jerusalem and is supposed to be accessible to Jews at all times.

Large prayer services take place at the central section of the Western Wall, where thousands gather for prayers on holidays. Smaller groups regularly gather at the "Small Wall."

Kleiman says he had attended services at the "Small Wall" annually for several years without incident. He said he prefers the smaller wall because it is less crowded.

After the man began blowing the shofar during last weekend's Rosh Hashana service, a nearby police officer asked him to stop, according to Kleiman, the Jerusalem police and several witnesses who spoke to WND.

Kleiman says he continued blowing for about two minutes to finish the section of prayer that requires the sounding of the shofar.

The officer then demanded Kleiman immediately leave the area for his refusal to stop blowing the shofar when asked, Kleiman says.

He says he was in the middle of reciting the Amidah, the central prayer of Jewish liturgy, which according to tradition must be read standing and cannot be interrupted unless there is a risk of life.

"I couldn't go with (the officer) until I finished the Amidah," Kleiman says.

The officer called for backup, which Kleiman and observers say arrived several minutes later. Fifteen policemen then dragged Kleiman from the site, observers say.

According to police spokesman Ben Ruby, Kleiman was finished reciting the Amidah at the time he was detained by several officers.

Kleiman and several witnesses said he was removed while still reciting the Amidah, which is elongated on Rosh Hashana and can take about 20 minutes to complete. They said the police refused to allow Kleiman to finish his prayers.

"They dragged me when I was trying to finish the Amidah," Kleiman said.

Kleiman was taken to a nearby police station for questioning. He was released after several hours pending an investigation that could see him charged with disturbing public order and disturbing a police officer in the line of duty.

Kleiman was informed earlier this week a police restraining order was imposed to ban him from all sections of the Western Wall for the next two weeks, until the police investigation is concluded. The Jewish holidays of Yom Kippur, Succot, and Simchat Torah take place within the next two weeks.

'Any debate on case highly embarrassing for Israel'

But yesterday Kleiman, who has no prior police record and is not associated with any Temple Mount group, challenged the restraining order in a Jerusalem court and won the case. The restraining order was cancelled, allowing Kleiman to return to the Western Wall for today's Shabbat prayers and for upcoming Yom Kippur services, which begin tomorrow night.

A source close to Kleiman's defense speculated the restraining order was removed "to ensure there is no debate about the case. Any debate about why a Jew was removed from the Western Wall for blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah would be highly embarrassing for the state of Israel."

The source asked that his name be withheld because the case was still ongoing pending the completion of the police investigation.

The judge's decision for the police to rescind the restraining order did not include any comments on the legality of Kleiman's arrest.

Police spokesman Ben Ruby says Kleiman was originally arrested because a group of "hundreds" of Muslims had ascended the Temple Mount on the opposite side of the "Small Wall" and may have been offended by the sounding of the shofar.

"Our job is to keep peace in the city and ensure there are no tensions. The shofar may have offended the Muslims and could have started a confrontation."

Miriam Janoff, a Jew who lives near the "Small Wall," called Ben Ruby's contentions "ridiculous."

"Several times per day the Muslims broadcast prayer services on loudspeakers that can be heard for miles, including every morning at 4 a.m. It is extremely disturbing when you are trying to sleep, but you don't hear the Jews complain about it," Janoff said.

"It is the height of absurdity a Jew cannot blow the shofar near our holiest site on one of our holiest holidays because a Muslim is nearby."

Also, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which started last week, Arabs in Jerusalem's Old City regularly celebrate after sunset with loud explosions from firecrackers and gunshot blanks.

Temple Mount: No-prayer zone

Jews regularly are banned from the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism. Muslims call it their third holiest site. It is the place Muslims believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven to receive revelations from Allah.

Even though the Jewish state controls Jerusalem, the Muslim Waqf, or holy site monitors, serve as the custodians of the Temple Mount under a deal made with the Israeli government when Jerusalem was captured by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War.

The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until September 2000, when the Palestinians started their intifada by throwing stones at Jewish worshipers after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the area.

Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians.

The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003. It still is open but only Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered "sensitive" by the Waqf.

During "open" days, Jews and Christian are allowed to ascend the Mount, usually through organized tours and only if they conform first to a strict set of guidelines, which includes demands that they not pray or bring any "holy objects" to the site. Visitors are banned from entering any of the mosques without direct Waqf permission.

Rules are enforced by Waqf agents, who watch tours closely and alert nearby Israeli police to any breaking of their guidelines.

Record number of Jews gather at Temple Mount
Ceremony at Western Wall a tradition since area taken in 6-Day War

A record number of Jews gathered Monday at the Western Wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City for the traditional massive Birkat Kohanim, priestly blessings.

The ceremony has become a tradition ever since the liberation of the Temple Mount during the Six-Day War in 1967 and is seen as an observance of the Jewish obligation to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the Holy Temple three times a year, on Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Pentecost) and Sukkot (Tabernacles). During the weeklong Pesach and Sukkot holidays, the ceremony is held on the second of the Hol haMoed (intermediate) days.

Hundreds of kohanim, Jews who trace their lineage to Aaron, the first High Priest, stood closest to the Western Wall to take part in the special blessings. Attending the Western Wall prayers Monday were Chief Rabbis Shlomo Amar and Yonah Metzger, as well as Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch. Rabbi Rabinovitch told Arutz-7 that Monday's priestly blessing marked the largest such gathering for prayers at the site since the first Sukkot after the Six Day War.

Police were forced to close the gates leading to the Western Wall Plaza due to its being filled to capacity by worshippers. "The blessing, however, reaches those stuck outside the plaza as well, obviously," Rabbi Rabinovitch said. He added that many of those packing the plaza were not outwardly observant. "Many secular Jews have adopted the custom of making a pilgrimage to the Western Wall on the holiday," he said.

The Birkat Kohanim is a part of daily prayers in Israel, but is only recited on holidays in most communities outside Israel. The blessing given appears in Numbers 6:23-27:

And G-d spoke to Moses saying: Speak unto Aaron and his sons, saying, in this manner shall you bless the children of Israel. Say to them:
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord shine His face upon you.
May the Lord lift His countenance upon you, and grant you peace.

Meanwhile, there have been ongoing visits to the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site, throughout the week. Guided visits are being offered free of charge for those wishing to visit the permitted areas of the mount in accordance with Jewish law.

National Union faction head MK Uri Ariel ascended the Temple Mount Monday morning, saying that there is special significance to completing one's pilgrimage at the actual site of the Holy Temple on the three festivals. Ascending today, even as the Holy Temple is not standing, broadcasts a message reminding the entire world and first and foremost Israeli society, that the Temple is the center and the heart of the Jewish nation," Ariel said. "And we still expect and are prepared to rebuild it."

Visits for Jewish men and women who wish to ascend the Temple Mount in accordance with Jewish law are being offered over the course of the Sukkot Festival. All tours begin at 7.30 AM, beginning at the Mughrabi Gate, adjacent to the main entrance to the Western Wall plaza.

Participants must undergo physical preparations and immerse in a ritual bath beforehand, as well as arrive dressed in non-leather shoes. Police currently require a passport to ascend the mount and forbid the carrying up of religious articles aside from tzitzit and head coverings.

Israel has not objected to Jordanian plans to construct a fifth minaret on the Temple Mount, and the Hashemite Kingdom is pressing ahead with plans to do so early next year, a senior Jordanian official said Wednesday.

The minaret, which will be constructed on the eastern wall of the Temple Mount near the Golden Gate, will at 42 meters be the highest of the minarets on the Mount and the first to be built in more than 600 years, Dr. Raief Najim, vice chairman of the committee running the project, told The Jerusalem Post in a telephone interview from Amman.

# Rabbis split on Temple Mount synagogue plan

He said he spoke with Israeli authorities about the plan last year and did not hear any objections to the proposed construction. He revealed that he toured the intended site with a top Jerusalem police commander, a senior government official and the head of the Antiquities Authority and none of them voiced any opposition.

"Even though the political situation has changed, I do not think they will refuse to construct such a thing," he said.

The Prime Minister's Office said Wednesday that no decision was taken to approve the construction of the minaret. The Antiquities Authority declined comment.

Earlier this week, King Abdullah II issued an international tender for the design of the minaret, which is expected to cost 400,000 to 500,000 Jordanian dinars (NIS 2.4 million to NIS 3m.).

The winner of the tender will be chosen in three months, Najim said, adding that construction work could begin early next year.

Najim, who met with Abdullah on Monday to finalize the plans, said that the minaret will be constructed in Hashemite style to differentiate it from the previous four minarets, which were built in the Mameluke style, and will include seven sides representing the star on the Jordanian flag.

According to a decades-old regulation in place at the Temple Mount, Israel maintains overall security control, while the Wakf, or Islamic trust, is charged with day-to-day administration.

A leading Israeli archeologist lambasted the plan. "I am against any change in the status quo on the Temple Mount," said Bar-Ilan University's Dr. Gabi Barkai, a member of the Committee Against the Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount. "If the status quo is being changed, then it should not just be the addition of Muslim structures at the site."

In contravention of the law, Antiquities Authority archeologists have not been carrying out full-time supervision of the site for much of the last decade due to their concern about renewed Palestinian violence, despite the reopening of the compound to non-Muslims two years ago.

During this period, Israel has been keen to involve the Jordanians in the ongoing repair work on the Temple Mount, as they are considered more moderate than the Palestinian heads of the Wakf appointed by Yasser Arafat on his return to the West Bank 10 years ago.

The other minarets include three near the Western Wall and one near the northern wall. The first minaret was constructed on the southwest corner of the Temple Mount in 1278. The second was built in 1297 by order of a Mameluke king, the third by a governor of Jerusalem in 1329, and the last in 1367.

"For the past century all Hashemite intervention [here] was restoration and maintenance, and now for the first time there will be a new monument on the site," Najim said.

Jerusalem grand Mufti warns of attacks against the Al Aqsa Mosque

Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, Skeikh Mohammad Hussein Khateeb, warned that any attack by extremist Jewish groups against the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem could lead the area into a new wave of violence.

The statements of Khateeb came after an Israeli members of Knesset, National Union Faction chairman, Uri Ariel, visited the Al Aqsa Mosque along with his bodyguards.

Ariel said that the Mosque “referred to as Temple Mount”, is the center and the “heart of the Jewish people”. The Al Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina in Suadi Arabia.

He added that even if the Muslims are marking the holy month of Ramadan, Jews must visit the area.

“On Succot - as on Passover and Shavuot - there is a Torah commandment to visit the holy site”, Ariel stated.

Israeli sources reported that “Ariel plans to construct a shul on the Temple Mount”.

The plan, according to the Israeli national News website, will be submitted to the Jerusalem municipality and the Committee for Design and Construction for approval.

Ariel said that the construction of the shul in the mosque area “will be the opportunity for Muslims to show their tolerance toward other faiths”.

Sheikh Khateeb slammed the visit describing it as provocative especially since he was surrounding by dozens of armed troops.

Khateeb held the Israeli government responsible of any further deterioration in the situation in the area and said that these visits and Israeli procedures are increasing tension among the Palestinians who are being barred from entering the mosque during Ramadan while extremist Jewish groups have easy access.

He called on the Arabs and Muslims to head to the mosque in order to protect it from the extremist groups in Israel that aim to demolish it. He also called on Arab leaders to defend the mosque and the holy sites in Palestine.

The Al Aqsa Intifada inflamed in late September 2000 after the then-prime minister, Ariel Sharon, entered the mosque area with his armored bodyguards.

* Shul: The Orthodox and Chasidim typically use the word "shul," which is Yiddish. It is derived from a German word meaning "school," and emphasizes the synagogue's role as a place of study. Conservative Jews usually use the word "synagogue," which is actually a Greek translation of Beit K'nesset and means "place of assembly".

The Temple Mount. The chief Rabbinate is keeping quiet on the subject of construction.

Nearly 25 years ago, Rami Zayit, a scribe from Kiryat Arba, and Jerusalem architect Gideon Harlap, drew up the plan, "Mivneh Negev." The plan was to open the triple gate in the southern part of the Temple Mount (the Hulda Gates) and to transform the subterranean spaces of Solomon's Stables in the southeastern part of the Temple Mount into a prayer area for Jews.

The plan was designed to bypass the problems of Jews praying on the Mount, with specific reference to the tension between Jews and Arabs surrounding the location of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, and halakha, which prohibits Jews from entering the sanctity of the Mount.

Only after some time did moderate Temple Mount movements adopt this idea. Today we know the most significant change since 1967 - turning Solomon's Stables into a third mosque on the Mount, larger in area than Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock combined - was almost a direct result of these plans. Although the Israeli Islamic Movement sought an anchor in the Temple Mount, the location that was chosen for the Al-Marwani Mosque, Solomon's Stables, was the direct result of the Jewish plan to build a synagogue there.

Competing for the best minaret design

About 10 years after the construction of the Al-Marwani Mosque, the southeastern corner of the Temple Mount is again abuzz with provocative plans. A few weeks ago, to Israel's dissatisfaction, Jordan's King Abdullah announced the construction of a fifth minaret in the Temple Mount area. The minaret is to be named after King Hussein, Abdullah's father. One of the places designated for the minaret is the empty, southeastern corner of the Temple Mount, above the mosque in Solomon's Stables. Abdullah even declared a competition for the best minaret design.

The religious right is skeptical of the government's unofficial attempts to placate them. When it comes to the Temple Mount, the religious right is tired of denials, which ultimately turn out to be false, concerning the third mosque in Solomon's Stables, the fourth mosque in ancient Al-Aqsa, and the archaeological damage to the Temple Mount during the construction of the Waqf (the Moslem trust) over the years.

Perhaps this is why now, of all times, MK Uri Ariel (National Union-National Religious Party) is presenting a plan of his own for building a synagogue on the Temple Mount. He is also discussing the southeastern corner of the Mount, and this is apparently no coincidence. Ariel is presently looking for an architect, and he plans to submit the plan for the approval of the Jerusalem Municipality's planning committee - not that it has a chance. However, it will cause a commotion. "Such an act will repair a historical injustice much more than did the transfer to Israel of the remains of Herzl's children," says Ariel. "Throughout the generations we were expelled from the site. This is an opportunity for the Muslim world to prove that it is sufficiently tolerant to contain beliefs that differ from its own."

Circumstances indicate that Jordanian shares in the Mount are on the rise, whereas those of the Palestinian Authority are declining. After many years during which the Waqf was operated by the Jordanians, the PA expelled the Jordanian mufti (Sheikh Abdul Qader Abdeen) from the Temple Mount by force, and instead appointed a mufti of its own (Sheikh Ikrama Sabri).

All this took place in the early 1990s at the time of the Oslo Accords, years after King Hussein contributed money to cover the Dome of the Rock with gold. The PA also began to pay, at least in part, the salaries of Waqf officials, which for years came from Jordan. The fact that some of the PA officials adopted a policy of conflict with Israel on the Mount led to a revolution in the Israeli approach in recent years.

In the peace agreement signed with Jordan, the Hashemite kingdom received future precedence regarding anything concerning the Temple Mount, but for years there was no reflection of this commitment. In recent years, the situation has changed. Jordan was involved in reopening the Mount to Jewish tourists, after it was closed to non-Muslims for three years. The Mount was closed at the end of 2000, in the wake of the visit there by then chair of the opposition, MK Ariel Sharon. Jordan was also involved in coordinating the renovation of the southern and eastern walls of the Mount, which had cracks and protrusions, with the Israel Antiquities Authority, the police, the Prime Minister's Office and the Waqf.

Attorney Dr. Shmuel Berkovitz (author of "The Wars of the Holy Places"), who is very well versed in the fine points of relations between the various Mount groups, believes Jordan is trying to gain Israel's consent to build a fifth minaret; this fits in with the Israeli view of Jordan as a moderating influence on the Mount vis-a-vis the Palestinians and the Israeli Islamic Movement. This perspective, which Israel does not hide, is exactly what frightens the Temple Mount movements, which fear a quiet agreement between Israel and Jordan on the construction of the minaret.

In light of this, there is ferment in the Temple Mount movements; Ariel and his proposal are only the tip of the iceberg. Gershon Solomon of the Temple Mount Faithful, for example, is planning a campaign against the Western Wall, which he says diverts attention from the "real thing" - the Temple Mount - to which the Western Wall is only an entrance hall, at most. "The Western Wall is not a vestige of the Temple, as people tend mistakenly to believe, but the western support wall of the compound," Solomon points out.

The discourse among other activists is no different. Berkovitz remarks that for the right-wing organizations, another minaret on the Mount will perpetuate foreign domination. He predicts harsh opposition on their part to the plan, if it becomes realistic.

'A relay race of the generations'

The Chief Rabbinate is preferring to keep quiet for the time being, and, considering the two chief rabbis, this is hardly surprising. Rabbi Yona Metzger and Rabbi Shlomo Amar belong to the conservative rabbinic school, which considers the Temple Mount a matter for messianic times and not for the present. Metzger and Amar, like their patrons Rabbi Shalom Yosef Elyashiv and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, are opposed to allowing Jews to enter the Temple Mount, for two halakhic reasons: The lack of any possibility of becoming purified from contact with the dead before entering the Mount; and the lack of information regarding the exact site of the holiest of holies to which entry is forbidden except to the high priest on Yom Kippur.

cont'd

During the term of Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron and Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, who also adhered to the same prohibition, the Chief Rabbinate became involved almost against its will in the issue of building a synagogue on the Temple Mount. At the time, it was not right-wing organizations or Temple Mount movements that raised the idea. At that time, during the Camp David talks in 2000, it was none other than then prime minister Ehud Barak who raised the possibility of building a synagogue on the Mount, parallel to relinquishing sovereignty over significant sections.

The council of the Chief Rabbinate decided at the time that the Temple Mount must remain under Israeli sovereignty, but one of the absurd consequences of Barak's moves was that after 33 years during which the Rabbinate rejected for halakhic reasons any possibility of Jews praying on the Mount, a committee was established by the Rabbinate to formally examine the possibility of building a synagogue on the Mount or within its walls.

Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, the chief rabbi of Haifa, is the head of the committee. The committee has met several times and discussed alternative sites for a synagogue, but did not reach a decision. The establishment of the committee was meant as a directional sign for the political leadership, or as Rabbi Lau put it at the time: "We are in a relay race of the generations, and our entire right to the Land of Israel derives in effect from our basic right to the Temple Mount. The Muslim claim to precedence on the Temple Mount is baseless. Islam was born 550 years after the destruction of the Second Temple [in 70 CE]."

The Muslims had a different interpretation of the establishment of the committee. Sheikh Hian al-Adrisi, the Temple Mount imam, accused: "They are actually talking about a synagogue in order not to heat up the atmosphere, but they are planning to build their Temple on Al-Aqsa. The Muslims are willing to sacrifice their lives and their blood to preserve the Islamic character of Jerusalem and of Al-Aqsa."

Two additional plans for the construction of a synagogue on the Temple Mount were presented in recent years. One is that of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, also a former chief rabbi. Eliyahu claimed years ago that "foreigners and idol worshippers should be expelled from the Temple Mount and a synagogue built there."

"We see with our own eyes how foxes walk there [a sign of desolation], and in a place of which it is said 'the stranger who approaches will be killed,' strangers walk and profane it," wrote Eliyahu in the periodical Tehumin. "We need not fear what they will say. My proposal is to build a synagogue and a place for Torah and prayer in the area where we are permitted to enter, with supervised entry and exit."

When he was chief rabbi, Eliyahu refined his proposal even further, and proposed building a synagogue in the southeast corner of the Mount behind the Al-Aqsa mosque, as long as the building would be higher than the mosque. Eliyahu also raised a possibility that one of the walls of the synagogue, the one that faces the holy place, be built of glass.

Another proposal for building a synagogue on the Temple Mount is that of architect Gideon Harlap, who even placed it on city planning maps as "a change in city plan 62 Jerusalem," on behalf of the Friends of the Temple association headed by Prof. Hillel Weiss. It was published in the anthology "Kumu Ve'Naaleh" ("Let us rise and go up"), edited by rabbis Yehuda Shaviv and Yisrael Rosen. Harlap got down to details, and even prepared a budgetary estimate. The cost of the planning and implementation will, according to his calculations, total about $8 million.

"This report," Harlap explained, "comes to inform the official authorities of the fact that, in terms of engineering, architecture and planning, there is a wide range of solutions that facilitate providing a place for Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount, which has long been necessary. And in any case, there are solutions for providing access for worshippers of various religions, without mutual interference, and in accordance with Jewish halakha."

Rabbi Yisrael Rosen, who heads the Tzomet Institute in Gush Etzion and began the anthology in which Harlap's plan was published, said, "secular Zionism has become distant from the Mount and its Torah," but he and his friends want to illuminate "Torah viewpoints, which are uplifting and exalting."

Risk of collapse at Western Wall
Authorities plan to demolish Jews' only entrance to Temple Mount

Following report of risk of collapse, Western Wall authorities plan to demolish Mugrabi hill – Jews' only entrance to the Temple Mount, meaning Jews can no longer enter site

Within the next few days, the Western Wall authorities will begin demolishing Mugrabi hill, after it was discovered that the dirt paving beneath it was at risk of collapsing, along with the temporary wooden bridge that was built at the site.

Mugrabi Gate is the only opening through which Jews may go up the hill, and destroying the hill will prevent this as well.

The dirt paving in the Western Wall's square, the Mugrabi hill, leads to the Mugrabi Gate, one of the Temple Mount's entrances.

This is the only Gate which is under complete Israeli control, without Wakf supervision. Therefore, the paving is used by Jews as a crossing to reach the Mount.

This is also where police prepare to break into the Mount on Friday's incase stones are thrown towards the Wall.

'Worshippers' safety in danger'

Three years ago, a part of the hill collapsed in a snow storm and in its place a temporary wooden bridge was constructed.

In the long term plans, the government and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation plan to construct a permanent bridge. According to the plan, an aerial bridge will be constructed which will begin from the outside of the square.

It should be noted that the Western Wall Heritage Foundation works under the guidelines of the Chief Rabbinate, according to which going up to the Temple Mount is forbidden by the Halacha (Jewish law).

Therefore, the WWHF is not interested in building this bridge, but is going forward with the plans according to the police's security demands.

In recent days, engineer Ofer Cohen submitted his professional opinion that the danger is immediate: "In the existing situation, after large amounts of rain, another collapse could occur, which may endanger the stability of the temporary bridge and the safety of the worshippers in the square."

This means that by the next storm, there may be no choice but to begin work on demolishing the paving before it collapses on worshipers.

The Western Wall's rabbi, Shmuel Ravinovitch, said that "the police must decide if they want to build a bridge or not. If they do not, we will take down the mound and expand the ladies section. If they do, they should act in order to advance the plans of building a permanent bridge."

Google Earth map marks
Temple Mount Palestinian
Gaza Strip also 'Israeli occupied,'
even though Jews withdrew in '05

While Jerusalem serves as Israel's capital, and the Temple Mount is located within Israeli sovereignty, the popular satellite map program Google Earth divides the city and places the Mount – Judaism's holiest site – within Palestinian territory.

Interactive Google Earth maps mark eastern sections of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount as "occupied territory," set to become part of a future Palestinian state.

Google Earth states it demarcates its maps according to international standards, but no Israeli-Palestinian negotiations – even the failed Camp David final-status negotiations in 2000 – ever placed the Temple Mount within Palestinian territory.

The United Nations considers eastern sections of Jerusalem, recaptured by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War, to be "disputed." The Israeli Knesset officially annexed the entire city of Jerusalem as its capital in 1980.

"Google Earth is reinforcing lies," Rabbi Chaim Rechman, director of the international department at Israel's Temple Institute.

"The Muslims have engaged in a systemic campaign to re-write history and erase any traces of Judaism from the Temple Mount in total disregard to all actual archeological and historic evidence," he continued." Now Google Earth has given in to this campaign."

Jerusalem first was divided into eastern and western sections when Jordan invaded and occupied the city and the Temple Mount area in 1947, expelling all Jewish inhabitants. Israel originally built its capital in the western part of the city, while the eastern quarters remained under Jordanian control until Israel regained them in 1967.

'Racist Israel stealing Palestinian water'

Google Earth does not limit its input in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to Jerusalem alone.

The Gaza Strip is labeled by Google Earth as "Israeli occupied," even though the Jewish state withdrew from Gaza in August 2005.

TotallyJewish.com, a UK-based Jewish website, pointed out an interactive Google Earth map of an Israeli community in the northern West Bank features integrated user comments implying Jews are stealing water from neighboring Palestinians.

A posting on a Google map next to the town of Kiryat Arba, near the ancient city of Hebron, states: "Note the well-tended lawns in a region deprived of water."

Clicking on a weblink in the posting brings the user to a site stating, "The principal reason for the water shortage is an unfair distribution of water resources shared by Israel and the Palestinians."

The posting decries Israel's purported water-confiscation practices as "illegal" and "racist," even though dozens of major Israeli aquifers, many run by the Jewish National Fund, purify water running through Palestinian cities and return the cleaned water to the Palestinian towns.

Comments on other Google Earth images claim Israel plans to divide parts of Bethlehem, even though no such plan exist.

Google Earth is also accused of showing falsified images. Visitors to Google Earth who click on an area just outside Jerusalem can view a computer-generated image claiming to depict an Israeli missile factory.

Israeli defense officials told WND the "missile factory" is a fabrication.

Google Earth could not immediately be reached for comment since its corporate offices were closed today in observance of Martin Luther King Day.

A Google spokeswoman previously told TotallyJewish.com comments and pictures on satellite maps can be switched off if visitors don't want to see them. She said the company would investigate the offending postings.

Referring to Google erroneously labeling the Gaza Strip as occupied, the spokeswoman said, "Borders and place names are not always updated straightaway. Occasionally there are discrepancies. We are happy to receive feedback and will pass it on to the Google Earth team and take the necessary steps."

Terror leader: 'Congratulations to Google Earth'

Mort Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, accused Google Earth of encouraging terrorism.

"When the Arab terrorists see Google Earth's falsification of geographic realities, they will be appeased and encouraged because these kinds of lying maps send the message that their disinformation campaigns and their terrorism work," Klein told WND.

Indeed, Abu Nasser, second-in-command of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group, said he was "thrilled" by Google Earth's depictions.

"Congratulations to Google Earth," Abu Nasser told WND.

"We congratulate Google and the American people in making this very important change in the Middle East. The Al Aqsa Mosque (located on the Temple Mount) is part of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem is part of Palestine. If such a big institution like Google corrected these historical mistakes on maps, maybe we can bring about a change in the depictions of Palestine by the American media, which is controlled by the Zionists."

According to Abu Nasser, whose terror group says it is trying to liberate the Al Aqsa Mosque, the Jewish Temple "never existed."

"At least not on the area Jews now call the Temple Mount.," he said. "Maybe a Temple existed somewhere, but not in Jerusalem. The Temple Mount exists only in the imaginations of the Jews and Americans."

Abu Nasser's Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is the declared "military wing" of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party. The Brigades, together with the Islamic Jihad terror group, has taken responsibility for every suicide bombing in Israel the past two years, including an attack in Tel Aviv in April that killed American teenager Daniel Wultz and nine Israelis.

The revelation's about Google Earth's Mideast map follow media reports this week insurgents in Iraq are using Google's satellite imagery to attack British bases and troops.

Intelligence sources quoted by Britain's Daily Telegraph said raids of insurgents last week found printouts of Google satellite photographs of British bases, including details such as toiled blocks, Land Rover parking, and tented areas.

One of the photographs, taken of a hotel housing a British regiment, had the camp's longitude and latitude written on the back, the newspaper said.

"This is evidence, as far as we are concerned, for planning terrorist attacks," an intelligence officer told The Daily Telegraph. "Who would otherwise have Google Earth imagery of one of our bases?"

A Google spokesman told the newspaper its information could be used for "good and bad." "Of course we are always ready to listen to governments' requests," he said.

Islamic Movement protests Israeli dig under Temple Mount

The Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement, headed by Ra'am-Ta'al chairman MK Ibrahim Sarsour, on Sunday accused Israel of carrying out excavations underneath Jerusalem's Temple Mount, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.

Sarsour also claimed the Israel Antiquities Authority paid a Palestinian vendor $60,000 for his store along the Temple Mount. The Israel Antiquities Authority denied the accusation.

Earlier on Sunday, the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement presented pictures taken two weeks ago that allegedly documented excavations near the Temple Mount.

Northern Branch leader Sheikh Ra'ad Salah said the excavations were meant to "create a stranglehold around Al-Aqsa Mosque, in order for the Israeli establishment to fulfill its darkest dreams of building a Jewish Temple [in its place]." Islamic Movements representatives added that they have information on an upcoming dig that they will soon reveal.

An inquiry by Haaretz revealed that the excavations referred to by Sarsour were carried out some 100 meters from the Temple Mount and were stopped due to lack of funds. The excavations, carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority at the behest of a Jewish group on property owned by businessman Aaron Mosovitch, was first revealed by Haaretz about a year ago.

In the article, archaeologists said the excavations were not only vertical, but horizontal, and advanced to within 60 meters of the Temple Mount. However, archaeologists claimed the purpose of the dig was to clear out an old garbage-filled tunnel to determine whether it posed a safety hazard.

Since 1967, Muslim organizations have often accused Israel of digging tunnels underneath the Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to destabilize its foundations. All claims turned out to be false, with the exception of one: In 1981 Religious Affairs Ministry officials carried out excavations in a preexisting tunnel that led beneath the Temple Mount. Excavations were brought to a halt by order of then-prime minister Menachem Begin and Minister of Police Dr. Yosef Burg, and its entrance was permanently sealed.

The said property has been in Jewish hands for over 100 years. It was previously the location of Ohel Yitzhak Synagogue that was abandoned, then demolished in the wake of the 1936 Arab Revolt.

'Proof' Temple Mount
'belongs to Muslims'
Head custodian says site will never
be returned to Jewish sovereignty

JERUSALEM – The replacement tomorrow in the Al Aqsa Mosque of a key podium transported with the coordination of Israeli security forces is "proof" the Temple Mount belongs only to Muslims and will never be returned to Jewish sovereignty, according to the leader of the Wafq – the Muslim custodians of the Temple Mount.

"This historic occasion proves that the extremist Jews will never achieve their goals of taking over the [Temple Mount.] It shows that we are much closer to liberating the Al Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem from Israeli occupation," said Waqf chief gotcha98 Husseini.

At a ceremony in the Al Aqsa Mosque, the podium is set to be unveiled and installed at the "exact spot" Waqf officials state the prophet Muhammad went up to heaven to receive revelations from Allah. The podium will be used by Al Aqsa preachers to deliver sermons.

The new stand replaces a 1,000-year-old podium believed to have been shipped to Jerusalem by the Islamic conqueror Saladin. That stand was destroyed in 1969, when an Australian tourist set fire to the Al Aqsa Mosque.

The replacement stand, a near replica of the original, was funded by the Jordanian and Saudi governments. It took craftsmen four years to construct. The podium's nearly assembled parts were shipped to Waqf offices on the Temple Mount earlier this month with help from the Israeli police, and will be installed at the center of the Al Aqsa Mosque tomorrow.

According to a Waqf official speaking to WND, the theme for tomorrow's installation ceremony will focus on exclusive Islamic domination of the Temple Mount.

"The official reason for the ceremony is to mark the installation, but unofficially it will be a celebration that this podium is proof we are the rightful owners of the Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount). This podium solidifies our eternal presence here," the Waqf official said.

Al Aqsa Mosque built by angels?

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. Muslims say it is their third holiest site.

The First Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's "presence" dwelt. The Al Aqsa Mosque now resides on the site.

The temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays.

The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left intact.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark what Muslims came to believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven.

Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran. Islamic tradition states Mohammed took a journey in a single night from "a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to "the farthest mosque" and from a rock there ascended to heaven. The farthest mosque later became associated with Jerusalem.

Most Waqf officials deny the Jewish temples ever existed in spite of what many call overwhelming archaeological evidence, including the discovery of Temple-era artifacts linked to worship, tunnels that snake under the Temple Mount and over 100 ritual immersion pools believed to have been used by Jewish priests to cleanse themselves before services. The cleansing process is detailed in the Torah.

According to the website of the Palestinian Authority's Office for Religious Affairs, the Temple Mount is Muslim property. The site claims the Western Wall, which it refers to as the Al-Boraq Wall, previously was a docking station for horses. It states Muhammed tied his horse, named Boraq, to the wall before ascending to heaven.

In an interview with WND, Kamal Hatib, vice-chairman of the Islamic Movement, which will take part in the podium installation ceremonies, claimed the Al-Aqsa Mosque was built by angels, and that a Jewish Temple may have existed, but not in Jerusalem. The Movement, which works closely with the Waqf, is the Muslim group in Israel most identified with the Temple Mount.

"When the First Temple was built by Solomon – God bless him – Al Aqsa was already built. We don't believe that a prophet like Solomon would have built the Temple at a place where a mosque existed," said Hatib.

"And all the historical and archaeological facts deny any relation between the temples and the location of Al Aqsa. We must know that Jerusalem was occupied and that people left many things, coins and other things everywhere. This does not mean in any way that there is a link between the people who left these things and the place where these things were left," Hatib said.

Al Aqsa official to WND: Jewish Temples existed

Last June, in a widely circulated WND interview, a former senior leader of the Waqf contradicted his colleagues, saying he has come to believe the first and second Jewish Temples existed and stood at the current location of the Al Aqsa Mosque.

The leader, who was dismissed from his Waqf position after he quietly made his beliefs known, said Al Aqsa custodians passed down stories for centuries from generation to generation indicating the mosque was built at the site of the former Jewish temples.

He said the Muslim world's widespread denial of the existence of the Jewish temples is political in nature and is not rooted in facts.

"Prophet Solomon built his famous Temple at the same place that later the Al Aqsa Mosque was built. It cannot be a coincidence that these different holy sites were built at the same place. The Jewish Temple Mount existed," said the former senior Waqf leader, speaking to WorldNetDaily from an apartment in an obscure alley in Jerusalem's Old City.

The former leader, who is well known to Al Aqsa scholars and Waqf officials, spoke on condition his name be withheld, claiming an on-the-record interview would endanger his life.

He told WND "true" Islamic tradition relates the Jewish temples once stood at the site of the Al Aqsa Mosque.

"[The existence of the Jewish Temple at the site is obvious] according to studies, researches and archaeological signs that we were also exposed to. But especially according to the history that passed from one generation to another – we believe Al Aqsa was built on the same place were the Temple of the Jews – the first monotheistic religion – existed."

He cited samples of some stories he said were related orally by Islamic leaders:

"We learned that the Christians, especially those who believed that Jesus was crucified by the Jews, used to throw their garbage at the Temple Mount site. They used to throw the pieces of cotton and other material Christian women used in cleaning the blood of their monthly cycle. Doing so they believed that they were humiliating, insulting and harming the Jews at their holiest site. This way they are hurting them like Jews hurt Christians when crucifying Jesus.

"It is known also that most of the first guards of Al Aqsa when it was built were Jews. The Muslims knew at that time that they could not find any more loyal and faithful than the Jews to guard the mosque and its compound. They knew that the Jews have a special relation with this place."

Temple Mount: No-prayer zone

Currently, even though the Jewish state controls Jerusalem, the Waqf serve as the custodians of the Temple Mount under a deal made with the Israeli government that restricts non-Muslim prayer at the site.

The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until September 2000, when the Palestinians started their intifada by throwing stones at Jewish worshipers after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the area.

Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians.

The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003. It still is open but only Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered "sensitive" by the Waqf.

During "open" days, Jews and Christian are allowed to ascend the Mount, usually through organized tours and only if they conform first to a strict set of guidelines, which includes demands that they not pray or bring any "holy objects" to the site. Visitors are banned from entering any of the mosques without direct Waqf permission. Rules are enforced by Waqf agents, who watch tours closely and alert nearby Israeli police to any breaking of their guidelines.

Israel allows minaret
over Temple Mount
Olmert consents to Muslim prayer tower
while denying Jewish plans for synagogue

JERUSALEM – Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has given permission for Jordan to build a large minaret adjacent to a mosque on the Temple Mount to call Muslims to prayer at the holy site, WND has learned.

The minaret will stand at a site on the Mount where Jewish groups here had petitioned to build a synagogue.

A minaret is a tower usually attached to a mosque from which Muslims are called to the five Islamic daily prayers.

There are four minarets on the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism. The new minaret will be the largest one yet. It will be the first built on the Temple Mount in over 600 years and is slated to tower over the walls of Jerusalem's old city. It will reside next to the Al-Marwani Mosque, located at the site of Solomon's Stables.

Aryeh Eldad, a Knesset member from Israel's National Union party, last year drew up plans with Jewish groups to build a synagogue near the Marwani Mosque. The synagogue was to be built in accordance with rulings from several prominent rabbis, who said Jews can ascend the Mount at certain areas.

A top leader of the Waqf – the Islamic custodians of the Mount – told WND Olmert's granting of permission to build the minaret in the synagogue's place "confirms 100-percent the Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount) belongs to Muslims."

"This proves Jewish conspiracies for a synagogue will never succeed and solidifies our presence here. It will make Muslims worldwide more secure that the Jews will never take over the Haram al-Sharif," the Waqf official said.

Sources in the Jordanian monarchy and the Waqf told WND Olmert earlier this month gave Jordan's King Abdullah official permission to build the minaret. The sources said the minaret will rise 130 feet above the ancient walls of Jerusalem.

A senior Olmert adviser today confirmed to WND the Israeli prime minister told Abdullah he will allow the minaret's construction.

The adviser said he could not speak on the record because Israel has been waiting for an "opportune time" to officially announce permission for the new minaret.

In October, King Abdullah announced plans to build the fifth minaret, although at the time the Jordanians reportedly did not have Israel's permission to commence construction. Abdullah said the minaret would bear the symbol of the Jordanian monarchy.

The Temple Mount's first minaret was constructed on the southwest corner in 1278; the second was built in 1297 by order of a Mameluke king; the third by a governor of Jerusalem in 1329; and the last in 1367.

Prominent Israeli archeologist Gabi Barkai of Tel Aviv University blasted the new minaret plans.

"I am against any change in the status quo on the Temple Mount. If the status quo is being changed, then it should not just be the addition of Muslim structures at the site," Barkai said.

Rabbi Chaim Rechman, director of the international department at Israel's Temple Institute , told WND Olmert's decision to allow the minaret "is repugnant to anyone who knows what it is to be a Jew."

"The decision and Israel's general attitude toward the Temple Mount is the manifestation of spiritual bankruptcy in the country's leadership. Olmert is turning his back on our Jewish heritage while the rest of the world looks at us with amazement at how we can be so insensitive to our own spiritual legacy."

Al Aqsa Mosque built by angels?

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. For Muslims, it is Islam's third holiest site.

The First Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's "presence" dwelt. The Al Aqsa Mosque now sits on the site.

The temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays.

The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left intact.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark the place where Muslims came to believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven.

Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran. Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from "a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to "the farthest mosque," and from a rock there ascended to heaven. The farthest mosque later became associated with Jerusalem.

cont'd

Most Waqf officials deny the Jewish temples ever existed in spite of what many call overwhelming archaeological evidence, including the discovery of Temple-era artifacts linked to worship, tunnels that snake under the Temple Mount and over 100 ritual immersion pools believed to have been used by Jewish priests to cleanse themselves before services. The cleansing process is detailed in the Torah.

According to the website of the Palestinian Authority's Office for Religious Affairs, the Temple Mount is Muslim property. The site claims the Western Wall, which it refers to as the Al-Boraq Wall, previously was a docking station for horses. It states Muhammed tied his horse, named Boraq, to the wall before ascending to heaven.

In an interview with WND, Kamal Hatib, vice-chairman of the Islamic Movement, which will take part in the podium installation ceremonies, claimed the Al-Aqsa Mosque was built by angels and that a Jewish Temple may have existed, but not in Jerusalem. The Movement, which works closely with the Waqf, is the Muslim group in Israel most identified with the Temple Mount.

"When the First Temple was built by Solomon – God bless him – Al Aqsa was already built. We don't believe that a prophet like Solomon would have built the Temple at a place where a mosque existed," said Hatib.

"And all the historical and archaeological facts deny any relation between the temples and the location of Al Aqsa," he continued. "We must know that Jerusalem was occupied and that people left many things, coins and other things everywhere. This does not mean in any way that there is a link between the people who left these things and the place where these things were left."

Al Aqsa official: Jewish temples existed

Last June, in a widely circulated WND interview, a former senior leader of the Waqf contradicted his colleagues, saying he has come to believe the first and second Jewish Temples existed and stood at the current location of the Al Aqsa Mosque.

The leader, who was dismissed from his Waqf position after he quietly made his beliefs known, said Al Aqsa custodians passed down stories for centuries from generation to generation indicating the mosque was built at the site of the former Jewish temples.

He said the Muslim world's widespread denial of the existence of the Jewish temples is political in nature and is not rooted in facts.

"Prophet Solomon built his famous Temple at the same place that later the Al Aqsa Mosque was built. It cannot be a coincidence that these different holy sites were built at the same place. The Jewish Temple Mount existed," said the former senior Waqf leader, speaking to WND from an apartment in an obscure alley in Jerusalem's Old City.

The former leader, who is well known to Al Aqsa scholars and Waqf officials, spoke on condition his name be withheld, claiming an on-the-record interview would endanger his life.

He told WND "true" Islamic tradition relates the Jewish temples once stood at the site of the Al Aqsa Mosque.

"[The existence of the Jewish Temple at the site is obvious] according to studies, researches and archaeological signs that we were also exposed to. But especially according to the history that passed from one generation to another – we believe Al Aqsa was built on the same place were the Temple of the Jews – the first monotheistic religion – existed."

He cited samples of some stories he said were related orally by Islamic leaders:

"We learned that the Christians, especially those who believed that Jesus was crucified by the Jews, used to throw their garbage at the Temple Mount site. They used to throw the pieces of cotton and other material Christian women used in cleaning the blood of their monthly cycle. Doing so, they believed that they were humiliating, insulting and harming the Jews at their holiest site. This way they are hurting them like Jews hurt Christians when crucifying Jesus.

"It is known also that most of the first guards of Al Aqsa when it was built were Jews. The Muslims knew at that time that they could not find any more loyal and faithful than the Jews to guard the mosque and its compound. They knew that the Jews have a special relation with this place."

Temple Mount: No-prayer zone

Currently, even though the Jewish state controls Jerusalem, the Waqf serve as the custodians of the Temple Mount under a deal made with the Israeli government that restricts non-Muslim prayer at the site.

The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until September 2000, when the Palestinians started their intifada by throwing stones at Jewish worshipers after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the area.

Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians.

The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003. It still is open but only Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered "sensitive" by the Waqf.

During "open" days, Jews and Christian are allowed to ascend the Mount, usually through organized tours and only if they conform first to a strict set of guidelines, which includes demands that they not pray or bring any "holy objects" to the site. Visitors are banned from entering any of the mosques without direct Waqf permission. Rules are enforced by Waqf agents, who watch tours closely and alert nearby Israeli police to any breaking of their guidelines.

Temple Mount becoming mosque for Muslims only
Top archaeologist blasts Israeli inaction as Islam 'takes over' Judaism's holiest site

The Israeli government is "doing nothing" while the Muslim custodians of the Temple Mount discard Jewish artifacts and attempt to turn Judaism's holiest site into an exclusive prayer zone for Islam, a leading Israeli archeologist charged today.

Hebrew University's Eilat Mazor said the Waqf, the site's Muslim custodians, "want to turn the whole of the Temple Mount into a mosque for Muslims only."

"They don't care about the artifacts or heritage on the site," Mazor told the Israeli news site YnetNews.com.

"The Waqf has acted terribly, taking thousands of tons of artifacts from the First Temple, the Second Temple, as well as Muslim artifacts, and throwing them away."

Mazor was referring to Muslim excavations near a new mosque constructed at the Temple Mount's Solomon's Stables. During the excavations, the Wafq reportedly disposed truckloads of dirt containing Jewish artifacts from the First and Second Temple periods. After the media reported this, Israeli authorities froze the construction permit given to the Wafq.

"There is a total ignorance of history and archeology. Artifacts showing ancient history are hidden," Mazor said.

Meanwhile, Muslims here this week are protesting work by the Israeli antiquities authority to repair a ramp near the Temple Mount even though the work, at the Western Wall plaza, is not taking place on the Mount and poses no threat to the holy site. Muslim leaders are calling for a "new intifada" to protest the routine Israeli repair work.

Mazor, a third-generation Israeli Temple Mount archaeologist, is the discoverer and lead archaeologist of Israel's City of David, believed to be the palace of the biblical King David, the second leader of a united Kingdom of Israel, who ruled from around 1005 to 965 B.C.

Mazor slammed the inaction of the Israeli government while Islam "takes over" the Temple Mount.

"The (Israeli) authorities have failed to deal with this issue. The only ones paying attention are the police, and they are only interested in quiet, so they do nothing," Mazor said.

But the Israeli government lately has been active on the issue of the Temple Mount.

WND broke the story last week Olmert has given permission for Jordan to build a large minaret adjacent to a mosque on the Temple Mount to call Muslims to prayer at the holy site. The minaret will stand at a site on the Mount where Jewish groups here had petitioned to build a synagogue.

A minaret is a tower usually attached to a mosque from which Muslims are called to the five Islamic daily prayers.

There are four minarets on the Temple Mount. The new minaret will be the largest one yet. It will be the first built on the Temple Mount in more than 600 years and is slated to tower over the walls of Jerusalem's old city. It will reside next to the Al-Marwani Mosque, located at the site of Solomon's Stables.

Aryeh Eldad, a Knesset member from Israel's National Union party, last year drew up plans with Jewish groups to build a synagogue near the Marwani Mosque. The synagogue was to be built in accordance with rulings from several prominent rabbis, who said Jews can ascend the Mount at certain areas.

A top leader of the Waqf told WND Olmert's granting of permission to build the minaret in the synagogue's place "confirms 100-percent the Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount) belongs to Muslims."

"This proves Jewish conspiracies for a synagogue will never succeed and solidifies our presence here. It will make Muslims worldwide more secure that the Jews will never take over the Haram al-Sharif," the Waqf official said.

Sources in the Jordanian monarchy and the Waqf told WND Olmert earlier this month gave Jordan's King Abdullah official permission to build the minaret. The sources said the minaret will rise 130 feet above the ancient walls of Jerusalem.

A senior Olmert adviser today confirmed to WND the Israeli prime minister told Abdullah he will allow the minaret's construction.

The adviser said he could not speak on the record because Israel has been waiting for an "opportune time" to officially announce permission for the new minaret.

In October, King Abdullah announced plans to build the fifth minaret, although at the time the Jordanians reportedly did not have Israel's permission to commence construction. Abdullah said the minaret would bear the symbol of the Jordanian monarchy.

The Temple Mount's first minaret was constructed on the southwest corner in 1278, the second was built in 1297 by order of a Mameluke king, the third by a governor of Jerusalem in 1329 and the last in 1367.

Prominent Israeli archeologist Gabi Barkai of Tel Aviv University blasted the new minaret plans.

"I am against any change in the status quo on the Temple Mount. If the status quo is being changed, then it should not just be the addition of Muslim structures at the site," Barkai said.

Rabbi Chaim Richman, director of the international department at Israel's Temple Institute, told WND Olmert's decision to allow the minaret "is repugnant to anyone who knows what it is to be a Jew."

"The decision and Israel's general attitude toward the Temple Mount is the manifestation of spiritual bankruptcy in the country's leadership. Olmert is turning his back on our Jewish heritage while the rest of the world looks at us with amazement at how we can be so insensitive to our own spiritual legacy."

Al Aqsa mosque built by angels?

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. For Muslims, it is Islam's third holiest site.

cont'd

The First Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's "presence" dwelt. The Al Aqsa Mosque now sits on the site.

The temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays.

The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left intact.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark the place where Muslims came to believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven.

Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran. Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from "a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to "the farthest mosque," and from a rock there ascended to heaven. The farthest mosque later became associated with Jerusalem.

Most Waqf officials deny the Jewish temples ever existed in spite of what many call overwhelming archaeological evidence, including the discovery of Temple-era artifacts linked to worship, tunnels that snake under the Temple Mount and over 100 ritual immersion pools believed to have been used by Jewish priests to cleanse themselves before services. The cleansing process is detailed in the Torah.

According to the website of the Palestinian Authority's Office for Religious Affairs, the Temple Mount is Muslim property. The site claims the Western Wall, which it refers to as the Al-Boraq Wall, previously was a docking station for horses. It states Muhammed tied his horse, named Boraq, to the wall before ascending to heaven.

In an interview with WND, Kamal Hatib, vice-chairman of the Islamic Movement, which will take part in the podium installation ceremonies, claimed the Al-Aqsa Mosque was built by angels and that a Jewish Temple may have existed, but not in Jerusalem. The Movement, which works closely with the Waqf, is the Muslim group in Israel most identified with the Temple Mount.

"When the First Temple was built by Solomon – God bless him – Al Aqsa was already built. We don't believe that a prophet like Solomon would have built the Temple at a place where a mosque existed," said Hatib.

"And all the historical and archaeological facts deny any relation between the temples and the location of Al Aqsa," he continued. "We must know that Jerusalem was occupied and that people left many things, coins and other things everywhere. This does not mean in any way that there is a link between the people who left these things and the place where these things were left."

Al Aqsa official: Jewish temples existed

Last June, in a widely circulated WND interview, a former senior leader of the Waqf contradicted his colleagues, saying he has come to believe the first and second Jewish Temples existed and stood at the current location of the Al Aqsa Mosque.

The leader, who was dismissed from his Waqf position after he quietly made his beliefs known, said Al Aqsa custodians passed down stories for centuries from generation to generation indicating the mosque was built at the site of the former Jewish temples.

He said the Muslim world's widespread denial of the existence of the Jewish temples is political in nature and is not rooted in facts.

"Prophet Solomon built his famous Temple at the same place that later the Al Aqsa Mosque was built. It cannot be a coincidence that these different holy sites were built at the same place. The Jewish Temple Mount existed," said the former senior Waqf leader, speaking to WND from an apartment in an obscure alley in Jerusalem's Old City.

The former leader, who is well known to Al Aqsa scholars and Waqf officials, spoke on condition his name be withheld, claiming an on-the-record interview would endanger his life.

He told WND "true" Islamic tradition relates the Jewish temples once stood at the site of the Al Aqsa Mosque.

"[The existence of the Jewish Temple at the site is obvious] according to studies, researches and archaeological signs that we were also exposed to. But especially according to the history that passed from one generation to another – we believe Al Aqsa was built on the same place were the Temple of the Jews – the first monotheistic religion – existed."

He cited samples of some stories he said were related orally by Islamic leaders:

"We learned that the Christians, especially those who believed that Jesus was crucified by the Jews, used to throw their garbage at the Temple Mount site. They used to throw the pieces of cotton and other material Christian women used in cleaning the blood of their monthly cycle. Doing so, they believed that they were humiliating, insulting and harming the Jews at their holiest site. This way they are hurting them like Jews hurt Christians when crucifying Jesus.

"It is known also that most of the first guards of Al Aqsa when it was built were Jews. The Muslims knew at that time that they could not find any more loyal and faithful than the Jews to guard the mosque and its compound. They knew that the Jews have a special relation with this place."

Temple Mount: No-prayer zone

Currently, even though the Jewish state controls Jerusalem, the Waqf serve as the custodians of the Temple Mount under a deal made with the Israeli government that restricts non-Muslim prayer at the site.

The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until September 2000, when the Palestinians started their intifada by throwing stones at Jewish worshipers after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the area.

Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians.

The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003. It still is open but only Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered "sensitive" by the Waqf.

During "open" days, Jews and Christian are allowed to ascend the Mount, usually through organized tours and only if they conform first to a strict set of guidelines, which includes demands that they not pray or bring any "holy objects" to the site. Visitors are banned from entering any of the mosques without direct Waqf permission. Rules are enforced by Waqf agents, who watch tours closely and alert nearby Israeli police to any breaking of their guidelines.

Iran's Khamenei urges Muslim revenge for Jerusalem dig
'Destruction, conflict and tension constitute the nature of the Zionist regime'

Iranian president says provocative act will lead to the deterioration of hostilities in the region. Iranian supreme leader urges Muslims to revenge Jerusalem dig. Livni: Leaders merely 'inciting religious flames for political gain'

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Israel's excavation work at the Mugrabi gate near the Temple Mount was a "provocative action which would lead to the deterioration of hostilities in the region," the Fars news agency reported Wednesday evening.

The Iranian president added that "destruction, conflict and tension constitute the nature of the Zionist regime."

He also called on the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the world Muslim states to "foil the devilish plot of the Israeli regime," and slammed the United Nations over what he described as "their silence in the face of the incident."

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini echoed Ahmadinejad's statement, claiming that "the destruction of al-Aqsa was part of a premeditated plot against Muslims."

Supreme leader calls for revenge

A few hours earlier, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned the Jerusalem excavations and called on Islamic nations to retaliate against Israel .

''The world of Islam should show a serious reaction to the Zionist regime's insult to Al-Aqsa Mosque,'' Iranian state television quoted Khamenei as saying during a meeting with Ramadan Abdullah Shallah, leader of the Islamic Jihad organization.

"Silence is not an option given these actions, the Muslim world must respond," said Khamenei. Khamenei did not say what sort of response he intended, but said Israel should be made to ''regret'' what it is doing.

Khamenei also addressed the violent clashes within the Palestinian Authority: "Everyone, including the Palestinian factions and Islamic states, needs to make an effort to agree on a ceasefire soon so that the enemy's plot will fail."

"Hizbullah's victory, the successes of Hamas and Iran's achievements all fulfill Allah's promises and fill the hearts of Muslims with hope and determination," said Khamenei.

Syria joins criticism

Meanwhile Damascus also condemned the Mugrabi works on Wednesday. A Syrian Foreign Ministry official told the state-run news agency that, "Syria strongly condemns these violations, and considers them a blatant affront to Muslim waqfs and the feelings of Muslims worldwide."

Jordanian King Abdullah also had harsh words regarding the works on Tuesday: "Israeli excavation works near the al-Aqsa mosque in the holy city of Jerusalem have led to a dangerous rise in Middle East tensions and could derail revival of Arab-Israeli peace talks.

"What Israel is doing in its practices and attacks against our sacred Muslim sites in Jerusalem and al-Aqsa is a blatant violation that is not acceptable under any pretext," the monarch was quoted by the state news agency Petra as saying.

Islamic leader arrested

Israeli police, meanwhile, detained Shiekh Raad Salah, head of northern chapter of the Islamic Movement, along with six other activists on Wednesday after they attempted to enter the excavation site near the Temple Mount.

The men were detained after a confrontation with police forces at the entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem.

Foreign Affairs Minister Tzipi Livni responded on Wednesday to the criticism against Israel, saying "the Temple Mount is the most sacred place for the Jewish people. The State of Israel would never harm freedom of religion to people of all faiths in Jerusalem.

"There are irresponsible people, who know perfectly well that there is no damage being done to any holy site, who are abusing the Israeli democracy to incite religious sentiments for political gains," she said.

Violence erupts at Temple Mount
Police disperse Muslims rioting over Israeli repair work

Israeli police stormed the grounds of Islam's third-holiest shrine Friday, firing stun grenades and tear gas to disperse thousands of Muslim worshippers who hurled stones, bottles and trash in an eruption of outrage over Israeli renovation work nearby.

The clash at the end of noon prayers came after days of mounting tensions over the work and raised concern that protests at the site could spread to the West Bank and Gaza, as they did at the start of the second Palestinian uprising in 2000. No serious injuries were reported.

About 200 police streamed on to the hilltop compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount, to try to quell rioting over the repair work on a centuries-old ramp, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

Clouds of tear gas rose up at the holy site and stun grenades set off sharp booms. A doctor treating some of the injured, Dr. Khalil el-Baba, said officers fired rubber bullets at protesters, but police denied that.

Riot police with their helmet visors pulled down scuffled with Muslim worshippers, some of them middle-aged or elderly. Medics tended several injured people lying on the stone pavement. Jewish worshippers were evacuated from the Western Wall plaza at the foot of the compound.

The situation grew especially volatile after some 150 protesters barricaded themselves inside the Al Aqsa mosque at the complex.

But police did not enter the mosque. The protesters began to leave about 90 minutes after they holed up inside the building, following negotiations between officers and Muslim representatives, negotiators said.

Three hours after the initial clash, however, police and demonstrators were still skirmishing in the narrow alleyways and on the rooftops of the Old City. Near Lion's Gate, police fired stun grenades after teenagers threw stones, iron bars and at least one firebomb at them, police said. The cobblestone walkways in the area were littered with rubble and vegetables thrown by protesters.

Even as the violence subsided, passions remained inflamed.

"There is no justification for what they did today, and we think it was pre-orchestrated to bring fears to the spirits of the worshippers angry about the Israeli dig," said gotcha98 Husseini, chairman of the Waqf, the Muslim trust that oversees the shrine.

Seventeen protesters and 19 police officers were slightly injured in the melee at the mosque, and 17 rioters were arrested, Rosenfeld said.

Israeli authorities have insisted that the replacement of a ramp leading to the compound, which was damaged in a 2004 snowstorm, would not harm the holy site, about 60 yards way. But as work began earlier this week, it drew fierce protests in the Arab world, where many leaders accused Israel of plotting to harm Muslim holy sites.

Israeli officials suggested that the protests were designed to draw attention away from internal Palestinian problems. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said Israel was completely transparent about its work plans "yet extremist elements with a hateful agenda have cynically provoked violence by deliberately spreading mistruths about what we're doing."

Mohammed Hussein, the mufti of Jerusalem speaking by telephone from inside the walled compound, called Friday's events "an aggression against the mosque."

When Israel opened a tunnel alongside the compound in 1996, it touched off clashes that killed 80 people. In 2000, when then-opposition leader Ariel Sharon visited the site, the ensuing riots were followed by years of violence.

In the West Bank, youths hurled stones at Israeli security forces at a major checkpoint leading into Jerusalem and near the town of Qalqiliya. Scheduled protest marches went ahead peacefully elsewhere in the West Bank, and demonstrations were planned in Gaza.

"This is a great danger. We can't remain silent," said Nizar Rayan, a Hamas leader, at a celebration of a power-sharing agreement Hamas signed with the rival Fatah faction in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

"We ask God to unite the Palestinians, with their rifles and tunnels, to be able to cleanse Al Aqsa of the ... excavations," Rayan said.

The tunnels he referred to are tunnels Palestinian militants use to smuggle weapons into Gaza.

In the northern Israeli town of Nazareth, about 5,000 Israeli Arabs marched to oppose the work at the mosque.

The anger spread to other parts of the Muslim world as well. Anti-riot police scuffled with demonstrators in Cairo as Muslims marched in Jordan and Lebanon to express outrage over the renovation work. In Syria, some 3,000 Palestinians marched in a refugee camp near Damascus, carrying Palestinian flags and pictures of the al-Aqsa mosque, and chanting anti-Israel slogans.

The complex, home to the golden-capped Dome of the Rock shrine and Al Aqsa mosque, is sacred for Muslims, who believe that it is where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.

The compound is venerated by Jews as the site of their biblical temples.

Rabbis slam Olmert for caving to Muslims on Temple Mount
Israeli PM allows minaret, rejects plans for synagogue on holiest Jewish site

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's decision to allow Muslims to construct a massive minaret on the Temple Mount will embolden the enemies of the Jewish state and signal that violence and terrorism are working, according to a group of prominent rabbinic leaders in Israel.

The Rabbinical Congress for Peace, a coalition of more than 300 Israeli rabbinic leaders and pulpit rabbis, said in a statement today Olmert "does not have the moral or historic right to hand over even one inch of Israeli territory to foreigners."

"The mere fact of giving up sovereignty of the Temple Mount – the holiest site of the Jewish People – is an indication of how far the Israeli government has deteriorated and is prepared to forfeit Jewish rights and ownership of Israel granted in our holy Torah, the most authoritative book in the world," the rabbis said.

The rabbis were responding to a story first reported by WND that Olmert granted permission to Jordan to construct a large minaret at a site on the Temple Mount where Jewish groups here had petitioned to build a synagogue.

A minaret is a tower usually attached to a mosque from which Muslims are called to the five Islamic daily prayers.

There are four minarets on the Temple Mount. The new minaret will be the largest one yet. It will be the first built on the Temple Mount in more than 600 years and is slated to tower over the walls of Jerusalem's old city. It will reside next to the Al-Marwani Mosque, located at the site of Solomon's Stables.

Aryeh Eldad, a Knesset member from Israel's National Union party, last year drew up plans with Jewish groups to build a synagogue near the Marwani Mosque. The synagogue was to be built in accordance with rulings from several prominent rabbis, who said Jews can ascend the Mount at certain areas.

A top leader of the Waqf told WND Olmert's granting of permission to build the minaret in the synagogue's place "confirms 100-percent the Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount) belongs to Muslims."

"This proves Jewish conspiracies for a synagogue will never succeed and solidifies our presence here. It will make Muslims worldwide more secure that the Jews will never take over the Haram al-Sharif," the Waqf official said.

Sources in the Jordanian monarchy and the Waqf told WND Olmert last month gave Jordan's King Abdullah official permission to build the minaret. The sources said the minaret will rise 130 feet above the ancient walls of Jerusalem.

A senior Olmert adviser confirmed to WND the Israeli prime minister told Abdullah he will allow the minaret's construction.

The adviser said he could not speak on the record because Israel has been waiting for an "opportune time" to officially announce permission for the new minaret.

The Rabbinic Congress for Peace said Olmert's allowing construction of the new minaret poses a "grave threat to the security of Israel. It will embolden the enemies of the Jewish state to believe their tactics of violence and terrorism are paying off and that Israel is in retreat."

"We have already witnessed in the past the use of the Temple Mount as a pretence to launch violence and murder Jews," the Rabbis stated.

The Temple Mount has long been used by Palestinians to start violence.

The Palestinian intifada that began in 2000 started with rock-throwing on the Temple Mount after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the holy site.

The past few days, Muslim leaders worldwide have been criticizing Israeli renovation work near the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem to replace a ramp that provides access to a gate leading to the Mount. Muslim leaders claim Israel is trying to weaken the foundations of the Mount. The Israeli government contends the work, taking place in the Jewish Quarter outside the Temple Mount, poses no threat whatsoever to the Mount, but the mayor of Jerusalem yesterday postponed construction of the new gate.

In October, King Abdullah announced plans to build the fifth minaret, although at the time the Jordanians reportedly did not have Israel's permission to commence construction. Abdullah said the minaret would bear the symbol of the Jordanian monarchy.

The Temple Mount's first minaret was constructed on the southwest corner in 1278, the second was built in 1297 by order of a Mameluke king, the third by a governor of Jerusalem in 1329 and the last in 1367.

Prominent Israeli archeologist Gabi Barkai of Tel Aviv University slammed the new minaret plans.

"I am against any change in the status quo on the Temple Mount. If the status quo is being changed, then it should not just be the addition of Muslim structures at the site," Barkai said.

Rabbi Chaim Richman, director of the international department at Israel's Temple Institute, told WND Olmert's decision to allow the minaret "is repugnant to anyone who knows what it is to be a Jew."

"The decision and Israel's general attitude toward the Temple Mount is the manifestation of spiritual bankruptcy in the country's leadership. Olmert is turning his back on our Jewish heritage while the rest of the world looks at us with amazement at how we can be so insensitive to our own spiritual legacy."

Al Aqsa mosque built by angels?

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. For Muslims, it is Islam's third holiest site.

The First Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's "presence" dwelt. The Al Aqsa Mosque now sits on the site.

The temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays.

The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left intact.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark the place where Muslims came to believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven.

Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran. Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from "a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to "the farthest mosque," and from a rock there ascended to heaven. The farthest mosque later became associated with Jerusalem.

Most Waqf officials deny the Jewish temples ever existed in spite of what many call overwhelming archaeological evidence, including the discovery of Temple-era artifacts linked to worship, tunnels that snake under the Temple Mount and over 100 ritual immersion pools believed to have been used by Jewish priests to cleanse themselves before services. The cleansing process is detailed in the Torah.

cont'd

According to the website of the Palestinian Authority's Office for Religious Affairs, the Temple Mount is Muslim property. The site claims the Western Wall, which it refers to as the Al-Boraq Wall, previously was a docking station for horses. It states Muhammad tied his horse, named Boraq, to the wall before ascending to heaven.

In an interview with WND, Kamal Hatib, vice-chairman of the Islamic Movement, which will take part in the podium installation ceremonies, claimed the Al-Aqsa Mosque was built by angels and that a Jewish Temple may have existed, but not in Jerusalem. The Movement, which works closely with the Waqf, is the Muslim group in Israel most identified with the Temple Mount.

"When the First Temple was built by Solomon – God bless him – Al Aqsa was already built. We don't believe that a prophet like Solomon would have built the Temple at a place where a mosque existed," said Hatib.

"And all the historical and archaeological facts deny any relation between the temples and the location of Al Aqsa," he continued. "We must know that Jerusalem was occupied and that people left many things, coins and other things everywhere. This does not mean in any way that there is a link between the people who left these things and the place where these things were left."

Al Aqsa official: Jewish temples existed

Last June, in a widely circulated WND interview, a former senior leader of the Waqf contradicted his colleagues, saying he has come to believe the first and second Jewish Temples existed and stood at the current location of the Al Aqsa Mosque.

The leader, who was dismissed from his Waqf position after he quietly made his beliefs known, said Al Aqsa custodians passed down stories for centuries from generation to generation indicating the mosque was built at the site of the former Jewish temples.

He said the Muslim world's widespread denial of the existence of the Jewish temples is political in nature and not rooted in facts.

"Prophet Solomon built his famous Temple at the same place that later the Al Aqsa Mosque was built. It cannot be a coincidence that these different holy sites were built at the same place. The Jewish Temple Mount existed," said the former senior Waqf leader, speaking to WND from an apartment in an obscure alley in Jerusalem's Old City.

The former leader, who is well known to Al Aqsa scholars and Waqf officials, spoke on condition his name be withheld, claiming an on-the-record interview would endanger his life.

He told WND "true" Islamic tradition relates the Jewish temples once stood at the site of the Al Aqsa Mosque.

"[The existence of the Jewish Temple at the site is obvious] according to studies, researches and archaeological signs that we were also exposed to. But especially according to the history that passed from one generation to another – we believe Al Aqsa was built on the same place were the Temple of the Jews – the first monotheistic religion – existed."

He cited samples of some stories he said were related orally by Islamic leaders:

"We learned that the Christians, especially those who believed that Jesus was crucified by the Jews, used to throw their garbage at the Temple Mount site. They used to throw the pieces of cotton and other material Christian women used in cleaning the blood of their monthly cycle. Doing so, they believed that they were humiliating, insulting and harming the Jews at their holiest site. This way they are hurting them like Jews hurt Christians when crucifying Jesus.

"It is known also that most of the first guards of Al Aqsa when it was built were Jews. The Muslims knew at that time that they could not find any more loyal and faithful than the Jews to guard the mosque and its compound. They knew that the Jews have a special relation with this place."

Temple Mount: No-prayer zone

Currently, even though the Jewish state controls Jerusalem, the Waqf serve as the custodians of the Temple Mount under a deal made with the Israeli government that restricts non-Muslim prayer at the site.

The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until September 2000, when the Palestinians started their intifada by throwing stones at Jewish worshipers after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the area.

Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians.

The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003. It still is open but only Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered "sensitive" by the Waqf.

During "open" days, Jews and Christian are allowed to ascend the Mount, usually through organized tours and only if they conform first to a strict set of guidelines, which includes demands that they not pray or bring any "holy objects" to the site. Visitors are banned from entering any of the mosques without direct Waqf permission. Rules are enforced by Waqf agents, who watch tours closely and alert nearby Israeli police to any breaking of their guidelines.

Sheikh: 'Western Wall is Muslim'
Rising Islamic leader says Jews 'sneakily' invented history with their holiest site

Leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel says Jews invented history with their holiest site, claims it belongs to Muslims and the al-Aqsa compound. Study of a rising star in the Muslim leadership arena

"The Western Wall - on all its various parts, structures and gates, and all the names these parts, structures and gates are called – is an inseparable part of the al-Aqsa compound," declared Islamist leader Sheikhh Raed Salah.

The Western Wall "is part of Al-Aqsa's western tower, which the Israeli establishment fallaciously and sneakily calls the 'Wailing Wall'. The wall is part of the holy al-Aqsa Mosque," added Salah, who heads the northern faction of the Islamic Movement in Israel.

However these statements were not made recently. Rather, they were made at a time when then Prime Minister Ehud Barak was sitting in a room at Camp David, trying to forge a peace agreement with Yasser Arafat's Palestinian government. But Salah still stands firmly behind them and they can be found on the Islamic Movement's website.

Those who believe in Jewish link to wall - traitors'

Two key issues have come into light following the recent events in Jerusalem, and Israelis will likely not be pleased with either: The first – Salah is establishing his position as a known Muslim leader struggling for the al-Aqsa Mosque (he is now known as the Sheikh of al-Aqsa).

The second – moving even the smallest pebble in the larger Temple Mount area will draw similar reactions, even if it is minor repair work to the Western Wall visitor's site. These works will again bring to confrontations born out of a claim that "Israel is harming the Temple Mount and desecrating a place holy to Muslims."

The reinforcement work to save the collapsing Mugrabi Gate walkway outside the Temple Mount was certainly not seen as such by the Islamic Movement in Israel and Salah immediately arrived at the scene to proclaim the project part of a wide-reaching Israeli plot to destroy the mosque.

According to Salah's sermons, which can be found on his group's websites, Jews have absolutely no connection to the 'al-Buraq Wall', the name given by Muslims to the site."The Mugrabi Gate is part of the western wall of al-Aqsa," says Salah in a sermon number 32, which can be found on his websites dedicated to his organization.

Salah also slams the notion of allowing Israel sovereignty over the Western Wall in exchange of Muslim sovereignty over the Temple Mount, accusing all those who would consider allowing Jews access to the Western Wall traitors.

"He who says that the Jews or the Israeli establishment has any right to al-Aqsa, even to just one stone - this is an abominable attack, a falsehood, completely baseless," says Salah, "he among Palestinians, Arabs or Muslims who accepts this, is a traitor to Allah and his prophet."

Not only the Western Wall is Muslim

But the current controversy is not the only such one, Salah and his followers launched a campaign last year against the construction of the 'Museum of Tolerance' in Jerusalem, saying it was being built on Muslim graveyard or any number of places in Safed or Yafo, where according to the Islamic Movement 'Jewish' buildings were constructed on the ruins of Muslim holy places.

Since his release from prison two years ago Sheikh Salah has been steadily building a name for himself as a leader for all Muslims, this despite the fact that he lives in Israel. By focusing on social issues he has won over people from the bottom up, though his followers say his humbleness, manners and simple attire also helped establish his persona as a leader. He is a daily newsmaker in the Arab media and for now, his star seems to only be rising.

Muslims solidifying Temple Mount takeover
Olmert OKs Islamic prayer tower but denies Jewish plans for synagogue

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's reported decision to allow Muslims to construct a massive minaret on the Temple Mount will "serve to solidify Islam's take over of Judaism's holiest site," a leading Israeli archaeologist charged in a WND interview.

Hebrew University's Eilat Mazor said Muslims are turning the Temple Mount into a "giant mosque for Islam only," and that the new minaret will "serve as a prize to the Muslims, who have been erasing Jewish ties to the site by openly discarding Jewish artifacts they find."

Mazor was referring to Muslim excavations near a new mosque constructed at the Temple Mount's Solomon's Stables. During the excavations, the Waqf, or Muslim custodians of the Temple Mount, reportedly disposed truckloads of dirt containing Jewish artifacts from the First and Second Temple periods. After the media reported this, Israeli authorities froze the construction permit given to the Waqf.

Mazor, a third-generation Israeli Temple Mount archaeologist, is the discoverer and lead archaeologist of Israel's City of David, believed to be the palace of the biblical King David, the second leader of a united Kingdom of Israel, who ruled from around 1005 to 965 B.C. She is also a fellow at Israel's Shalem Center and serves on the Israeli government's Public Committee for Prevention of the Destruction of Antiquities on Temple Mount.

Earlier this month, WND first reported Olmert granted permission to Jordan to construct a large minaret at a site on the Temple Mount where Jewish groups here had petitioned to build a synagogue.

A minaret is a tower usually attached to a mosque from which Muslims are called to the five Islamic daily prayers.

There are four minarets on the Temple Mount. The new minaret will be the largest one yet. It will be the first built on the Temple Mount in more than 600 years and is slated to tower over the walls of Jerusalem's old city. It will reside next to the Al-Marwani Mosque, located at the site of Solomon's Stables.

Aryeh Eldad, a Knesset member from Israel's National Union party, last year drew up plans with Jewish groups to build a synagogue near the Marwani Mosque. The synagogue was to be built in accordance with rulings from several prominent rabbis, who said Jews can ascend the Mount at certain areas.

A top leader of the Waqf told WND Olmert's granting of permission to build the minaret in the synagogue's place "confirms 100 percent the Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount) belongs to Muslims."

"This proves Jewish conspiracies for a synagogue will never succeed and solidifies our presence here. It will make Muslims worldwide more secure that the Jews will never take over the Haram al-Sharif," the Waqf official said.

Sources in the Jordanian monarchy and the Waqf told WND Olmert last month gave Jordan's King Abdullah official permission to build the minaret. The sources said the minaret will rise 130 feet above the ancient walls of Jerusalem.

A senior Olmert adviser confirmed to WND the Israeli prime minister told Abdullah he will allow the minaret's construction.

The adviser said he could not speak on the record because Israel has been waiting for an "opportune time" to officially announce permission for the new minaret.

Mazar slammed Olmert's decision to allow the minaret, which has not yet been officially announced.

"This needs to be discussed on wide scale and not just given as a manner of any gesture to anyone," Mazar said.

She accused the Israeli government of "completely neglecting" the Temple Mount.

"Jews are only allowed up there at certain hours. Muslims can construct and destroy Jewish artifacts and we don't hear any contempt for these actions coming from the government. It's disgusting," Mazar told WND.

"But the Muslims are very loud about anything related to the Temple Mount," she said.

The past few weeks, Muslim leaders worldwide have been criticizing Israeli renovation work near the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem to replace a ramp that provides access to a gate leading to the Mount. Muslim leaders claim Israel is trying to weaken the foundations of the Mount. The Israeli government contends the work, taking place in the Jewish Quarter outside the Temple Mount, poses no threat whatsoever to the Mount, but the mayor of Jerusalem yesterday postponed construction of the new gate.

In October, King Abdullah announced plans to build the fifth minaret, although at the time the Jordanians reportedly did not have Israel's permission to commence construction. Abdullah said the minaret would bear the symbol of the Jordanian monarchy.

The Temple Mount's first minaret was constructed on the southwest corner in 1278, the second was built in 1297 by order of a Mameluke king, the third by a governor of Jerusalem in 1329 and the last in 1367.

Prominent Israeli archaeologist Gabi Barkai of Tel Aviv University slammed the new minaret plans.

"I am against any change in the status quo on the Temple Mount. If the status quo is being changed, then it should not just be the addition of Muslim structures at the site," Barkai said.

Rabbi Chaim Richman, director of the international department at Israel's Temple Institute, told WND Olmert's decision to allow the minaret "is repugnant to anyone who knows what it is to be a Jew."

"The decision and Israel's general attitude toward the Temple Mount is the manifestation of spiritual bankruptcy in the country's leadership. Olmert is turning his back on our Jewish heritage while the rest of the world looks at us with amazement at how we can be so insensitive to our own spiritual legacy."

Al Aqsa mosque built by angels?

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. Muslims now claim it as their third holiest site.

The First Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's "presence" dwelt. The Al Aqsa Mosque now sits on the site.

The temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during annual holidays.

The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left intact.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark the place where Muslims came to believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven.

Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran. Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from "a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to "the farthest mosque," and from a rock there ascended to heaven. The farthest mosque later became associated with Jerusalem.

Most Waqf officials deny Israelite temples ever existed in spite of what many call overwhelming archaeological evidence, including the discovery of Temple-era artifacts linked to worship, tunnels that snake under the Temple Mount and over 100 ritual immersion pools believed to have been used by priests to cleanse themselves before services. The cleansing process is detailed in the Torah.

According to the website of the Palestinian Authority's Office for Religious Affairs, the Temple Mount is Muslim property. The site claims the Western Wall, which it refers to as the Al-Boraq Wall, previously was a docking station for horses. It states Muhammad tied his horse, named Boraq, to the wall before ascending to heaven.

contd

In an interview with WND, Kamal Hatib, vice-chairman of the Islamic Movement, which will take part in the podium installation ceremonies, claimed the Al-Aqsa Mosque was built by angels and that a Jewish Temple may have existed, but not in Jerusalem. The Movement, which works closely with the Waqf, is the Muslim group in Israel most identified with the Temple Mount.

"When the First Temple was built by Solomon – God bless him – Al Aqsa was already built. We don't believe that a prophet like Solomon would have built the Temple at a place where a mosque existed," said Hatib.

"And all the historical and archaeological facts deny any relation between the temples and the location of Al Aqsa," he continued. "We must know that Jerusalem was occupied and that people left many things, coins and other things everywhere. This does not mean in any way that there is a link between the people who left these things and the place where these things were left."

Al Aqsa official: Jewish temples existed

Last June, in a widely circulated WND interview, a former senior leader of the Waqf contradicted his colleagues, saying he has come to believe the first and second Jewish Temples existed and stood at the current location of the Al Aqsa Mosque.

The leader, who was dismissed from his Waqf position after he quietly made his beliefs known, said Al Aqsa custodians passed down stories for centuries from generation to generation indicating the mosque was built at the site of the former Jewish temples.

He said the Muslim world's widespread denial of the existence of the Jewish temples is political in nature and not rooted in facts.

"Prophet Solomon built his famous Temple at the same place that later the Al Aqsa Mosque was built. It cannot be a coincidence that these different holy sites were built at the same place. The Jewish Temple Mount existed," said the former senior Waqf leader, speaking to WND from an apartment in an obscure alley in Jerusalem's Old City.

The former leader, who is well known to Al Aqsa scholars and Waqf officials, spoke on condition his name be withheld, claiming an on-the-record interview would endanger his life.

He told WND "true" Islamic tradition relates the Jewish temples once stood at the site of the Al Aqsa Mosque.

"[The existence of the Jewish Temple at the site is obvious] according to studies, researches and archaeological signs that we were also exposed to. But especially according to the history that passed from one generation to another – we believe Al Aqsa was built on the same place were the Temple of the Jews – the first monotheistic religion – existed."

He cited samples of some stories he said were related orally by Islamic leaders:

"We learned that the Christians, especially those who believed that Jesus was crucified by the Jews, used to throw their garbage at the Temple Mount site. They used to throw the pieces of cotton and other material Christian women used in cleaning the blood of their monthly cycle. Doing so, they believed that they were humiliating, insulting and harming the Jews at their holiest site. This way they are hurting them like Jews hurt Christians when crucifying Jesus.

"It is known also that most of the first guards of Al Aqsa when it was built were Jews. The Muslims knew at that time that they could not find any more loyal and faithful than the Jews to guard the mosque and its compound. They knew that the Jews have a special relation with this place."

Temple Mount: No-prayer zone

Currently, even though the Jewish state controls Jerusalem, the Waqf serve as the custodians of the Temple Mount under a deal made with the Israeli government that restricts non-Muslim prayer at the site.

The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until September 2000, when the Palestinians started their intifada by throwing stones at Jewish worshippers after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the area.

Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians.

The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003. It still is open, but only Sundays through Thursdays 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered "sensitive" by the Waqf.

During "open" days, Jews and Christian are allowed to ascend the Mount, usually through organized tours and only if they conform first to a strict set of guidelines, which includes demands that they not pray or bring any "holy objects" to the site. Visitors are banned from entering any of the mosques without direct Waqf permission. Rules are enforced by Waqf agents, who watch tours closely and alert nearby Israeli police to any breaking of their guidelines.

Passover lamb sacrifice
nixed at Temple Mount
New Sanhedrin made plan to quickly erect altar,
conduct ancient ritual slaughter – court said no

In their efforts to sacrifice a live animal at the Temple Mount, the New Sanhedrin Council adopted an almost underground modus operandi. Rabbis Adin Steinsaltz, Israel Ariel, Yishai Baved and their associates secretly located a butcher, found a Cohen hailing from a lineage 1,000 years old and worked out a plan to quickly erect an alter on the Temple Mount.

They tried to revive the customs of the ancient Sanhedrin tribunal, which was the highest judicial body for the Jewish people in Israel some 1,600 years ago. They sought to slaughter a sacrificial animal across from the Western Wall.

The activists, who belong to various religious circles such as the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement, also petitioned the High Court of Justice for the right to perform the ritual.

Their plans were thwarted yesterday when the court rejected their request, ruling that "the rights of the petitioners to practice their faith are outweighed by other considerations such as public order and safety."

Despite the ruling, the followers decided to hold a colorful procession yesterday in Jerusalem, heading to the Western Wall along with two sheep.

The Temple Mount Move ent followers present were joined by partners from the Temple Institute, which has for years prepared the traditional holy tools and utensils for the Third Temple, according to Torah specifications.

The spectacular display did not, however, persuade authorities to allow the participants to perform the practice.

Their petition to the court was by no means the first one. In recent years, the High Court of Justice rejected several such petitions filed by the Temple Mount Movement and other associations, dedicated to erecting the Third Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The court invariably cited the same reasons for its ruling.

In Passover 1991, dedicated believers decided it was time for action, and tried to sacrifice a lamb in the premises. They were, however, quickly stopped by police.

One of the most daring plans to perform the religious ritual at the holy site belongs to the ultra right-wing religious movement Kach. Some 20 years ago, its members worked out an plan to infiltrate the Western Wall Plaza at dusk with a lamb and foldable alter. The plan never materialized, partly owing to the fact that Passover that year coincided with the Muslim holiday of Ramadan.

Earlier and bolder still was the plan of the Temple Mount Movement to hire a helicopter pilot to parachute a ready-made alter onto the Western Wall Plaza. There, it would serve a group of followers on the ground, sacrificial lamb in hand. As in previous cases, the plan never quite took off the ground.

Occupation of Al-Aqsa Mosque a disaster, Muslim cleric says

Sheikh Raed Salah says during Islamic Movement rally, ‘Arab world must declare state of emergency due to occupation of east Jerusalem holy site, just as any nation does during times of disaster’

Roee Nahmias
Published: 04.07.07, 10:14 / Israel News

“The biggest disaster ever inflicted on the Muslim nation is the occupation of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the Islamic Movement Northern Branch, said Friday.

Salah, who spoke during an Islamic Movement rally marking the birth of prophet Mohammad, said the entire Arab, Muslim and Palestinian world “must declare a state of emergency, just as any nation does during times of disaster.”

“Israel’s policy and security forces will never hinder our ability to protect Al-Aqsa,” he added.

Salah is currently being investigated, as per an order by Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, under suspicion of inciting violence, racism, and rebellion.

The investigation began following Salah’s remarks during a protest held in Nazareth in February, as well as remarks made a week prior at the Temple Mount, regarding the Mugrabi Gate dig near.

Kamal Hatib, vice-chairman of the Islamic Movement, said during the event that, “Humanity has reached a high level of advancement in science and technology, but it is collapsing under the burden of materialism and temptation.

“Humanity needs the Islamic nation to deal with these flaws and rescue it from the calamities these temptations bring about,” he said.

Some 25,000 people attended the rally, which was held at a soccer stadium in Kfar Qana.

During his weekly sermon at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday, the former Palestinian mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Akrama Sabri, criticized recent attempts by Israeli right-wing activists to visit the Temple Mount.

“The processions and break-in attempts carried out by the Zionist settlers at Al-Aqsa will end badly,” the sheikh said.

Occupation of Al-Aqsa Mosque a disaster, Muslim cleric says (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3385466,00.html)

Dome of the Rock: Target of Muslim Extremists?
by Emanuel A. Winston

Collapsing the Dome and Al-Aksa may trigger a war.

Concern has been raised in Israel that Islamic terrorists such as Hamas or Al-Qaeda may target the Muslim shrine of the Dome of the Rock or Al-Aksa Mosque, both of which sit atop the site of the Jewish Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

The Islamic terrorists would then blame Israel to arouse Muslim anger, in order to trigger a war in the Middle East. The subsequent loss of Muslim lives is of little concern to them. On the contrary, they even think this is the best way to get their fellow Muslims into their paradise, by making them shuhada (plural of ubgone19, martyr for Islam). We have already seen Shiite and Sunni Muslims target each others' mosques for demolition, and that both use their so-called "shrines" for the storage of weapons, explosives and safe houses for their terrorists. They do, however, expect Americans and Israelis to respect the self-proclaimed sanctity of their mosques and shrines.

Suspicions were raised in light of the frenzied reaction to Israel repairing a crumbling, earthquake-damaged earthen ramp that leads up to the site of the Temple Mount. Muslim leaders tried to assert that the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aksa Mosque were endangered by these repair measures - a rather ridiculous claim. It was also thought that Muslim terrorists were planning to collapse the shaky ramp on top of Jewish worshipers at the Western Wall. They may have intended to use this excuse to permanently close the Mughrabi Gate (the only gate up to the Mount open to non-Muslims) to the Temple Mount so no infidels (non-Muslims) could enter.

In this light, it is clear why Muslim leaders always opposed any infrastructure improvements in the area. With an anarchist agenda, they want people to get hurt and
It is clear why Muslim leaders always opposed any infrastructure improvements in the area.
are happy to help the process along if it benefits their religious war against the Jews, Christians and all other non-Muslim infidels whom they must kill.

In fact, the Muslim Wakf (religious administrative authority) has been carrying out secret excavations under the Temple Mount, to invent and reinforce their own religious claims while disposing of all Jewish artifacts - some from the First and Second Temple periods.

Israeli engineers warned the Wakf that they were weakening the supporting walls of the Temple Mount, including those of the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aksa Mosque. A dangerous bulge was spotted on a major retaining wall of the Temple Mount. Yet, the Wakf has continued to undermine the foundations until today.

A moderately small earthquake in February 11, 2004, coupled with the effects of a major snowfall, damaged the Mughrabi Gate ramp leading up to the Temple Mount. Even a small earthquake could completely collapse the ancient stone walls. Many earthquakes have hit this region, which lies on a major fault along the Jordan River, called the Dead Sea Rift, running the length of Israel and creating a series of active faults throughout the country. The area underlying the entire region is a series of major and minor faults under constant pressure to slip or crack, producing major and minor temblors. (If you wish to explore this further, then pull up the words "earthquake," "2004," "damage to Mughrabi ramp to Temple Mount" on Google.)

Even a small temblor could collapse the wall of Solomon’s Temple Mount now that the Muslim Wakf has dug out the core of the Mount. It is merely an event waiting to happen. The other possibility is that Muslim Arab terrorists might be preparing to place high explosives on the remaining supports that hold up the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aksa Mosque.

Time will tell.

Dome of the Rock: Target of Muslim Extremists? (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/7094)

Dozens of rabbis ascend Temple Mount in unprecedented visit
By Nadav Shragai, Haaretz Correspondent

Dozens of rabbis from the national Zionist camp visited the Temple Mount on Sunday in order to increase awareness and emphasize Jewish linkage to the site.

A few days ago, the rabbis had released an announcement permitting Jews to enter the Temple Mount.

Sunday's visit marks the first time such a large group of rabbis, including the head rabbi of the Yesha Council Rabbi Dov Lior, Ma'ale Adumim Yeshiva head Rabbi Nahum Rabinowitz, and Rabbi Daniel Shaleh, have visited Temple Mount together.

Last weekend, the religious media published a notice signed by Bnei Akiva Yehiva head Rabbi Chaim Druckman, his colleague Rabbi Avraham Zuckerman, and Kiryat Shmona Chief Rabbi Tzfania Drori. The rabbis called on "the entire holy public to ascend the Temple Mount in purity ... to arrive in coming days to the allowed sites near the entrance to the Temple Mount."

By publishing the announcement, rabbis Druckman, Zuckerman, and Drori joined dozens of other rabbis from the national Zionist camp who have recently decided to permit Jewish entry into the Temple Mount, subject to halakhic (Jewish law) restrictions.

Allowing the entry is a clear deviation from the general halakhic rabbinical consensus, including both from the ultra-Orthodox camp and the national Zionist camp, which maintains that Jewish entry to the site is forbidden.

The accepted explanation for the entrance ban throughout the years was that the exact location of the temples and the Holy of Holies is unknown, meaning Jews could unknowingly set foot in forbidden areas.

Another central explanation maintained that by allowing a general entrance, the general public would arrive at the site, and could set foot in the forbidden areas as well.

Dozens of rabbis ascend Temple Mount in unprecedented visit (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/858937.html)

More on this story..........
~~~~~~~~

Increasing number of rabbis are allowing Jews to enter Temple Mount
By Nadav Shragai, Haaretz Correspondent

An increasing number of religious Zionist rabbis are allowing their followers to enter the Temple Mount, contrary to the religious consensus on the matter.

This weekend, the rabbis Haim Druckman and Avraham Zukerman, of the Bnei Akiva youth movement, and Tzafania Drori, chief rabbi of Kiryat Shmona, are set to join this growing group with an ad in the Orthodox media. The rabbis, who are major figures in the religious Zionist movement, will call on Jews wishing to enter the Temple Mount "in purity, to ascend at this time to the to the places permitted for Jews to enter."

The three rabbis are known for their principle support for letting Jews on to the Temple Mount. But they had not yet expressed their stand formally, because of the religious sensitivity of the issue. Now, in honor of the 40th anniversary of Jerusalem's unification, with many right-wing movements placing the Temple Mount on their agenda, the rabbis have decided to call publicly on Jews to go to the Mount.

In publishing the ad, they will be joining dozens of other rabbis of the religious Zionist stream, among them rabbis in West Bank settlements, who in recent years have allowed Jews to go to the Temple Mount within the bounds of Jewish law.

Currently, rabbinic consensus in the religious Zionist and the ultra-Orthodox world prohibits Jews from entering the Temple Mount. This is because the exact location of the Holy of Holies is not known, and therefore Jews who have not properly purified themselves may accidentally walk there or through other prohibited places.

Rabbis who allow their supporters to ascend to the Temple Mount set stipulations for entry, including the mandating of ritual immersion beforehand, the wearing of cloth shoes, the keeping to areas permitted to Jews under Jewish custom, and the studying of relevant religious regulations.

There are two Islamic shrines on the Mount, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.

Over the years, successive Israeli governments, backed by the High Court of Justice, have allowed Jews to visit the Temple Mount, but have prohibited them from praying there.

The policy was set 40 years ago by then-defense minister Moshe Dayan. Dayan argued that the national and territorial dimension of the Arab-Israeli conflict should be separated from the religious dimension, and for this reason Jewish prayer and ritual should be prohibited on the Mount. At the same time, it was decided that ultimate responsibility for security on and around the Temple Mount would be in the hands of Israel, while religious and administrative autonomy at the Temple Mount would be under the Waqf (the Muslim religious authorities), a situation that prevails to this day.

Increasing number of rabbis are allowing Jews to enter Temple Mount (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/857511.html)

Hamas' plans to take over Temple Mount foiled
Seen as 'strategic' move to bolster standing throughout the Muslim world

Hamas's attempts to take over control of the Temple Mount as well as spread its ideology and recruit new members in Jerusalem have been foiled by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), a senior security official announced Monday.

According to officials, Hamas has invested millions of shekels in recent years in Jerusalem charities and religious institutions, as well as in construction on the Temple Mount, in an effort to recruit Israeli Arab residents of Jerusalem into its ranks, thus bolstering its presence in the capital.

The official said that Hamas has recently enlarged a library and several prayer halls in Solomon's Stables and also built a public bathroom facility.

"Their goal is to gain full control over the Temple Mount," a high-ranking security officer said Monday, adding that Hamas also tried to infiltrate members into the Temple Mount as maintenance staff, in addition to its religious leaders who preach, give tours, and teach Koran classes there.

The official said Hamas had taken advantage of the Jordanian Wakf, which is responsible for the holy site. The Wakf has been suffering from financial constraints since 2000, when the Temple Mount mosques were closed to visitors.

Officials said the Hamas takeover of the Temple Mount was a "strategic" move to bolster its standing in the Palestinian territories and throughout the Muslim world.

During a year-long operation, Shin Bet arrested 11 Hamas officials based in Jerusalem, 10 of whom are Israeli identity cards holders.

Hamas's Jerusalem headquarters were funded by Hamas headquarters in Syria, as well as a chain of charity institutions based in Saudi Arabia. In addition to Hamas's efforts to take over the Temple Mount, the movement increased in recent years its activity in east Jerusalem, where it had set up religious institutions and used what seemed to be innocent festivities to "brainwash" Muslims with Hamas ideology.

In order to implement its goals, Hams had also set up a number of institutions of a semi-religious nature to front illegal activities. According to officials, there are no Hamas institutions currently active in Jerusalem.

The Shin Bet also focused its operations in curbing the flow of money into Hamas. A senior Hamas official, Yakub Abu Assab, was arrested for allegedly running a courier service that transferred funds from the West Bank and abroad to the Hamas headquarters in Jerusalem.

Israeli efforts to stop Hamas also included the arrests of Hamas parliamentarians, including Khaled Abu Afa, former Hamas minister for Jerusalem affairs.

All 11 detainees were due to be indicted for membership in a terror group and financing illegal terror activity.

Jordan secretly buying land accessing Temple Mount
Kingdom said to be solidifying control of Judaism's holiest site

JERUSALEM – Jordan has been quietly purchasing real estate surrounding the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in the hope of gaining more control over the area accessing the holy site, according to Palestinian and Israeli officials.

Israel's Maariv daily newspaper reported a member of the Jordanian royal family has been leading efforts to purchase properties near the Temple Mount – Judaism's holiest site – as part of the kingdom's plan to solidify its already strong presence there.

The Maariv story was first reported by WND four months ago in an exclusive report revealing Jordan has used shell companies during the past year to purchase several apartments and shops located at key peripheral sections of the Temple Mount.

Israeli and Palestinian officials told WND Jordan also set up a commission to use the shell companies to petition mostly Arab landowners adjacent to eastern sections of the Temple Mount to sell their properties. They said profits from sales at any purchased shops would be reinvested to buy more real estate near the Mount and in eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods.

The Jordanian shell companies at times have presented themselves as acting on behalf of the Waqf, the Muslim custodians of the Temple Mount, WND has learned.

Sheik Azzam Khateeb, who was installed in February as the new manager of the Waqf, is known to be close to the Jordanian monarchy. The previous Waqf manager, Sheik Adnon Husseini, was loyal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party and had relations with Israel and some Jewish groups.

"Khateeb answers directly to Jordan," a Fatah official told WND.

Israeli and Palestinian officials said Jordan recently placed a bid to purchase Jerusalem's Intercontinental Hotel, which is situated on an important road that leads to an ancient cemetery on the Mount of Olives, adjacent to the Temple Mount. Informed sources tell WND the hotel is owned by groups representing the Israeli government and is leased every 10 years to a new company. The last lease was signed in 1997 and expires later this year. It was not immediately clear whether Jordan's bid was accepted.

The Mount of Olives is the site of many biblical events and is considered important to Judaism and Christianity.

Real estate ownership in Jerusalem's Old City is widely considered a sensitive matter. Previous Israeli-Palestinian peace proposals tentatively divided parts of the city based on Jewish or Arab residence.

Jordan previously controlled eastern Jerusalem and the Temple Mount from 1948 until Israel liberated the territory in the 1967 Six-Day War. During the period of Jordanian control, Jews were barred from the Western Wall and Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest sites, and hundreds of synagogues were destroyed. Jordan constructed a road to the Intercontinental Hotel that stretched across the Mount of Olives, bulldozing hundreds of Jewish gravestones.

Jordan the past few months has boosted its public profile on the Temple Mount.

The appointment of Khateeb as the new Waqf manager for the Temple Mount was widely seen as a nod to Jordan.

In January, Israel granted Jordan permission to replace the main podium in the Al Aqsa Mosque from which Islamic preachers deliver their sermons. The podium is considered one of the most important stands in the Muslim world. Muslims believe it marks the "exact spot" their prophet Muhammad went up to heaven to receive revelations from Allah.

The new stand bears the emblem of the Jordanian kingdom. It replaces a 1,000-year-old podium believed to have been shipped to Jerusalem by the Islamic conqueror Saladin. That stand was destroyed in 1969, when an Australian tourist set fire to the Al Aqsa Mosque.

In February, WND first reported Prime Minister Ehud Olmert granted permission to Jordan to construct a large minaret at a site on the Temple Mount where Jewish groups here had petitioned to build a synagogue. According to Israeli diplomatic sources, an announcement on the minaret has been stalled.

A minaret is a tower usually attached to a mosque from which Muslims are called to the five Islamic daily prayers.

There are four minarets on the Temple Mount. The new minaret will be the largest one yet. It will be the first built on the Temple Mount in more than 600 years and is slated to tower over the walls of Jerusalem's Old City. It will reside next to the Al-Marwani Mosque, located at the site of Solomon's Stables.

A top leader of the Waqf told WND Olmert's granting of permission to build the minaret in the synagogue's place "confirms 100 percent the Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount) belongs to Muslims."

"This proves Jewish conspiracies for a synagogue will never succeed and solidifies our presence here. It will make Muslims worldwide more secure that the Jews will never take over the Haram al-Sharif," the Waqf official said.

Hamas plans for Temple Mount takeover thwarted

The reports of Jordan gaining Temple Mount control come as Israeli security officials revealed yesterday they foiled a Hamas plan to take control of the Temple Mount and spread the terror group's ideology and recruit new members in Jerusalem.

During a year-long operation, Israel's Shin Bet Security Services revealed it arrested 11 Hamas officials based in Jerusalem, 10 of whom are Israeli identity cards holders.

Hamas's Jerusalem headquarters were reportedly funded by Hamas headquarters in Syria, as well as a chain of charity institutions based in Saudi Arabia.

Shin Bet officials said Hamas invested large sums of money in construction on the Temple Mount, including the building of a public bathroom facility and enlargement of a library and several prayer halls in a massive mosque that was built in a southeast Mount area known as Solomon's Stables. The area had been called Solomon's Stables since Crusader times, when it was used by the Crusaders as horse stables.

"[Hamas'] goal is to gain full control over the Temple Mount," a high-ranking security officer told the Jerusalem Post yesterday, adding Hamas also tried to infiltrate its members into the Temple Mount as maintenance staff, in addition to its religious leaders who preach, give tours and teach Quran classes there.

Olmert allows Muslims
to dig on Temple Mount
During last excavations Islamic custodians destroyed
truckloads of artifacts tying Judaism to its holiest site

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has quietly granted the Waqf – the Muslim custodians of the Temple Mount – permission to dig unsupervised on the sacred site, WND has learned.

The permission was granted in spite of longstanding fears from leading Israeli archeologists the Waqf might hide or dispose of Jewish Temple artifacts discovered during any Muslim digs.

The last time the Waqf conducted an unsupervised excavation on the Temple Mount, in 1997, the Muslim custodians ultimately were caught by Israeli authorities disposing truckloads of Mount dirt that contained Jewish Temple artifacts.

Most Palestinian leaders routinely deny well-documented Jewish ties to the Temple Mount – the holiest site in Judaism.

According to Palestinian sources, the Waqf last month requested permission from Israel to conduct what it said were needed excavations under the Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount to install new electrical and telephone infrastructures in the mosque. Olmert's office at first turned down the Waqf request, but after petitioning by the Jordanian government, the prime minister acquiesced and has allowed the dig.

The Waqf this week quietly began digging a massive tunnel that snakes from the Al Aqsa Mosque to the nearby Dome of the Rock, bringing in heavy equipment for the work.

According to Israeli and Palestinian sources, the dig is not being supervised by any Jewish archeologist, including from the Israeli government's Antiquities Authority, which boasts a board of leading Israeli Temple Mount archeological authorities.

No supervision

Prominent Temple Mount archeologist Eilat Mazar, a professor of Hebrew University and a member of the Public Committee for Prevention of the Destruction of Antiquities on Temple Mount, slammed the Waqf dig.

Mazar said she was concerned the Muslims were excavating "without real, professional and careful archaeological supervision involving meticulous documentation."

Mazar, a third-generation Israeli Temple Mount archaeologist, is the discoverer and lead archaeologist of Israel's City of David, believed to be the palace of the biblical King David, the second leader of a united Kingdom of Israel, who ruled from around 1005 to 965 B.C.

The last time the Waqf conducted a large dig on the Temple Mount, during construction 10 years ago of a massive mosque at an area referred to as Solomon's Stables, the Wafq reportedly disposed truckloads of dirt containing Jewish artifacts from the First and Second Temple periods.

After the media reported on the disposals, Israeli authorities froze the construction permit given to the Wafq, and the dirt was transferred to Israeli archeologists for analysis. The Israeli authorities found scores of Jewish Temple relics in the nearly disposed dirt, including coins with Hebrew writing referencing the Temple, part of a Hasmonean lamp, several other Second Temple lamps, Temple period pottery with Jewish markings, a marble pillar shaft and other Temple period artifacts. The Waqf was widely accused of attempting to hide evidence of the existence of the Jewish Temples.

Temples 'never existed'

Speaking to WND in a recent interview, Waqf official and chief Palestinian Justice Taysir Tamimi claimed the Jewish Temples "never existed."

"About these so-called two Temples, they never existed, certainly not at the Haram Al- Sharif (Temple Mount)," said Tamimi, who is considered the second most important Palestinian cleric after Muhammad Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem.

"Israel started since 1967 making archeological digs to show Jewish signs to prove the relationship between Judaism and the city and they found nothing. There is no Jewish connection to Israel before the Jews invaded in the 1880s," said Tamimi.

The Palestinian cleric denied the validity of dozens of digs verified by experts worldwide revealing Jewish artifacts from the First and Second Temples, tunnels that snake under the Temple Mount and over 100 ritual immersion pools believed to have been used by Jewish priests to cleanse themselves before services. The cleansing process is detailed in the Torah.

Asked about the Western Wall, Tamimi said the structure was a tying post for Muhammad's horse and that it is part of the Al Aqsa Mosque, even though the Wall predates the mosque by more than 1,000 years.

"The Western wall is the western wall of the Al Aqsa Mosque. It's where Prophet Muhammad tied his animal which took him from Mecca to Jerusalem to receive the revelations of Allah."

The Palestinian media also regularly state the Jewish Temples never existed.

'We are fed up with this crap nonsense'

In a series of WND exclusive interviews, Palestinian terror leaders denied the existence of the Jewish Temples.

"We are fed up with this crap nonsense of the Temple Mount," said Nasser Abu Aziz, the deputy commander of Fata's Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the northern West Bank.

"We do not know where this story came from. There is no historical or archeological proof that your legendary Temples existed. We are sick of this story. But Allah warned us that Jews will look for an excuse in order to corrupt life on earth, so we are not surprised from the fact that you keep raising this issue."

Muhammad Abdul-El, spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees terror organization, said the Jewish Temples "existed only in your dreams.

"Go look for your stupid Temple elsewhere. And I am not saying this for political reasons. I say that the enemy invented this story in order to justify its occupation of Jerusalem."

Abu Abdullah, considered one of the most important operational members of Hamas' so-called military wing, accused all Jews of being pathological liars.

"Stop lying and believing your own lies. Even if there was such a thing (as a Jewish Temple) do you really believe that Solomon, who was a prophet, would have built a Temple in the place that Allah wanted for the Al Aqsa Mosque?"

Judaism's holiest site

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. Muslims say it is their third holiest site.

The First Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's "presence" dwelt. The Al Aqsa Mosque now sits on the site.

The temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays.

The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left intact.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark where Muslims came to believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven.

Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran. Islamic tradition states Mohammed took a journey in a single night from "a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to "the farthest mosque" and from a rock there ascended to heaven. The farthest mosque later became associated with Jerusalem.

Jerusalem panel approves alternate plan for Mughrabi Bridge

Jerusalem's Planning and Construction Committee approved Thursday an alternative plan to the controversial Mughrabi Bridge project.

The original plan for the bridge, which leads from the Old City's Dung Gate and the Western Wall to the Temple Mount's Mughrabi Gate, raised hackles in the Arab world when it was presented in February, due to allegations that it would damage the Temple Mount. Some archaeologists and architects also expressed concern that the bridge would damage antiquities or block the view of the Temple Mount.

The bridge will consist of a wooden walkway bordered by metal, with two-meter-high iron railings, as required by the police. The number of pylons supporting it will be reduced from seven to four. The height of the pylons will not exceed half a meter, and they will be placed on platforms in spaces excavated by the Israel Antiquities Authority during its salvage dig, allowing the antiquities to be restored and protected. The planners mapped the archaeological finds along the bridge's path and found spaces in which the pylons could be placed without damaging the antiquities.

However, although the general route of the bridge is known, the municipality still does not know how it will look. Architect Ada Carmi has been asked to prepare a simulation of the bridge, but its design is expected to undergo subsequent changes.

The bridge will not only be used by visitors coming to the Temple Mount, but also by the police, to send in large forces in case of unrest on the mount, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock are located.

The municipality and the Interior Ministry are now preparing to deal with the project's major opponents: Israeli Arabs, East Jerusalem residents and the Arab world.

The original plan, which received expedited approval from the city authorities without being presented to the public, was frozen by Mayor Uri Lupolianski in order to allow the Arab public to submit its objections in an orderly fashion to the Planning and Construction Committee. Lupolianski said he believed the previous opposition to the plan was because of lack of knowledge about it, and that public discussion would persuade the Muslim public that the bridge's construction will not damage or annex areas of the Temple Mount.

The United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) is expected to attempt to mediate between Israelis and Palestinians so that an agreement can be reached to allow the bridge's construction. A UNESCO committee visited Israel a few months ago to hear the various arguments against the project.

Israel to give up Temple Mount?
Palestinians say no agreement unless Olmert forfeits holiest site in Judaism

Palestinian negotiators drafting an agreement behind the scenes with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office have made clear they will not accept any final peace deal with Israel unless the Jewish state forfeits the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site, WND has learned.

According to a report in Israel's Yediot Aharonot daily yesterday, Olmert is willing to discuss joint Israeli-Palestinian control over the Temple Mount complex. The report didn't state the positions of the Palestinian side on the issue.

A chief Palestinian negotiator, speaking to WND on condition his name be withheld, said yesterday, "there can be no agreement with Israel unless we get complete sovereignty of the Mount. Once Palestinian control over the [Temple Mount] is fixed, then we will make assurances for Jewish visits to the site."

The chief negotiator said aides from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah organization have been hammering out the parameters of a final status agreement for presentation in November at a U.S.-backed international summit regarding the Middle East.

Issues already discussed between Israel and the Palestinians reportedly include the division of parts of Jerusalem and debates regarding permanent borders between Israel and the PA.

The November international conference and talk from the Bush administration the past few weeks has led many here to speculate the U.S. will push in the near future for intense Israeli-Palestinian negotiations leading to a Palestinian state.

With a year and a half left in office, President George Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have been urging meetings between Abbas and Olmert to establish a framework for momentum leading to a breakthrough at November's conference. Olmert and Abbas have been meeting bi-monthly in summits brokered by the U.S.

Asked by WND whether Olmert is willing to forfeit the Temple Mount in an agreement with the Palestinians, David Baker, a spokesman for the prime minister, had no comment.

Jews, Christians barred from praying on Mount

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. Muslims say it is their third holiest site.

The First Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's "presence" dwelt. The Al Aqsa Mosque now sits on the site.

The temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays.

The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left intact.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark where Muslims came to believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven.

Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran. Islamic tradition states Mohammed took a journey in a single night from "a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to "the farthest mosque" and from a rock there ascended to heaven. The farthest mosque later became associated with the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Currently under Israeli control, Jews and Christians are barred from praying on the Mount.

The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until September 2000, when the Palestinians started their intifada by throwing stones at Jewish worshipers after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the area.

Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians.

The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003. It still is open but only Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered "sensitive" by the Waqf.

During "open" days, Jews and Christian are allowed to ascend the Mount, usually through organized tours and only if they conform first to a strict set of guidelines, which includes demands that they not pray or bring any "holy objects" to the site. Visitors are banned from entering any of the mosques without direct Waqf permission. Rules are enforced by Waqf agents, who watch tours closely and alert nearby Israeli police to any breaking of their guidelines.

'Secret' plan would give Palestinians West Bank

The talk of behind-the-scenes negotiations follows a WND report earlier this week stating newly installed Israeli President Shimon Peres has quietly drafted a plan for the Jewish state to evacuate and transfer to the Palestinians nearly the entire West Bank and several Arab Israeli cities located within territory that is undisputedly Israel's according to the international community.

The West Bank is strategic territory that runs alongside Jerusalem and is within rocket range of Tel Aviv and Israel's international airport. It is home to many biblical Jewish communities and some of Judaism's holiest sites.

Peres has presented his initiative to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and to top aides for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas the past few weeks, after he took office as Israeli president last month, diplomatic sources in Jerusalem told WND.

The official role of president here is limited largely to ceremonial matters; the president does not create foreign policy.

Olmert is mulling over the plan and agrees with much of its contents, the diplomatic sources said.

Peres' plan calls for Israel to hand 97-percent of the West Bank over to Abbas, with Israel retaining a small number of the territory's Jewish communities. In exchange for Israel keeping some land, the Jewish state will give the PA control of Arab Israeli cities north of Tel Aviv which, together with the evacuated West Bank territory, would amount to the equivalent of 100 percent of the West Bank.

Already during his bi-weekly meetings with Abbas, Olmert has granted a number of security concessions to Abbas regarding increased Palestinian control of the West Bank.

The Israeli prime minister last month granted amnesty to 178 gunmen from Abbas' Fatah organization who comprise most of the senior leadership of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the declared military wing of Fatah that is responsible for every suicide bombing in Israel the past three years.

Olmert is reportedly considering granting amnesty to 206 more Brigades terrorists. According to Palestinian officials, the Israeli Prime Minister already informed the PA that Fatah gunmen are largely immune from Israeli anti-terror raids regardless of whether they are officially on Olmert's amnesty list.

Also, Olmert is strongly considering removing hundreds of Israel Defense Forces roadblocks and checkpoints situated in strategic sites located throughout the West Bank. The IDF sees the checkpoints as crucial in helping stop terrorists, including suicide bombers, from infiltrating Jewish cities.

As well, in a scantily-reported but major move, Israel last week started allowing armed Palestinian policemen to patrol areas in the West Bank that fall under Israeli security control according to the 1993 Oslo Accords. Security in the territory, referred to as Area B, is supposed to be ensured by the IDF, which still monitors the area but has allowed for an unprecedented stepped-up armed Palestinian security presence there.

In response to the renewed momentum toward a Palestinian state, rabbis for the Yesha Council of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria – the West Bank – yesterday slammed the Israeli government for considering major concessions.

The council released a statement expressing "concern at the irresponsible diplomatic moves being made during these days, the main point of which is the consent to the establishment of a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria. These moves are founded upon irrelevant considerations of political survival, and are being made in total opposition to the opinion of the defense establishment."

Olmert, Arabs Negotiating Over Temple Mount

by Gil Ronen

(IsraelNN.com) Arab representatives who are negotiating an agreement with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office have made it clear that they will not accept any final peace deal with Israel unless the Jewish State forfeits the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site.

According to a report in the daily newspaper Yediot Acharonot, Olmert is willing to discuss joint Israeli-Arab control over the Temple Mount compound.

A chief Arab negotiator told WorldNetDaily's Aaron Klein that "there can be no agreement with Israel unless we get complete sovereignty of the Mount. Once Palestinian control over the [Temple Mount] is fixed, then we will make assurances for Jewish visits to the site."

The chief negotiator said aides from Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah organization have been working out the details of a "final status" agreement, which they intend to present in November at a U.S.-sponsored international summit on the Middle East.

Besides the Temple Mount, other issues on the table reportedly include the division of united Jerusalem and permanent borders between Israel and the PA.

With a year and a half left in office, US President George Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have been urging Abbas and Olmert to meet regularly in the hope of creating a dynamic that will lead to a breakthrough at November's conference.

Asked whether Olmert is willing to forfeit the Temple Mount in an agreement with the Palestinians, David Baker, a spokesman for the prime minister, had no comment.

'Secret' plan would give Judea and Samaria to Arabs

Last week saw the publication of reports that newly-installed President Shimon Peres has quietly drafted a plan for the Jewish State to evacuate and transfer to the PA nearly the entire area of Judea and Samaria, along with several Arab-Israeli cities located within pre-1967 Israel.

Peres presented his initiative to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and to top Abbas aides soon after he took office as President last month.

Olmert is said to be considering the plan and he "agrees with much of its contents," diplomatic sources said.

President Peres, Israel's most veteran politician, has a long history of covert deal-making. His arch-rival in the Labor party, former Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin, famously called Peres "an indefatigable subversive" in his autobiography. Peres received the Nobel Prize for a deal he and others worked out with arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat in 1993 – the Oslo Accords – which led to the establishment of the Palestinian Authority and an ongoing terror war in which thousands of Israelis, including a high proportion of women and children, have been killed or maimed.

Olmert, Arabs Negotiating Over Temple Mount (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/123432)

Islamists Plan World Revolution from Temple Mount

One of the radical groups operating on the Temple Mount is Hizab Altahrir (The Islamic Liberation Party), which espouses an ideology similar to Al Qaeda. Hizab Altahrir’s network spans most Western European countries. The party puts Islamic revolution and an uncompromising form of Jihad (holly war) at the top of its political agenda.

The group advocates subjecting the entire world to Islamic law (Shariya), and destroying non-believing nations and religions.

The party has targeted Europe, specifically Denmark, for spreading its ideology, and providing a springboard for renewing Islamic conquests in Europe. A senior party activist in Jerusalem, Sheikh Issam Amira, expressed this philosophy in a recent speech which he made on the Temple Mount:

“Listeners! The Moslems in Denmark make up three percent [of the population], yet constitute a threat to the future of the Danish kingdom. It’s no surprise that in Bitrab (the ancient name of Medina, a city in Arabia to which Mohammed immigrated) they were fewer than three percent of the general population, but succeeded changing the regime in Bitrab.

“It’s no surprise that our brothers in Denmark have succeeded in bringing Islam to every home in that country. Allah will grant us victory in their land to establish the [Islamic] revolution in Denmark.”

After Denmark, the Sheikh said, the party will carry the revolution to Oslo and change its name to Medina. “They will fight against their Scandinavian neighbors in order to bring the country into the territory of the revolution,” he said. “In the next stage, they will fight a holy jihad to spread Islam to the rest of Europe, until it spreads to the original city of Medina where the two cities will unite under the Islamic flag.”

Sheikh Riyad Salah, head of the Islamic movement in Israel has also been active teaching the tenets of “Islamic revolution.”

“We are at the gates of the Islamic revolution,” he proclaims in his sermons to Arab citizens of Israel. “The global forces of evil will be eliminated from the world and the Islamic nation will remain in place in order to bring about the world Islamic revolution, with its capital, Jerusalem.”

Salah, who until a few months ago was under arrest for allegedly assisting an organization connected to the Hamas terror group, has for a number of years been attempting to organize Israel’s Arab citizens into an “independent Palestinian society,” disconnected from the State of Israel and its institutions.

Salah’s organization contributed to efforts to repair Arab mosques on the Temple Mount, and also attempts to erase the remains of Jewish antiquities on the Mount.

In Israel, the Hizab Altahrir party is sending out charismatic Islamic preachers to spread its ideology to mosques in villages near Jerusalem, Hevron, Kalkilya, and Tulkarem.

When large numbers of Moslems visited mosques last October during the holy month of Ramadan, the party expanded its efforts to recruit new members and activists in the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Thousands of young Arabs living in the PA have been participating in the party’s youth movement under the slogan, “Campaigning to Preach Revolution.”

On the Temple Mount near the Dome of the Rock, Altahrir’s youth recently put up a giant banner declaring “Revolution is a Divine Command.” The party’s flag appears on the right and left hand side of the banner. The youth were greeted by party members who shouted, “Next year in Jerusalem, under the rule of the Islamic revolution.”

Brothers and Sisters,

Bible Prophecy is fascinating. Just think - the Bible DOES tell us what will happen in the future, and it will come to pass MOST PERFECTLY at GOD'S Appointed time.

Jerusalem will most certainly be the CENTER STAGE for end of this age events. It will appear as if evil has won and taken over this planet. Nobody living today can imagine how horrible the times are going to be. Islam could very well be the evil that APPEARS to have conquered the world, BUT it won't last long.

When most Christians think about JESUS CHRIST, they think about ultimate Love, Peace, Caring, and HIM going to HIS Death as a perfect Sacrifice that would be offered to all men as a means of RESCUE and SALVATION. BUT, JESUS CHRIST said that HE would return after HE arose from the dead.

We have a controversy that I don't plan to address that regards the timing and sequence of events, specifically the RAPTURE of THE CHURCH WHICH IS THE BODY OF CHRIST and HIS SECOND COMING to the earth in GREAT, RIGHTEOUS WRATH. I'll simply say that NEITHER event has happened yet, and GOD has Promised that they will happen. The Bible is completely clear that CHRIST'S SECOND COMING will be at the end of the Seven Year Tribulation Period. This will be a time of great horror, blood-shed, fear, and evil.

I want to ask a question here because of doubts that many Christians appear to have. The Bible clearly states that JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF leads Heavenly Hosts into battle on this earth. Do you believe this? If not, why not? HE is the same JESUS CHRIST who died for us, but this time HE'S in a RIGHTEOUS AND HOLY RAGE against evil. HE won't come this time to humble himself and give HIS life for others. Instead, HE will provide proof to the entire world that HE is the KING OF KINGS, and HE will defeat the devil, the forces of darkness, evil, and the enemies that have come against Israel. Do you believe that there will be a massive war between good and evil? Do you believe that JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF will be on the front line in HOLY VICTORY? Do you believe that one major purpose of JESUS CHRIST will be to rescue Israel from total annihilation? If not, why not? Do you believe GOD'S Promise that HE will restore Israel, and JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF is Israel's MESSIAH AND KING? If not, why not? Do you believe that JESUS CHRIST will claim his Throne, the Throne of David in Jerusalem, and will rule and reign over the earth for 1,000 years? If not, why not?

Some areas of Bible Prophecy are difficult to understand and require great amounts of study. Others are blunt enough and clear enough so that almost anyone can understand exactly what's being said. All of the above is blunt and clear, and it might be about to happen. Do you have any idea what it would mean if these things started coming to pass? Have you considered it? If not, why not? We are talking about the greatest events in human history and an END to the Age of Grace. Did you dismiss the portions of the Bible that speak of these events? If so, why? I would hope that all of you KNOW that GOD keeps all of HIS Promises Perfectly, and these events haven't happened yet. GOD does tell us that no man will know the day or the hour that these events will take place, but that doesn't mean that we can't get a general idea from the Bible. A great number of signs will be given that the time is near, and many of the described signs are being given RIGHT NOW!

Would you do anything differently if you thought this might be your last few hours or days of life? If you are lost and reading this, would you consider accepting JESUS CHRIST as your LORD and SAVIOUR? If you are saved and reading this, do you have burdens on your heart about lost family, friends, or neighbors? Are you anxiously awaiting JESUS CHRIST, or are you dreading HIS Appearance? Regardless, do you have important things to do? HINT: GET BUSY because you might not have much time!

Love In Christ,
Tom

Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable GIFT, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour Forever!

90,000 Muslims arrive at Temple Mount

First Friday prayer of holy month of Ramadan brings 93,000 worshippers to al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City. Hundreds of Palestinians push up against police lines set up at West Bank checkpoints

Roee Nahmias and AP
Published: 09.14.07, 16:49
Israel News

Some 93,000 Muslim worshippers arrived at the Temple Mount for the first Friday prayer of the holy month of Ramadan.

Hundreds of Palestinians thronged two major West Bank checkpoints, trying to reach the key Islamic shrine in Jerusalem, despite tight Israeli restrictions.

Israeli troops turned back many of the West Bank faithful. Only men above the age of 45 and women above the age of 35, who had also obtained special permits, were allowed to enter Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest shrine of Islam, said police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby.

Later Friday, several tens of thousands of Palestinians, many of them Jerusalem residents not affected by the restrictions, participated in the al-Aqsa service, and the crowd dispersed peacefully.

This year, the start of Ramadan, a month of fasting and religious observance, coincided with the Jewish New Year. As customary, Israel imposed a blanket closure on the West Bank during the Jewish holiday, barring virtually all Palestinians from entering Israel.

Hundreds of Israeli police, including Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen, were deployed in streets and alleys in and around Jerusalem's walled Old City where the al-Aqsa Mosque compound is located.

Troops also took up positions at two major West Bank checkpoints, one to the south of Jerusalem and one to the north. The checkpoints are built into Israel's West Bank separation fence, which rings most of Jerusalem to control Palestinian movement into Israel.

At the southern checkpoint, near the biblical town of Bethlehem, hundreds of Palestinians, many of them elderly, pushed up against police lines set up near the separation barrier, in this area a towering wall.

At one point, the crowd pushed through the police line. One woman crawled on her hands and knees, another fell to the ground as people behind her surged forward. Israeli troops shouted at people to get back.

At the northern Qalandiya crossing, near the city of Ramallah, hundreds of people waited to pass. Hamdi Abu Fadi, 44, was turned back because he didn't meet the age requirement. Abu Fadi said he would try to sneak into Jerusalem in another area, in hopes of reaching al-Aqsa.

Prayers performed at the shrine are considered more powerful than worship in another mosque.

Palestinians have long complained that Israel is violating their right to freedom of worship by restricting access to a major shrine. "It's a crime against us all year long, whether during Ramadan or any other month," said Abu Fadi.

Israel says it imposes the restrictions to prevent possible attacks by Palestinian terrorists. Ramadan is a time of heightened religious fervor which security officials fear could increase the motivation for carrying out attacks.

Fatah-Hamas rift felt throughout territories

Jerusalem District Police Commander Major General Ilan Franco told Ynet, "The prayer ended as we predicted. We allowed the freedom of religious worship to take place at the Western Wall and Temple Mount. During the sermon at the Temple Mount they only referred to the month of Ramadan and nothing else. Our alert level will be similar next week, on the eve of Yom Kippur."

The rift between rival Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas and between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip is deepening the month of Ramadan, which began Thursday.

Jamal Bawatneh, religious affairs minister in the Abbas-appointed government based in the West Bank, has warned that any imam or preacher "promoting political, personal or partisan ideas will be sacked or replaced".

Placing advertisements in newspapers, the Palestinian civil service is looking to recruit "qualified staff" to fill vacant preaching jobs. Bawatneh said his government had already budgeted for 800 such jobs, AFP reported.

According to Palestinian security forces, most of the mosques in the West Bank are controlled by Hamas.

Ibrahim Abdel Karim, a Gaza resident, told the al-Arabiya network, "Gaza Strip residents are afraid that West Bank residents will celebrate the month of Ramadan according to the dates it is celebrated in some Arab countries, while Gaza residents celebrate according to dates used by other Arab countries, causing a difference of one day between the Strip and the West Bank."

Eventually Palestinians decided to start the holiday on Thursday, both in Gaza and the West Bank.

90,000 Muslims arrive at Temple Mount (http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3449342,00.html)

Terror group broadcasting from Temple Mount
Program live from Judaism's holiest site delivers threats against Jews

The official radio network of a major terror organization has been exclusively broadcasting daily from the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site, WND has learned.

The radio network regularly features Iranian and anti-Semitic propaganda and death threats against Jews.

The Al-Quds network, the official radio station of the Islamic Jihad terror group, has been exclusively broadcasting special nightly Ramadan prayers from the Mount's Al Aqsa Mosque since last week. The station also is broadcasting the Tarawih prayers, special Sunni Muslim prayers recited at night during Ramadan.

Saleh Al-Massri, Al-Quds radio station manager, told WND the Temple Mount broadcasts provide Islamic Jihad with "an opportunity to spread Islam and its values and to bring some happiness to the suffering Palestinians who can't reach the Al Aqsa Mosque for Tarawih prayers."

Islamic Jihad, together with Fatah's Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group, took responsibility for every suicide bombing in Israel the last three years. Islamic Jihad also carried out scores of deadly rocket and shooting attacks and is one of the most active Palestinian terrorist organizations.

According to Palestinian leaders in the Gaza Strip, the nightly prayer broadcast on Islamic Jihad's station is currently the most popular radio program in the Palestinian territories.

The last few days the special broadcasts, sampled by WND, have been preceded and followed by Islamic Jihad speeches featuring anti-Israel propaganda, such as calling for the destruction of the Jewish state and advocating Palestinian solidarity with Iran.

It was unclear whether Islamic Jihad had official permission from Israel or from the Waqf Islamic custodians of the Temple Mount to broadcast from the holy site, located in Jerusalem and jointly administered by the Waqf and Israeli police.

A spokesman for Israel's Police Authority did not return phone calls before press time.

According to Palestinian security sources speaking to WND, Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds radio has been using technicians from the Voice of Palestine, the official radio network of the Palestinian Authority, to facilitate the Temple Mount broadcasts, even though the program is not aired on PA radio.

The sources said the Waqf as well as the PA is "well aware" Islamic Jihad is broadcasting from the Mount.

Judaism's holiest site

While the Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism, Muslims say it is their third holiest site.

The First Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. It was expanded by King Herod in 19 B.C. shortly before the birth of Jesus. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's "presence" dwelt. The Dome of the Rock now sits on the site and the Al Aqsa Mosque is adjacent.

The temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays.

The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left intact.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark where Muslims came to believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven.

Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran. Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from "a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to "the farthest mosque" and from a rock there ascended to heaven. The farthest mosque later became associated with Jerusalem.

Temples 'never existed'

Most Palestinian leaders routinely deny well-documented Jewish ties to the Temple Mount.

Speaking in a recent interview featured in the newly released book "Schmoozing with Terrorists," Waqf official and chief Palestinian Justice Taysir Tamimi claimed the Jewish Temples "never existed."

"About these so-called two Temples, they never existed, certainly not at the Haram Al- Sharif (Temple Mount)," said Tamimi, who is considered the second most important Palestinian cleric after Muhammad Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem.

"Israel started since 1967 making archaeological digs to show Jewish signs to prove the relationship between Judaism and the city, and they found nothing. There is no Jewish connection to Israel before the Jews invaded in the 1880s," said Tamimi.

The Palestinian cleric denied the validity of dozens of digs verified by experts worldwide revealing Jewish artifacts from the First and Second Temples, tunnels that snake under the Temple Mount and more than 100 ritual immersion pools believed to have been used by Jewish priests to cleanse themselves before services. The cleansing process is detailed in the Torah.

Asked about the Western Wall, Tamimi said the structure was a tying post for Muhammad's horse and that it is part of the Al Aqsa Mosque, even though the wall predates the mosque by more than 1,000 years.

"The Western Wall is the western wall of the Al Aqsa Mosque," he said. 'It's where Prophet Muhammad tied his animal which took him from Mecca to Jerusalem to receive the revelations of Allah."

The Palestinian media also regularly claim the Jewish Temples never existed.

'Temple Mount terror radio' most popular Palestinian show
Program by jihad group live from Judaism's holiest site delivers threats against Jews

A Muslim radio broadcast airing live from the Temple Mount on the official radio station of a terrorist organization is now the most popular Palestinian radio program, according to a Gaza Strip poll released yesterday.

WND broke the story last week Al Quds Radio, the official station of the Islamic Jihad terror group, has been exclusively broadcasting daily from the Temple Mount. The radio network regularly features Iranian and anti-Semitic propaganda and death threats against Jews.

Islamic Jihad, together with Fatah's Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group, took responsibility for every suicide bombing in Israel the last three years. Islamic Jihad also carried out scores of deadly rocket and shooting attacks and is one of the most active Palestinian terrorist organizations.

Islamic Jihad's Al Quds radio network has been airing live Ramadan prayers from the Mount's Al Aqsa Mosque since last week. The station also is broadcasting the Tarawih prayers, special Sunni Muslim prayers recited at night during Ramadan.

The last few days the special broadcasts, sampled by WND, have been preceded and followed by Islamic Jihad speeches featuring anti-Israel propaganda, such as calling for the destruction of the Jewish state and advocating Palestinian solidarity with Iran.

According to poll ratings released yesterday by the Palestinian Media Gathering, a Gaza-based media rankings organization, the Islamic Jihad Temple Mount broadcast is the most popular Palestinian radio program in Gaza.

The media organization also found a marked rise in Al Quds radio general ratings, with 18 percent of the Palestinian population stating they listen to the network as opposed to other stations run by Hamas or Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction.

Saleh Al-Massri, Al-Quds radio station manager, told WND the Temple Mount broadcasts provide Islamic Jihad with "an opportunity to spread Islam and its values and to bring some happiness to the suffering Palestinians who can't reach the Al Aqsa Mosque for Tarawih prayers."

It was unclear whether Islamic Jihad had official permission from Israel or from the Waqf Islamic custodians of the Temple Mount to broadcast from the holy site, located in Jerusalem and jointly administered by the Waqf and Israeli police.

A spokesman for Israel's Police Authority said the police were not aware of the broadcast and that it was a matter for the Israeli Government Press Office to deal with.

The Government Press Office stated it does not have jurisdiction in the issue and that it was a matter for the Israeli military authorities. A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces said it was a matter for the police.

According to Palestinian security sources speaking to WND, Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds radio has been using technicians from the Voice of Palestine, the official radio network of the Palestinian Authority, to facilitate the Temple Mount broadcasts, even though the program is not aired on PA radio.

The sources said the Waqf, as well as the PA, is "well aware" Islamic Jihad is broadcasting from the Mount.

Judaism's holiest site

While the Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism, Muslims say it is their third holiest site.

The First Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. It was expanded by King Herod in 19 B.C. shortly before the birth of Jesus. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's "presence" dwelt. The Dome of the Rock now sits on the site and the Al Aqsa Mosque is adjacent.

The temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays.

The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left intact.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark where Muslims came to believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven.

Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran. Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from "a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to "the farthest mosque" and from a rock there ascended to heaven. The farthest mosque later became associated with Jerusalem.

Temples 'never existed'

Most Palestinian leaders routinely deny well-documented Jewish ties to the Temple Mount.

Speaking in a recent interview featured in the newly released book "Schmoozing with Terrorists," Waqf official and chief Palestinian Justice Taysir Tamimi claimed the Jewish Temples "never existed."

"About these so-called two Temples, they never existed, certainly not at the Haram Al- Sharif (Temple Mount)," said Tamimi, who is considered the second most important Palestinian cleric after Muhammad Hussein, the grand mufti of Jerusalem.

"Israel started since 1967 making archaeological digs to show Jewish signs to prove the relationship between Judaism and the city, and they found nothing. There is no Jewish connection to Israel before the Jews invaded in the 1880s," said Tamimi.

The Palestinian cleric denied the validity of dozens of digs verified by experts worldwide revealing Jewish artifacts from the First and Second Temples, tunnels that snake under the Temple Mount and more than 100 ritual immersion pools believed to have been used by Jewish priests to cleanse themselves before services. The cleansing process is detailed in the Torah.

Asked about the Western Wall, Tamimi said the structure was a tying post for Muhammad's horse and that it is part of the Al Aqsa Mosque, even though the wall predates the mosque by more than 1,000 years.

"The Western Wall is the western wall of the Al Aqsa Mosque," he said. 'It's where Prophet Muhammad tied his animal which took him from Mecca to Jerusalem to receive the revelations of Allah."

The Palestinian media also regularly claim the Jewish Temples never existed.

The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement will March on Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles) 18 Tishrei 5768 - September 30, 2007 to the Temple Mount and the City of David

The Faithful will make their pilgrimage of Sukkot and demonstrate against the evil anti-godly plans of the weak Prime Minister of Israel and the pressure coming from President Bush and Condoleezza Rice on Israel to divide the land of Israel, to found a "Palestinian" terror state and to make the Biblical Jerusalem and the Temple Mount as a "Palestinian" capitol.

This is a revolt and evil in the eyes of the G–d of Israel and He will never allow it.

Everyone is called to take part in this very important event at a very critical time.

The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement will march on Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles) 18 Tishrei 5768 - October 30, 2007 to the Temple Mount and the City of David. At 8:30 a.m. we shall march up to the Temple Mount to make the pilgrimage of this feast as G-d commanded us in His word. After 1,937 years of destruction the children of Israel will pilgrimage again to the holy hill of G-d in Jerusalem with a deep prayer in their hearts to make this pilgrimage next year in the rebuilt Temple of G-d. At 9:30 we shall march to the Hulda Gates located on the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount, calling the Israeli Government to immediately open these holy gates which were the main entrance of millions of Israelis in the biblical times and were named for the great prophetess Hulda who prophesied in the First Temple age. In this holy place we shall also demonstrate against the pressure coming from President Bush and Condoleezza Rice on Israel to give away the Temple Mount and the sovereignty of Israel in this most holy place of Israel to the so called "Palestinian Authorities" and to put on the Dome of the Rock, the location of the Holy of Holies of the Temple, a "Palestinian " flag. As it looks the weak Prime Minister of Israel, Ehud Olmert, is going to surrender to this pressure. These terrible evil plans also include the division of Jerusalem , the eternal capitol of Israel and to found a "Palestinian" capitol in the biblical Jerusalem , the City of David, that will be the capitol of a "Palestinian" state that they together plan to found in the most biblical areas of the land of Israel, in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.

These anti-godly evil plans are a terrible revolt against G-d who gave the land of Israel to His chosen people Israel for a purpose and to be the land where He Himself will dwell among His people Israel. He chose Jerusalem to be His capitol and the eternal capitol of His people Israel . Thousands of years ago He chose and anointed Mount Moriah, the Temple Mount, to be His holy hill where His people Israel will build for Him the holy Temple where He will dwell among His people exactly as He commanded them: "Build me a Temple and I will dwell among you" (Exodus 25:8). On this holy hill existed the First Temple of G-d, built by King Solomon 3,000 years ago that was destroyed by the Babylonians in the year 586 BCE and the Second Temple built in 516 BCE and destroyed by the Romans in the year 70 CE. Now the G–d of Israel is expecting and calling His people Israel to immediately build the Third Temple so that He can again dwell among His people Israel and among all His creation, as the prophet Isaiah prophesied: "My house will be a house of prayer for all nations" (Isaiah 2: 1-5 and Isaiah 56: 5&7).

The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement will demonstrate mainly against the Prime Minister of Israel and his anti-godly and anti-Israeli plans. It never before happened that an Israeli leader will give away the Temple Mount, the biblical Jerusalem and the holy land of Israel to foreigners and enemies of the G–d and the people of Israel like the evil cruel so called "Palestinians" that invaded the land of Israel and are for more than 100 years making wars against the people of G-d with one intention and goal: To make it another Islamic country and state. It is a shame and a tragedy which never happened in the 4,000 year history of the people of G-d. And I am aware of the judgement of G-d that will come on all the partners of these evil plans and their nations. Tens of millions of Jews gave their lives to protect the Temple Mount of G-d, Jerusalem and the holy land of Israel or when they fought to liberate these holy places from foreign evil control. The G–d and the people of Israel will not allow it now to happen especially after the G–d of Israel regathered His people back to the land of Israel from all the corners of the world, reestablished for them the Kingdom of Israel and His Kingdom in the holy land, made Jerusalem again the eternal capitol of Himself and Israel and in 1967 returned the biblical Jerusalem and the Temple Mount to Israel to immediately rebuild His holy Temple. All these end-time godly events were a part of G-d's plan to redeem Israel and through Israel to redeem all the world. The Temple Mount Faithful Movement will very clearly state and swear in front of the holy hill of G-d that they will give their lives to avoid this evil and criminal plans. We shall swear like our forefathers: "If I will forget you Jerusalem I will forget my right hand..." and that the Temple Mount, Jerusalem and the holy land of Israel will never fall again and that from here we shall never move and again be taken from.

After the demonstration in front of the Hulda Gates of the Temple Mount we shall march with the Israeli flags with the Star of David to the ancient City of David calling the people of Israel not to allow Olmert to divide Jerusalem and the holy land of Israel and to bring to pass this terrible crime of giving away the Temple Mount, the heart and the soul of Israel, to the most cruel enemies of the G–d and the people of Israel. At the end of this march we shall arrive at the ancient Siloam Pool that was just recently discovered where we shall make the traditional ceremony of the "Beit Shoevah Celebration" and "Nisuch HaMay'im" ceremony, exactly as our forefathers did when the Temple existed. They used to pull the water with prayers for a blessed year with rains and to pour the holy water on the alter in the Temple together with exciting thank prayers to the G–d of Israel for the blessings that He poured on His people Israel and the land that He gave them.

This is going to be a major godly and important event which will bring to the attention of everyone the godly significance of this special time that we are experiencing now and expectations of the G–d of Israel from His people to keep and protect the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and the holy land that He gave them from any dangerous evil plans. We are going on Sukkot to the Temple Mount and the City of David to protect the heart and the soul of te G-d and the people Israel and all the world and to save the holy location of the Temple from evil pagan hands. We are going to call the people of Israel and her friends all over the world to remove the enemy from the holy Temple Mount of G-d and to immediately rebuild the Temple as G-d is calling us to do.

Everyone is called to participate in this major event of the Temple Mount Faithful Movement and to be a part of a major historical event that will be an important stage and step towards the rebuilding of the Temple and the completion of G-d's end-time plans. We are calling everyone to stand with the Faithful Movement and to help her to bring to pass all the end-time plans of the G–d of Israel in our lifetime.

May the G-d of Israel bless you and all our friends with a new blessed year to you and to your families. May G-d make the coming year the year of the rebuilding of His Temple and the coming of Mashiach ben David.

With deep appreciation and love to all of you,

Gershon Salomon
Chairman, The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement

The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement (http://www.templemountfaithful.org/News/20070930.htm)

Israel, PA agree Jordanian control of Temple Mount

London-based Palestinian daily quotes Abbas aide as saying, Israel and Palestinians have agreed to transfer control of parts of Old City in Jerusalem to Jordan as part of future peace agreement

Israel and the Palestinians have agreed that the Temple Mount as well as other parts of the Old City in Jerusalem will be under Jordanian control as part of a future peace deal, a Palestinian daily reported on Monday.

The London-based al-Quds al-Arabi reported that President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reached the agreement during recent talks in Jerusalem. Under the arrangement, the Old City's Arab residents will be granted Jordanian citizenship.

The newspaper did not say whether Israel would keep control of Jewish holy sites and neighborhoods in the Old City.

The arrangement will make the Jordanian monarchy a guardian of holy Muslim shrines in Jerusalem.

The plan's details and implementation will be supervised by Jordan, Israel, Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and the United Nations, the newspaper said.

The report comes a day after remarks by Vice Premier Haim Ramon that Abbas and Olmert will discuss the status of Jerusalem during the US-sponsored talks in November.

Ramon said it was in Israel's interest to hand over control of Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods to the Palestinian Authority.

A Palestinian official told Ynet it was agreed in principle that the neighborhoods of Shuafat, Wadi Jos, Beit Hanina, Ras el-Amoud and Jabal Mukaber would be transferred to PA control.

He added that progress was also made regarding the excavations at the Temple Mount. The Palestinians have recently claimed that Israel is attempting to build a synagogue under the complex.

The official said that under a future deal Israel would be responsible for security at the Temple Mount while the Palestinians would have sovereignty over the area. In addition, Israel agreed not to conduct any archeological digs at the complex.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office denied al-Quds al-Arabi's report, saying "no agreement has been reached."

Olmert Denies Temple Mount Deal

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office on Monday morning denied a report in Al-Quds al-Arabi that he and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas had agreed to transfer the Temple Mount's holy sites to Jordanian custody, Army Radio reported.

No agreement has been reached on the holy sites in Jerusalem, the Prime Minister's Office said.

According to the report in the London-based newspaper, Olmert and Abbas agreed that the Temple Mount sites would be under Jordanian jurisdiction in a final peace deal, and Jordanian citizenship would be granted to 90,000 east Jerusalem residents.

The report also said it was likely that a supreme supervisory commission would be established, which would include representatives from the United Nations, Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

In response, Shas Chairman Eli Yishai said: "Whoever thinks he has the authority to give up Jerusalem is wrong. The obligation to keep Jerusalem is solid, not a political gust of wind."

When Israel and Jordan signed a peace deal in 1994, it was agreed that Israel would honor the special role of the Hashemite Kingdom over the Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem and in a final Israeli-Palestinian peace accord, Israel would give high importance to Jordan's historic role over the holy sites.

Israel Radio reported that Jordan recently set up a fund for the renovation of Al Aksa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. The head of the fund even proposed that Jordan give Jordanian passports to some 90,000 east Jerusalem residents.

Meanwhile, Vice Prime Minister Haim Ramon told Israel Radio that the question of who would have custody of Jerusalem's holy sites must not be discussed at the moment.

"We must decide that in that area there will be a special body which we will discuss in the future," he said.

Also Monday, in an interview with Army Radio, Ramon said Olmert's coalition would support his plan to give the Palestinians several east Jerusalem neighborhoods in exchange for territory in the West Bank.

Ramon said that even Israel Beiteinu would back such a concession, as would the Labor Party.

"There are two central parties that agree to this," Ramon said. "The most important thing is to preserve the Jewish and democratic state of Israel."

Ramon told Israel Radio that there was a consensus in the Cabinet that "no Palestinian refugee should return to Israel under the law of return, legal or moral."

He proposed a discussion over refugees who wanted to return for humanitarian reasons, saying, "The idea that this will cause Israel's collapse is ridiculous."

On Sunday, Ramon hinted that his Jerusalem plan, announced last month, would be on the negotiating table at the November Middle East peace conference in Annapolis.

Ramon's associates said afterward that he had merely stated his own positions, which he has favored for many years. They said his views had become mainstream and were even adopted by Israel Beiteinu.

According to the plan, Israel would not transfer control of the Old City and neighborhoods around it to the Palestinians, Ramon said in the Monday interview.

In Sunday's Cabinet meeting, Israel Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman surprised many by agreeing that Israel should cede control of certain areas of Jerusalem, while strengthening its control of areas such as the Old City and Mount Scopus.

Lieberman told Israel Radio on Monday that his party supported swapping refugee camps in the Jerusalem area with West Bank settlement blocks.

Temple Mount dig on hold pending cabinet approval

A salvage dig near the Temple Mount's Mughrabi Gate will not be resumed just yet, after Culture Minister Ghaleb Majadele appealed to the cabinet yesterday against a ministerial committee's decision to restart the work.

In his letter to the cabinet, Majadele, who is responsible for the Israel Antiquities Authority, said that resumption of the work is liable to cause riots, especially coming so shortly before Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's planned departure for the Annapolis peace conference. He also asked that opinions be solicited from all the relevant agencies, including the Antiquities Authority and UNESCO, before any decision is made.

The dig is a precursor to the planned construction of a bridge leading to the Mughrabi Gate. The bridge would replace an access ramp that collapsed a few years ago.

Hadash Party Chairman Mohammed Barakeh assailed the ministerial committee's decision yesterday, terming it a "provocation" aimed at "torpedoing the meeting in Annapolis, and the negotiations with the Palestinians, before they have even begun."

"This further reveals the true and well-known face of the Olmert-Barak-Lieberman government," he continued, adding that the decision could set the entire region on fire.

The Islamic Movement also blasted the decision, saying that it indicates Israel's true intentions at the Annapolis conference. "The Palestinians must understand that this is the moment for internal dialogue on establishing a national unity government that would uphold vital Palestinian interests in the face of Israel's attempt to undermine them," it declared in a statement. It also urged Muslims from all over Israel to go to Jerusalem and "demonstrate a presence."

Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, chief rabbi of the Western Wall, retorted that the planned construction is vital to the safety of people visiting the Wall, and urged that it be completed as soon as possible. He also rejected Arab claims that the work is being carried out under the Temple Mount itself.

"These are false claims that lack even a shred of truth," he said. "Work in the Temple Mount compound would violate halakha (Jewish law)."

Such accusations, he added, "inflame hatred and incitement for no reason. Politics must be distanced from the holy places and stick to the facts."

Priestly blessing on Temple Mount
For arguably 1st time since 1st century destruction

A historic first: Last week, during a special visit to the Temple Mount, the Priestly Blessing (Numbers 6:24-26) was recited there, for arguably the first time since the 1st-century destruction.

The Blessing is recited daily in synagogues in Israel by descendants of Aaron the Priest, and only on festivals in the Diaspora.

The special visit was held to commemorate the 842nd anniversary of Maimonides's famous visit to the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site. A group of some 25 Jews, organized by the Temple Institute in Jerusalem, marked the special day with a commemorative visit. Giving extra-special meaning to the occasion was a spontaneous Priestly Blessing delivered to the group by Yehuda Katz, the lead singer of the Reva L'Sheva band, and Eliezer Breuer, originally of the former Soviet Union and now from Kiryat Arba.

Rabbi Chaim Richman, one of the organizers of the trip, said, "This was probably the first time since the destruction of the Temple [1,928 years ago] that the Priestly Blessing was delivered on our holiest site. At times like these, when there is talk of giving away our precious places, and when despair is sometimes in the air, events of this nature serve to remind us that G-d has not forgotten about us, and that He still has big plans for both us and the Holy Temple - and that the Temple will yet become the focal point of the world once again."

Another notable aspect of the visit was the welcoming attitude of the police. "In an unusual departure from standard procedure," one participant said, "we found that the police were particularly sympathetic to our needs. At one point, when the Moslem Wakf guards started yelling that we were praying, one of the policemen took our side and even threatened to remove them if necessary."

Maimonides, also known as the Rambam, made his historic visit to the Temple Mount on the sixth day of the month of MarCheshvan in the year 1166 (4926 in the Jewish calendar). Unanimously considered one of Judaism's greatest figures, the Rambam wrote that he put himself in danger to make a trip to Jerusalem, where he entered "the Large and Holy House [the Temple Mount] and prayed." Three days later, he also visited the Machpelah Cave in Hevron, and vowed to commemorate the anniversaries of those days as his personal festivals for years to come.

Last week's visit was also led by Rabbis Yisrael Ariel and Yehuda Glick. Rabbi Ariel is a former Yeshiva head, founder of the Temple Institute, and one of the paratroopers who took part in the 1967 liberation of the Temple Mount. Rabbi Glick made news briefly over two years ago when, as Director of the Absorption Ministry's Ashkelon region, he became the first public official to resign in protest over the plans to withdraw from and destroy Gush Katif.

Though the Chief Rabbinate disagrees, the Yesha Rabbis Council has ruled that one who ascends and visits the Temple Mount while adhering to three conditions - prior immersion in a mikveh; keeping the laws of Awe of the Temple (no leather shoes, proper respect, etc.); and knowledge of the precise permitted areas - is fulfilling a "great mitzvah [Torah commandment]."

To arrange a trip to the Temple Mount in accordance with the above requirements of Jewish law, click here.

"The more Jews who visit this holy site," Rabbi Richman told Arutz-7, "the more cooperative the police are with us and the more respectful they are of our needs - as some police officers have indicated to me. And the more we encourage Jews with stories like what happened last week, the more they will come."

First Temple-era seal discovered

by Etgar Lefkovits
THE JERUSALEM POST

A First-Temple period seal has been discovered amidst piles of rubble from Jerusalem's Temple Mount, an Israeli archaeologist said Tuesday, in what could prove to be an historic find.

The small - less than 1 cm - seal impression, or bulla, discovered Tuesday by Bar-Ilan University archaeologist Dr. Gabriel Barkay amidst piles of rubble from the Temple Mount would mark the first time that an written artifact was found from the Temple Mount dating back to the First Temple period.

The 2,600 year old artifact, with three lines in ancient Hebrew, was discovered amidst piles of rubble discarded by the Islamic Wakf that Barkay and a team of young archaeologists and volunteers are sifting through on the grounds of a Jerusalem national park.

The seal, which predates the destruction of the First Jewish temple in 586 BCE, was presented Tuesday night to the press at an archaeological conference at the City of David sponsored by the right-wing Elad organization.

Barkay said that the find was the first of its kind from the time of King David.

He has not yet determined what the writing is on the seal, although three Hebrew letters -- thought to be the name of its owner -- are visible on one of its line.

The seal was found amidst thousands of tons of rubble discarded by Wakf officials at city garbage dumps six years ago, following the Islamic Trust's unilateral construction of an mosque at an underground compound of the Temple Mount known as the Solomon's Stables.

After the Antiquities Authority voiced disinterest in thoroughly sifting through the rubble discarded by the Wakf, Barkay applied -- and eventually received –a license from the Antiquities Authority to sort through the piles of earth thrown into the garbage dump in search of antiquities, and has since found scores of history-rich artifacts, from the First Temple Period until today amidst the rubble, including a large amount of pottery dating from the Bronze Ages through modern times, a large segment of a marble pillar's shaft, and over 100 ancient coins, among them several from the Hasmonean Dynasty.

While inexact, the ongoing sifting project, which is now being sponsored by Elad, has being called virtually unprecedented since archaeological excavation has never been permitted on the Temple Mount itself.

Meanwhile, in a separate major archaeological development in Jerusalem, a Jewish ritual bath, or mikva, dating back to the Second Temple period, and a First Temple Wall have been found in an underground chamber adjacent to the Western Wall tunnels, the Antiquities Authority's Jerusalem regional archaeologist Jon Seligman said during a tour.

The site is part of a new state-of-the-art tourist center at the Western Wall tunnels, which will be open to the public in two months' time.

The impressive site, which incorporates ancient and modern Jewish history in an attempt to reach out to Israeli youth, includes an elaborate audiovisual show, and nine magnificent glass sculptures, which serve to highlight both recent discoveries of artifacts and infrastructure dating back thousands of years, including one of the world's oldest aqueducts, as well as modern day Jewish history, such as the Holocaust and Israel's fallen soldiers.

Claim: Israel covering up
Temple Mount destruction
Archaeologists accuse government of 'major crime,'
allowing Muslim authorities to pulverize antiquities

Prominent Temple archeologists here accused the Israeli government today of attempting to cover up its alleged failure to properly supervise a dig in which Islamic Authorities were accused of destroying Temple Mount antiquities.

Experts believe the discoveries included a wall from the Second Jewish Temple.

The archaeologists claim the government's release this week of some First Temple-period relics it says were found during the Islamic dig was part of the purported cover-up. The government's move followed a Supreme Court case charging Israel failed to stop massive destruction of Temple antiquities.

"The [Israeli government] Antiquities Authority clearly and obviously allowed the destruction of antiquities," charged third-generation Temple Mount archaeologist Eilat Mazar, speaking to WND. "What they did is the exact opposite of any proper archaeological supervision, and now they are showing what they say are important finds. They are covering up a major crime."

The Antiquities Authority yesterday released antiquities discovered by its archaeologists during what it said was an excavation coordinated with the Waqf, the Temple Mount's Islamic custodians. The released discoveries included fragments of bowl rims, bases and body shards, the base of a juglet used for the ladling of oil, the handle of a small juglet and the rim of a storage jar.

It was the first time archeological remains from the First Temple period have been found on the Mount.

"The layer is a closed, sealed archeological layer that has been untouched since as early as the eighth century BCE," said Yuval Baruch, the Jerusalem District archeologist for the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Waqf authorities denied any Israeli government excavation was conducted during their dig.

WND visited the site of the Waqf dig a number of times and found the Waqf operating bulldozers but saw no evidence of Israeli excavations.

Mazar and other leading archaeologists speaking to WND today said they were "dumbfounded" the Antiquities Authority claimed any excavation was done during the Islamic dig.

"Perhaps finds were discovered in between the teeth of the Waqf bulldozers, but it's ridiculous to say the Antiquities Authority supervised or conducted any proper dig," said Mazar of Hebrew University. "No proper excavation is conducted with bulldozers. No one saw or reported any excavation. How can an excavation be conducted in secret? Such work is a big job. They are trying to hide their failure to stop the Islamic destruction."

Mazar is also a fellow at Israel's Shalem Center and a member of the Public Committee for Prevention of the Destruction of Antiquities on Temple Mount. Her much-discussed discovery in the City of David, a neighborhood just south of Jerusalem's Old City Walls, is a massive building dating to the 10th century B.C. It is believed to be the remains of the palace of biblical King David, the second leader of a united kingdom of Israel, who ruled from around 1005 to 965 B.C.

Echoing Mazar's comments, a leading Israeli archaeologist charged the Israeli government was attempting to use the released Temple-era fragments as a "smokescreen" to "draw attention away from its incomprehensible failure to halt Muslim destruction" on the Temple Mount.

The expert and Mazar both said a Supreme Court case they brought against the government "prompted" the Antiquities Authority to release its finds.

This summer, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office agreed to allow bulldozers and other heavy equipment to dig a massive trench on the Temple Mount. The holy sites' Islamic Wafq custodians claimed the work was necessary to replace electrical cables outside mosques on the site. The dig, which extended to most of the periphery of the Mount, was protected by the Israeli police and was supposed to be supervised by the Israeli government's Antiquities Authority.

Allowing the use of bulldozers at any sensitive archaeological site is extremely unusual, particularly at the Temple Mount, which experts say contains sealed layers of artifacts as shallow as two to three feet below the surface. The Mount has never been properly excavated. Heavy equipment could easily damage any existing artifacts, say experts, who assert the area should be excavated slowly and carefully by hand.

In September, after bulldozers dug a trench 1,300 feet long and five feet deep, the Muslim diggers came across a wall Israeli archaeologists believe may be remains of an area of the Second Jewish Temple known as the woman's courtyard.

Israel, though, blocked leading archeologists from surveying the massive damage Islamic authorities are accused of causing to the purported wall. It refused to allow up Mazar and other prominent archaologists during many attempts by the experts to inspect the Muslim dig.

Earlier this month, Mazar and other archaeologists filed a Supreme Court case, in part using WND's reporting, to ensure a halt to the Islamic dig on the Mount. Mazar and the other experts were asked by the judge to leave the court while he deliberated with Antiquities Authority officials. Afterwards, the judge ruled based on undisclosed information provided by the officials he was convinced the Antiquities Authority had done it's job to protect the Mount.

"The Authority convinced the court it conducted proper excavations, which is ridiculous to everyone that watched the Islamic destruction," stated Mazar.

During the Muslim dig, the Waqf barred WND from inspecting and filming their massive trench.

The confrontation was captured on video by InfoLive.tv, an Internet-based television network broadcasting in four languages.

WND and the InfoLive.tv camera crew ascended the Mount to obtain footage of the trench, but Waqf guards backed up by the Israeli police stopped the news agencies from approaching open sections of the trench. The guards told WND only closed areas of the trench could be filmed. Sections of the massive trench were being closed up with dirt today before archeologists were able to inspect the site.

After persisting, one Waqf guard asked WND to shut off the camera and vacate the Temple Mount.

cont'd

Rabbi Chaim Richman, director of Israel's Temple Institute, was among those on the Mount this summer. He told WND he attempted to take pictures of the damage the bulldozers were allegedly wrecking on the wall, but his digital camera was confiscated by Israeli police at the direction of Waqf officials.

"If Israel was building a shopping mall and they found what may be an ancient Buddhist structure, the government would stop the construction and have archaeologists go over the area with a fine tooth comb," Richman said. "Here, the holiest site in Judaism is being damaged, a Temple wall was found, and Israel is actively blocking experts from inspecting the site while allowing the destruction to continue."

Richman charged the Waqf was "trying to erase Jewish vestiges from the Temple Mount."

History of destruction

The last time the Waqf conducted a large dig on the Temple Mount – during construction 10 years ago of a massive mosque at an area referred to as Solomon's Stables – the Wafq reportedly disposed truckloads of dirt containing Jewish artifacts from the First and Second Temple periods.

After media reported the disposals, Israeli authorities froze the construction permit given to the Wafq, and the dirt was transferred to Israeli archaeologists for analysis. The Israeli authorities found scores of Jewish Temple relics in the nearly disposed dirt, including coins with Hebrew writing referencing the Temple, part of a Hasmonean lamp, several other Second Temple lamps, Temple-period pottery with Jewish markings, a marble pillar shaft and other Temple period artifacts. The Waqf was widely accused of attempting to hide evidence of the existence of the Jewish Temples.

Temples 'never existed'

Most Palestinian leaders routinely deny well-documented Jewish ties to the Temple Mount.

Speaking to WND in a recent interview, Waqf official and chief Palestinian Justice Taysir Tamimi claimed the Jewish Temples "never existed."

"About these so-called two Temples, they never existed, certainly not at the Haram Al- Sharif (Temple Mount)," said Tamimi, who is considered the second most important Palestinian cleric after Muhammad Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem.

"Israel started since 1967 making archaeological digs to show Jewish signs to prove the relationship between Judaism and the city, and they found nothing. There is no Jewish connection to Israel before the Jews invaded in the 1880s," said Tamimi.

The Palestinian cleric denied the validity of dozens of digs verified by experts worldwide revealing Jewish artifacts from the First and Second Temples, tunnels that snake under the Temple Mount and more than 100 ritual immersion pools believed to have been used by Jewish priests to cleanse themselves before services. The cleansing process is detailed in the Torah.

Asked about the Western Wall, Tamimi said the structure was a tying post for Muhammad's horse and that it is part of the Al Aqsa Mosque, even though the wall predates the mosque by more than 1,000 years.

"The Western Wall is the western wall of the Al Aqsa Mosque," he said. "It's where Prophet Muhammad tied his animal which took him from Mecca to Jerusalem to receive the revelations of Allah."

The Palestinian media also regularly claim the Jewish Temples never existed.

Judaism's holiest site

While the Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism, Muslims say it is their third holiest site.

The First Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. It was expanded by King Herod in 19 B.C. shortly before the birth of Jesus. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's "presence" dwelt. The Dome of the Rock now sits on the site and the Al Aqsa Mosque is adjacent.

The temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays.

The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left intact.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark where Muslims came to believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven.

Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran. Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from "a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to "the farthest mosque" and from a rock there ascended to heaven. The farthest mosque later became associated with Jerusalem.

Israel has no jurisdiction on Temple Mount, says culture minister

Raleb Majadele, Arieh Eldad polemicize over question of Israel's legal pull on Temple Mount. 'In keeping with the status-quo al-Aqsa cannot be under Israel's legal control,' says Majadele

Does the State of Israel have any jurisdiction on Temple Mount? Not according to Science, Culture and Sport Minister Raleb Majadele.

Majadele was called Tuesday to answer a parliamentary question regarding Israel's jurisdiction on the Temple Mount in regards to the digs performed on the site by the Waqf (Muslim administrative body in Jerusalem), which was brought to the Knesset by MK Arieh Eldad (National Union).

"I recently received a series of photographs of the digs near and around Temple Mount. The police is monitoring the digs, but there is no one from the Israel Antiquities Authority overseeing them and there is a real concern that any archeological finding discovered there might be destroyed by the Waqf," said Eldad.

"I would like to know what is being done in the immediate future to stop the destruction of the Temple's remains?"

The digs, replied Majadele, have been supervised by the IAA since their beginning, adding he has been working on "creating an understanding and cooperation between the Waqf and the IAA, which I hope will continue for a long time."

But does the State of Israel have any legal pull on Temple Mount, asked Eldad. "In my opinion," answered Majadele, "absolutely not."

Eldad went on to wonder if Majadele's reply was a testament to the government's opinion on the matter. "I can only speak my mind… I am a Muslim first and a minister second.

"Al-Aqsa (Mosque) is a holy site for Muslims and we are keeping the status-quo... but with all due respect, laws exist to honor man and his religion, not to enslave them. Al-Aqsa cannot be under Israel's legali jurisdiction."

Should the law contradict his religious beliefs, added Majadele, his choice is clear: "I'm a man of law and I will respect the State law, but if I have to choose between them and my faith, I will know where my choice lies."

Following Majadele's response to his query, Eldad demanded Tuesday that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert fire Majadele, and called on Attorney General Menachem Mazuz to launch an investigation against him, on suspicion of breach of trust.

Wakf approves Ottoman memorial near Temple Mount

A Turkish government proposal to erect a memorial near the eastern wall of Jerusalem's Temple Mount to honor soldiers who died fighting for the Ottoman Empire has the backing of Islamic officials who oversee the ancient compound, Palestinian officials said Monday.

The plan, which would see the memorial's construction near a Muslim cemetery close to the Golden Gate, has the approval of Wakf officials who administer the Jerusalem holy site, but has not been formally submitted to Israeli officials for approval.

"This plan was approved by the Wakf," said Palestinian Minister for Jerusalem Affairs gotcha98 Husseini, referring to the Islamic Trust that administers the Temple Mount.

Husseini, a former Wakf director, added that there were "some difficulties" with advancing the project, which was first approved two years ago, citing Israeli opposition to the plan.

The intended memorial, which would be located several meters away from the Temple Mount on a 120-square meter plot, would be about three meters high and would be adorned by a Turkish flag.

The Jerusalem Municipality said Monday in a statement that no official request had been submitted to the city on the issue, but that if such a request were presented it would be considered and dealt with in accordance with the law.

The proposal is opposed by rightist city councilmen, but would more likely be authorized if it receives the backing of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, due to the diplomatic sensitivities involved.

The Prime Minister's Office said Monday that it was "unaware" of such a proposal.

Jerusalem city councilor Yair Gabbai (National Religious Party) has asked the city's legal adviser for a legal opinion on the planned memorial, noting that by law all construction is forbidden within 70 meters of the Temple Mount walls.

According to decades-old regulations in place at the Temple Mount, Israel maintains overall security control at the site, while the Wakf, or the Islamic Trust, is charged with day-to-day administration of the compound.

The Ottoman Empire ruled Jerusalem for 400 years between 1517 and 1917, when the British army led by General Allenby captured the city during World War I.

The proposed monument is a delicate issue because Turkey - which has repeatedly played the role of mediator between the Jewish state and its Muslim neighbors - is Israel's closest ally in the Islamic world.

Earlier this year, Turkey served as a mediator between Israel and Islamic officials over a controversial Israeli dig outside the Temple Mount compound which triggered low-level Arab violence throughout the region.

Israeli leader lying about Temple Mount?
Claims site not up for talks, but Palestinians say PM already agreed to forfeiture

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's statements yesterday that Israel's sovereignty over the Temple Mount is not up for negotiation are "false," according to a chief Palestinian negotiator who told WND the Israeli leader already agreed to forfeit Judaism's holiest site to a coalition of Arab countries.

"What Olmert said [regarding the Mount] is absolutely false. I think he's not yet ready to tell the Israeli public and is waiting for the right time and he fears his coalition with religious extremists will fall apart if he announces it now," said a senior Palestinian negotiator, speaking to WND today from Annapolis on condition his name be withheld.

Olmert's maintains a government coalition with the religious Shas party and Russian Yisroel Beiteinu party but if those two bolt, the prime minister could create a new coalition with leftist parties.

The chief Palestinian negotiator said in months leading up to Annapolis the Palestinian team was "surprised" by Olmert's willingness to give up the Mount.

"We had intense debates on many topics, which remain open and unsettled, but the Harem Al-Sharif (Temple Mount) is not a sticking point. The Israelis didn't argue with us. We were pleasantly surprised Olmert didn't debate about giving the lower section of the [Mount] either, which was a sticking point in the past."

According to the negotiator, Olmert agreed to evacuate the Mount but not to turn it over to the Palestinians alone. The negotiator said both sides agreed the Temple Mount would be given to joint Egypt, Jordan and Palestinian Authority control.

He said the Israeli government felt an umbrella group of several Arab countries controlling the holy site instead of only the PA would help ease Israeli domestic opposition to giving up the Temple Mount, since Egypt and Jordan are considered by Israeli policy to be moderate countries.

The Palestinian negotiator pointed out Israeli prime ministers previously denied withdrawal plans only to later carry them out. Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, elected on a platform against evacuating territory, denied for his first year in office he would retreat from the Gaza Strip but in 2005 he carried out a Gaza withdrawal.

In a briefing to reporters yesterday, Olmert claimed Israel's sovereignty over the Temple Mount is not up for discussion. He said negotiations started at this week's Annapolis summit had no bearing on the situation on the Temple Mount.

At the start of Tuesday's summit, President Bush read a joint declaration agreed to by Olmert and PA President Mahmoud Abbas committing the two to launch immediate negotiations aimed at "two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side."

The parties said they would aim to conclude an agreement before Bush leaves office next year, with Israel widely expected to evacuate large swaths of the West Bank and eastern sections of Jerusalem, handing Abbas the strategic territories. Israel recaptured the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount, in 1967.

"The negotiations will address all of the issues which we have thus far avoided dealing with," said Olmert on Tuesday. "I am convinced that the reality that emerged in our region in 1967 will change significantly. I know this. Many of my people know this. We are prepared for it."

Olmert would not be the first Israeli leader willing to forfeit the Temple Mount.

During U.S.-led negotiations in 2000, Ehud Barak, then prime minister, reportedly was willing to forfeit the Temple Mount to international control. The negotiations fell through after Palestinian President Yasser Arafat rejected an offer of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and eastern sections of Jerusalem.

Adviser Gilad Sher – who represented Barak at initial Israeli-Palestinian planning meetings in 2000 during which President Clinton discussed the Temple Mount – wrote in his book "Beyond Reach" that Clinton's plan called for the Temple Mount to become Palestinian sovereign territory, while the Western Wall below and its complex would fall under Israeli sovereignty.

Barak was said to have initially rejected that plan, but according to participants at the negotiations summit, he was ultimately willing to place the Mount under international sovereignty.

Israel bars Jews, Christians from praying on Mount

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. Muslims say it is their third holiest site.

The First Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's "presence" dwelt. The Al Aqsa Mosque now sits on the site.

The Temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays.

The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left intact.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark where Muslims came to believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven.

Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran. Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from "a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to "the farthest mosque" and from a rock there ascended to heaven. The farthest mosque later became associated with the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Currently under Israeli control, Jews and Christians are barred from praying on the Mount.

The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until September 2000, when the Palestinians started their intifada by throwing stones at Jewish worshipers after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the area.

Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians.

The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003. It still is open but only Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered "sensitive" by the Waqf.

During "open" days, Jews and Christian are allowed to ascend the Mount, usually through organized tours and only if they conform first to a strict set of guidelines, which includes demands that they not pray or bring any "holy objects" to the site. Visitors are banned from entering any of the mosques without direct Waqf permission. Rules are enforced by Waqf agents, who watch tours closely and alert nearby Israeli police to any breaking of their guidelines.

Support Sought for Temple Mount Synagogue

Haifa's long-time Chief Rabbi She'ar-Yashuv Cohen, who has taken part in many interfaith conferences and gatherings with Moslem religious leaders, says he's trying to gather support for a synagogue on the Temple Mount.

Rabbi Cohen, son of the late renowned Torah scholar known as the Nazir, Rabbi David Cohen, chairs the Chief Rabbinate Council for the Establishment of a Synagogue on the Temple Mount. Speaking on a special Temple Mount radio program on Voice of Israel's Moreshet (Tradition)-channel this week, he said he is working in the United States to amass support for the project.

Other rabbis have also called for the construction of a Jewish prayer site on the Temple Mount. Former Chief Sephardic Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu is among them, though he has not campaigned for this cause. Other members on the Chief Rabbinate committee are Be'er Sheva's Chief Rabbi Yehuda Deri and Tzfat's Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu.

Jewish Temple Mount supporters greeted Rabbi Cohen's announcement with enthusiasm. The Movement for the Establishment of the Temple declared, "The holiday of Chanukah, commemorating the liberation and purification of the Mount and the Temple, is the perfect time for the establishment of a prayer site for the Jewish People on the Mount. This will be a step towards full Jewish sovereignty over the holy site."

Rabbi Cohen took advantage of the opportunity to call upon the observant Jewish public to visit the site of the Holy Temple. He said this must be done only after taking the prescribed Halakhic [Jewish legal] precautions, such as immersing in a mikveh beforehand and others.

Other Temple Mount News

On Monday, the famous golden Menorah (candelabrum) - suitable for use in the Holy Temple, and familiar to visitors to the Cardo section of the Old City of Jerusalem - was relocated to the landing of the wide staircase that leads down from the Jewish Quarter to the Western Wall. The $3-million, one-half ton Menorah is protected inside the same type of glass structure that has housed it until now. The Menorah's construction was made possible through the generosity of Vadim Rabinovitch, a leader of the Jewish community of Ukraine.

Some 1,500 people took part in the monthly "Temple Mount Gates March" on Sunday night, Rosh Chodesh (New Moon) Tevet. The event was dedicated to the memory of Ido Zoldan, who was murdered last month by Palestinian terrorists; his family took part in the march.

Hundreds of Jews have ascended to the Mount "in purity" - i.e., according to Jewish Law - on the various days of Chanukah. Rabbis of the Movement for the Establishment of the Temple were on hand to provide guidance and explanations.

Hamas plans Temple Mount
broadcast on Jewish holiday
But Israel bans Jews, Christians
from ascending site on same day

The Hamas terror organization is planning a radio broadcast Wednesday from the Temple Mount – Judaism's holiest site – while the Israeli government has completely banned Jews and Christians from ascending the Mount that same day for fear of offending Muslims, WND has learned.

"Our broadcast is very symbolic and is only the start," said Abu Abdullah, a leader of Hamas' so-called military wing in the Gaza Strip. "In the coming years, Hamas and other organizations will be broadcasting freely from the [Mount], which will be under full Islamic control protected by a Muslim army."

Wednesday marks the Muslim holiday of Ein ul-Adhaa, which commemorates the Islamic belief of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael for Allah. The Torah says Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac, not Ishmael.

Wednesday is also the Jewish fast day of the Tenth of Tevet, which commemorates the start of the siege of Jerusalem leading up to the destruction of the First Jewish Temple during the reign of the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar. The fast also was proclaimed to mourn the First Temple's destruction.

Jewish organizations and Temple Mount activist groups here were planning mass visits to the Temple Mount Wednesday morning during the fast.

Rabbi Chaim Richman, director of the international department at Israel's Temple Institute, which planned to lead a tour of the Mount, told WND the Israeli police informed his group yesterday they decided the Mount would be closed Wednesday to non-Muslims for fear of offending Muslims on the Islamic holiday.

Due to Israeli restrictions at Judaism's holiest site, the Temple Mount is open only to non-Muslims Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered "sensitive" by the Waqf, the Mount's Islamic custodians.

Meanwhile, WND has learned Hamas is planning to exclusively broadcast the Ein ul-Adhaa morning prayers and following sermons from the Mount's Al Aqsa Mosque, which Muslims say is their third holiest site.

The services are slated to be aired on Al Aqsa radio, Hamas' official radio network. The station routinely broadcasts sermons and speeches from Hamas leaders and Hamas-affiliated sheiks calling for the destruction of Israel and murder of Jews. It has been airing commercials the past few days promoting Wednesday's Temple Mount broadcast.

All broadcasts from the Mount must be approved by the Waqf, which guard the Muslim entrances to the Temple Mount along with the Israeli police. Broadcasts in theory must also be approved by the Israeli police, but cameramen and reporters routinely enter the site from Muslim gates to broadcast without prior police approval as long as Waqf agents allow the entry.

Asked if the police approved the Hamas broadcast, Jerusalem Police Spokesman Shmulik Ben Ruby told WND, "As far as I know, the Israeli police is not engaged with this issue."

Ben Ruby confirmed the Mount would be completely closed to non-Muslims on Wednesday due to the Islamic holiday.

Hamas would not say how they planned to coordinate the broadcast from the Temple Mount. But Wednesday's scheduled broadcast would not be the first by a terror group.

WND broke the story in September that the Islamic Jihad terror organization exclusively broadcast daily Ramadan prayers from the Mount on their official station, the Al Quds Network. The radio network regularly features Iranian and anti-Semitic propaganda and death threats against Jews.

According to Palestinian security sources speaking to WND, Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds radio used technicians from the Voice of Palestine, the official radio network of the Palestinian Authority, to facilitate the Temple Mount broadcasts, even though the program is not aired on PA radio. The Voice of Palestine has a permit to broadcast from the Mount.

The Palestinian sources said the Waqf as well as the PA was "well aware" Islamic Jihad was broadcasting from the Mount.

Islamic Jihad, together with Fatah's Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group, took responsibility for every suicide bombing in Israel the last three years. Islamic Jihad also carried out scores of deadly rocket and shooting attacks and is one of the most active Palestinian terrorist organizations.

Rabbi Richman called Wednesday's scheduled Hamas broadcast "astounding."

"The siege of Nebuchadnezzar is recurring again in our time, this time through the Israeli government, which is banning Jews and Christians but is allowing Hamas, who will defile God in our holiest place. There is no greater demonstration of the total spiritual bankruptcy of the Israeli government."

Temple Mount: No prayer zone

The First Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's "presence" dwelt. The Al Aqsa Mosque now sits on the site.

The Temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays.

The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left intact.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark where Muslims came to believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven.

Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran. Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from "a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to "the farthest mosque" and from a rock there ascended to heaven. The farthest mosque later became associated with the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until September 2000, when the Palestinians started their intifada by throwing stones at Jewish worshipers after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the area.

Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians.

The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003 but only on select days for certain hours.

During "open" days, Jews and Christian are allowed to ascend the Mount, usually through organized tours and only if they conform first to a strict set of guidelines, which includes demands that they not pray or bring any "holy objects" to the site. Visitors are banned from entering any of the mosques without direct Waqf permission. Rules are enforced by Waqf agents, who watch tours closely and alert nearby Israeli police to any breaking of their guidelines.

Cops probe Temple Mount broadcasts
Terrorists' shows unimpeded from Judaism's holiest site

Israeli police said they are "investigating" WND reports Hamas has been exclusively broadcasting Muslim prayers from the Temple Mount, but police officials would not say if they would stop the terror group's daily broadcasts from Judaism's holiest site.

"We are aware of the situation now and we are investigating who might be responsible," said Jerusalem police spokesman Shmulik Ben Ruby.

Ben Ruby would not indicate whether or not the police would act to halt the Hamas programming.

Police here are responsible for security on the Mount and theoretically must approve broadcasts from the site.

WND broke the story that Hamas Wednesday exclusively broadcast Muslim prayers from the Mount's Al Aqsa Mosque on the group's official radio station, Al Aqsa Radio. The services are broadcast alongside anti-Semitic commentary, including incitement against Jews.

The official Hamas radio network announced last week it would continue airing exclusive daily streams of Muslim morning services from the Temple Mount, and, indeed, the broadcasts continued yesterday as scheduled. Hamas radio is heard throughout Palestinian cities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Spokesmen for both the Jerusalem Police and Israel's National Police said their respective departments were not aware of Hamas' planned broadcast until the publication of WND's original story on the topic last Monday.

Security sources said the police know which officials and individuals have been facilitating the Hamas broadcasts, which are fully coordinated with the Waqf, the Islamic custodians of the Temple Mount.

Hamas for the sixth consecutive day broadcast yesterday's morning services from the Mount's Al Aqsa Mosque from 5:05 a.m. Jerusalem time until 5:50 a.m.

"Our broadcast is a victory for the Al Aqsa Mosque, which is suffering from Judaization efforts imposed by the Zionist government. Broadcasting daily radio is a way to bring Al Aqsa to the Gaza Strip and challenge the siege imposed on us by the Zionist entity," said Rami Kaoud, a manager at Al Aqsa Radio.

All broadcasts from the Mount must be approved by the Waqf, which guard the Muslim entrances to the Temple Mount along with the Israeli police. Broadcasts in theory must also be approved by the Israeli police, but cameramen and reporters routinely enter the site from Muslim gates to broadcast without prior police approval as long as Waqf agents allow the entry.

While Israel again has not yet acted to halt Hamas broadcasts, for most of last week it barred all non-Muslims from ascending the Mount, even on a Jewish holiday held last Wednesday.

Last Wednesday marked the start of Muslim holiday of Ein ul-Adhaa, which commemorates the Islamic belief of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael for Allah. According to Jewish and Christian tradition, Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac, not Ishmael.

Also on Wednesday, Jews commemorated the Jewish fast day of the Tenth of Tevet, mourning the First Temple's destruction and the siege placed on Jerusalem leading up to Temple's destruction during the reign of the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar.

Jewish organizations and Temple Mount activist groups here were planning visits to the Temple Mount in observance of last Wednesday's Jewish day of mourning. Rabbi Chaim Richman, director of the international department at Israel's Temple Institute, a Mount activist group which planned to lead a tour of the site this week, said Israeli police informed his group earlier this week that they had decided the Mount would be closed the rest of the week to non-Muslims for fear of offending Muslims on the Islamic holiday.

Due to Israeli restrictions, the Temple Mount is open only to non-Muslims Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered "sensitive" by the Waqf, the Mount's Islamic custodians.

Temple Mount: No prayer zone

The First Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's "presence" dwelt. The Al Aqsa Mosque now sits on the site.

The Temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays.

The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left intact.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark where Muslims came to believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven.

Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran. Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from "a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to "the farthest mosque" and from a rock there ascended to heaven. The farthest mosque later became associated with the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until September 2000, when the Palestinians started their intifada by throwing stones at Jewish worshipers after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the area.

Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians.

The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003 but only on select days for certain hours.

During "open" days, Jews and Christian are allowed to ascend the Mount, usually through organized tours and only if they conform first to a strict set of guidelines, which includes demands that they not pray or bring any "holy objects" to the site. Visitors are banned from entering any of the mosques without direct Waqf permission. Rules are enforced by Waqf agents, who watch tours closely and alert nearby Israeli police to any breaking of their guidelines.

Jews demand right to pray on Temple Mount
Israeli law forbids non-Muslim worship while Hamas broadcasting from Judaism's holiest site

Rabbinic leaders and Temple Mount activist groups here today demanded the Israeli government allow Jews to pray on the Temple Mount – Judaism's holiest site.

Israeli restrictions forbid Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount and only allow Jews to ascend for certain hours on some days while the Mount is open to Muslims yearlong. Muslim prayer services take place throughout the day on the many mosques and Islamic religious schools situated on the holy site.

"We demand the Government of Israel allow the Jewish people to have freedom of religious expression on the Temple Mount. This will serve as a preliminary step in confirming the Jewish people's inexorable connection with the Temple Mount, location of the Holy Temple, under the sovereignty of the people of Israel," states a letter to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert signed by the leaders of the New Jewish Congress, the Sanhedrin and the Holy Temple and Temple Mount movements.

The Congress is a group of religious Zionist leaders here while the Sanhedrin consists of prominent rabbinic leaders who in 2004 reformed the ancient group of Jewish judges that previously constituted the legislative body of Israel. The reformed Sanhedrin has been a subject of debate within some Jewish communities.

The rabbinic leaders and activists demanded the Israeli government move toward allowing non-Muslim worship by initially establishing special days for Jewish communal prayer in fixed locations on the Temple Mount.

They demanded Olmert allow prayer on the Mount on important Jewish holidays, including Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, the first day of Hanukkah and on the Israeli national holidays of Jerusalem Day and Israeli Independence Day.

Not all rabbinic figures allow Jewish prayer on the Mount although many schools do as long as entry and prayer is restricted to outer areas of the Mount, which can be measured by a change in the kind of foundation stone.

According to Jewish law, the sanctity of the Temple Mount is structured in concentric circles. In the innermost circles, where the Holy of Holies was said to be located, the restrictions of Jewish access are the greatest. Jewish tradition and literature relates that during Temple times, only the kohen gadal, or high priest, was allowed to enter the most restricted area, and this happened once a year on Yom Kippur. The outer layers are less restricted.

The rabbis' and activists' letter to Olmert was prompted by an episode last week – reported exclusively by WND – in which Israeli forces closed the Mount to Jews during an important Jewish fast day mourning the First Temple's destruction while the Hamas terror organization broadcast from the Mount's Al Aqsa Mosque, which Muslims say is their third holiest site.

"In light of the broadcast of Hamas from the Temple Mount and the serious implications of this situation, we demand that the Government of Israel allow the Jewish people to have freedom of religious expression on the Temple Mount," stated the rabbis' letter to Olmert.

WND broke the story that Hamas Wednesday exclusively broadcast Muslim prayers from the Mount's Al Aqsa Mosque on the group's official radio station, Al Aqsa Radio. The services are broadcast alongside anti-Semitic commentary, including incitement against Jews.

The official Hamas radio network announced last week it would continue airing exclusive daily streams of Muslim morning services from the Temple Mount, and, indeed, the broadcasts continued yesterday as scheduled. Hamas radio is heard throughout Palestinian cities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"Our broadcast is a victory for the Al Aqsa Mosque, which is suffering from Judaization efforts imposed by the Zionist government. Broadcasting daily radio is a way to bring Al Aqsa to the Gaza Strip and challenge the siege imposed on us by the Zionist entity," said Rami Kaoud, a manager at Al Aqsa Radio.

All broadcasts from the Mount must be approved by the Waqf, which guard the Muslim entrances to the Temple Mount along with the Israeli police. Broadcasts in theory must also be approved by the Israeli police, but cameramen and reporters routinely enter the site from Muslim gates to broadcast without prior police approval as long as Waqf agents allow the entry.

While Israel again has not yet acted to halt Hamas broadcasts, for most of last week it barred all non-Muslims from ascending the Mount, even on a Jewish holiday held last Wednesday.

Last Wednesday marked the start of Muslim holiday of Ein ul-Adhaa, which commemorates the Islamic belief of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael for Allah. According to Jewish and Christian tradition, Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac, not Ishmael.

Also last Wednesday, Jews commemorated the Jewish fast day of the Tenth of Tevet, mourning the First Temple's destruction and the siege placed on Jerusalem leading up to Temple's destruction during the reign of the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar.

Jewish organizations and Temple Mount activist groups here were planning visits to the Temple Mount in observance of last Wednesday's Jewish day of mourning. Rabbi Chaim Richman, director of the international department at Israel's Temple Institute, a Mount activist group which planned to lead a tour of the site this week, said Israeli police informed his group earlier this week that they had decided the Mount would be closed the rest of the week to non-Muslims for fear of offending Muslims on the Islamic holiday.

Due to Israeli restrictions, the Temple Mount is open only to non-Muslims Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered "sensitive" by the Waqf, the Mount's Islamic custodians.

The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until September 2000, when the Palestinians started their intifada by throwing stones at Jewish worshipers after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the area.

Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians.

The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003, but only on select days for certain hours.

The First Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's "presence" dwelt. The Al Aqsa Mosque now sits on the site.

The Temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays.

The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left intact.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark where Muslims came to believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven.

The letter to Olmert called the Temple Mount "the holiest place in the world for the Jewish people, yet Jews are denied the right to pray in groups, and even as individuals ... they are granted no opportunity for any religious expression whatsoever on the Temple Mount."

"However, let it be known that the Jewish people will never accept the total refusal of Jewish communal prayer on the Mountain," the letter states.

Israel bars Jews from moving lips in prayer on Temple Mount
Even slightest 'sign' of Jewish worship prohibited at Judaism's holiest site

Jews are not allowed to pray on the Temple Mount in any way whatsoever, even if they only move their lips or demonstrate other "signs" of prayer on Judaism's holiest site, ruled Avi Dichter, Israel's public security minister.

Dichter was responding to a recent decision by two Knesset members who said they would ascend the Temple Mount quietly – without informing the media or making any protest – and attempt to pray on the holy site.

The lawmakers, Uri Ariel and Aryeh Eldad from Israel's National Union Party, said Muslim prayer services take place throughout the day in the many mosques and Islamic religious schools situated on the holy site, and Jews should be able to pray as individuals on the Mount.

In a letter to the lawmakers, Dichter, Israel's highest ranking public security officer, wrote that while police cannot generally arrest a person "conversing with his maker ... however it is possible to carry out an arrest for expressions of outward and demonstrative signs [of prayer on the Temple Mount]."

Dichter's use of the phrase "conversing with his maker" mimicked the terminology used by Ariel and Eldad to describe prayer.

Dichter wrote his interpretation of Israeli law "is in line with the rationale that bans Jews from praying at the site, in light of serious concerns that this will serve as a provocation, resulting in disorder, with a near certain likelihood of subsequent bloodshed."

Israeli restrictions bar Jewish groups from praying on the Temple Mount and only allow Jews to ascend for certain hours on some days, while the Mount is open to Muslims all year.

According to strict interpretation of a 1973 Israeli law, a Jew as an individual can pray on the Temple Mount as long as the prayer is not uttered as a protest of Jewish rights to the holy site. But Israeli police forbid all Jewish prayer at the site, although there have been a few instances recently in which Jews prayed there without being arrested.

While Dichter vehemently opposed even the slightest pretence of a Jew praying on the Mount, his security ministry and the Israeli police have not acted to halt the Hamas terror group's daily broadcast of Islamic prayer services from the Mount's Al Aqsa Mosque, considered the third holiest site in Islam.

WND broke the story that Hamas last month starting broadcasting the Mount's daily Muslim prayers on the group's official radio station, Al Aqsa Radio. The services are broadcast alongside anti-Semitic commentary, including incitement against Jews.

The official Hamas radio network announced it would continue airing exclusive daily streams of Muslim morning services from the Temple Mount, and, indeed, the broadcasts have continued as scheduled, with this morning's prayer services streamed live by Hamas.

Hamas radio is heard throughout Palestinian cities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"Our broadcast is a victory for the Al Aqsa Mosque, which is suffering from Judaization efforts imposed by the Zionist government," said Rami Kaoud, a manager at Al Aqsa Radio. "Broadcasting daily radio is a way to bring Al Aqsa to the Gaza Strip and challenge the siege imposed on us by the Zionist entity."

All broadcasts from the Mount must be approved by the Waqf, which guard the Muslim entrances to the Temple Mount along with the Israeli police. Broadcasts must also be approved by the Israeli police, but cameramen and reporters routinely enter the site from Muslim gates to broadcast without prior police approval as long as Waqf agents allow the entry.

Rabbi Chaim Richman, a spokesman for the New Jewish Congress, a group of religious Zionist leaders, told WND Dichter's comments today restricting Jewish prayer "convey hatred and discrimination towards the Jewish people."

"Dichter's statement is yet another indication that the government of [Israeli Prime Minister] Ehud Olmert has ceased to be a Jewish government altogether, having not the slightest connection with the Jewish people."

Dichter is a member of Olmert's ruling Kadima party.

The Temple Mount is site of the First Jewish Temple, which was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt at the same location in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's "presence" dwelt. The Dome of the Rock, adjacent to the Al Aqsa Mosque, now sits on the site.

The Temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays.

The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left intact.

Pastor Roger,

Brother, this is just another clear indication that the world is ripe for the ONE and ONLY REAL GOD - ALMIGHTY GOD - to Come Again, claim what is HIS, and make every surviving knee bow to HIM. The LORD OF LORDS AND KING OF KINGS will not be denied! HIS Patience for these thousands of years is amazing, but we all should know that HIS Patience will soon be exhausted, and HE will pour our HIS Righteous Wrath on evil. As far as I'm concerned, I would say, "LORD, please come quickly!"

Love In Christ,
Tom

Revelation 16:1-21 NASB
Then I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God." So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image. The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood like that of a dead man; and every living thing in the sea died. Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying, "Righteous are You, who are and who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things; for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. They deserve it." And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments." The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory. Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds. The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. ("Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.") And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon. Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, "It is done." And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, *came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague *was extremely severe.

Temple Mount: From Hamas Broadcasts to Jewish Prayer Ban

Public Security Minister Avi Dichter announced on Tuesday the government's official policy regarding Jewish prayer on the site of the Holy Temple. He made it quite simple: "Jews may pray on their holiest site - but only in their heart."

Dichter explained that government policy on the Mount is dictated by the wish to ensure that bloodshed not occur. He said that Jews moving their lips in prayer on the Mount, which the Moslems have sanctified as their own, can be seen as a Jewish provocation that could lead to bloodshed.

Knesset Members Aryeh Eldad and Uri Ariel - both of the National Union party and both residents of Kfar Adumim in the Jordan Valley - had submitted a request to pray on the holy site, and Dichter's response was the result.

Though the two had pledged not to perpetrate "group prayer" or "demonstrative prayer," both of which have been banned for Jews at the Temple Mount, Dichter said that the "outer trappings" of private prayer - namely, moving of lips - render even that forbidden. In his response to the MKs, Dichter noted that the only option for Jews who wish to pray on their most sacred site "is to exchange thoughts with his G-d in his heart."

The New Jewish Congress responded with barely-controlled fury, issuing this statement:

"Minister Dichter's comments demonstrate his, and this government's, total disconnect from the reality of the Temple Mount, from the Jewish people, and from the government's obligations towards both. This is yet another indication that the government of Ehud Olmert has ceased to be a Jewish government altogether, having not the slightest connection with the Jewish people."

Just two weeks ago, the government did nothing when Fatah allowed Hamas to broadcast its anti-Jewish incitement directly from the Temple Mount. The New Jewish Congress noted the irony of the juxtaposition of the loud and clear Hamas broadcasts and the banned silent Jewish prayer emanating from the same site - that of the Holy Temple.

"In reality," the statement continued, "the Jewish people enjoy freedom of religious expression, including prayer and Torah study, everywhere - except on the Temple Mount, their only holy site."

"Minister Dichter's comments convey hatred and discrimination towards the Jewish people," the New Jewish Congress stated. "In due time, this government will be held accountable for its actions and will stand trial in a Jewish court of justice that will be established by the Jewish people."

Request for Communal Jewish Prayer

Just last week, four top Temple Mount activists and New Jewish Congress leaders - Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, Rabbi Yosef Elbaum, Prof. Hillel Weiss, and Rabbi Chaim Richman - penned a letter to Prime Minister Olmert asking for specific days on which Jews would be allowed to pray atop the Temple Mount.

The letter states that while now, Jews are degraded on the Temple Mount, "it is our position that if the stature of the Jews on the Temple Mount were to change positively, then the standing of the State of Israel would immediately improve. This would effect a positive change for the benefit and security of all its citizens."

Noting that the very day of mourning prayers for the six million Holocaust victims was also the day on which Hamas incitement to violence and death to Jews emanated from the Temple Mount - "we view [this juxtaposition of] events as a horrific failure of this government" - the signatories wrote, "We demand that the Government of Israel allow the Jewish people to have freedom of religious expression on the Temple Mount. Additionally, the government must establish special fixed days for Jewish communal prayer in fixed locations on the Temple Mount. This move will serve as evidence of Jewish sovereignty on the Mount."

The specific days on which the Jews should have rights to pray communally atop the Temple Mount, according to the writers, are: Passover Eve [a day on which Jews are commanded to bring the Paschal lamb - a right that Israel's High Court of Justice has recognized, in case #2955/07], Passover, Sukkot, Shavuot, Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, Chanukah (first day), Israel Independence Day, Jerusalem Day, and the three fast days commemorating the destruction of Jerusalem (Tisha B'Av, Tevet 10, and Tammuz 17). In addition, once every seven years, at the Hakhel Ceremony concluding the Shemittah (Sabbatical) year, Jews should be allowed to pray at the holy site.

"If you do not accept our appeal and demand," the letter concludes, "we shall understand that the chasm separating the Jewish people - whose values have remained unchanged since time immemorial - and the current composition of the Government of Israel, as reflected by its policies, is immeasurably widening and deepening with each passing day."

No response has yet been received.

The Temple treasures looted by the Romans in 70 AD are now back in the Holy Land

According to a British archaeologist, Sean Kingsley a specialist on the Holy Land, the collection of sacred artifacts looted by the Romans from the Temple in Jerusalem and long suspected of being hidden in the vaults of the Vatican are actually in the Holy Land.

Kingsley claims to have discovered what became of the collection which is widely regarded as the greatest of biblical treasures and includes the implements used in Herod's Temple at the time of Jesus Christ. Kingsley believes that the Temple treasures remain a deadly political tool in the volatile Arab-Israeli conflict and that these treasures are in a hiding place deep in Hamas territory in Judea and Samaria.

The claim by British archaeologist Sean Kingsley that the Temple treasures are hidden deep in Hamas territory in Israel is very interesting in light of biblical prophecy.

Dr. Sean Kingsley's claim that the treasures from Herod's Temple from the time of Jesus Christ are today somewhere hidden deep in Hamas territory, if true could well rock the world's religions. Kingsley believes the treasure resonates fiercely across modern politics and remains a deadly tool in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict centered on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Tradition says that General Titus, leader of the Roman army who looted the Temple treasures in 70 AD took all the Temple implements to Rome and that these sacred items remain there 'til today. Kingsley claims that these Temple treasures traveled first to Carthage, then to Constantinople, before being returned to the Holy Land and are now hidden deep in Hamas territory.

Kingsley may or may not be right, but what we do know for sure is that these implements or a replica of them will be used in a Temple to be rebuilt by the Jewish people during the seven year Tribulation Period yet future in Jerusalem, that can be found in the book of Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15, II Thessalonians 2:4 and Revelation 11:1-2.

The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has replicated all the Temple implements and trained the priests to operate this coming Temple, a Temple ready to be rebuilt in Jerusalem.

An Islamic leader in Israel denies the Jewish Temples ever existed in Jerusalem

The al Aqsa Mosque, known as the Temple Mount to the Jewish people, was never the site of a Jewish Temple according to the head of the Islamic movement, Sheikh Raad Salah who said that the claims of the Jews are a big lie and they have no right to even one speck of dirt on the location.

The sheikh said he believes that Moslems are at a critical time in history, that al Aqsa is in danger and Jerusalem is in danger and the Moslem world must save al Aqsa, free Jerusalem and
end the Israeli occupation. Sheikh Salah believes that Jerusalem is not only houses, it is faith, it is history, it is a present, a future, an eternal right that the Moslems will not relinquish.

An Islamic leader that says there was never a Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and then says that piece of real estate actually belongs to the Moslems is playing a role that was foretold in Bible prophecy.

It sounds like an echo chamber here in Jerusalem as one Islamic leader after another makes the statement that there was never a Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount, a fact disputed by both Biblical and secular history. Islamic leaders claim that there is no archaeological evidence of a previous Jewish presence on the Temple Mount. With total disregard for Biblical history, these Islamic leaders make claims that can be easily disproved.

The Bible reveals that King Solomon built the first Jewish Temple on Mount Moriah, the Temple Mount almost 3,000 years ago, II Chronicles 3:1. There is the Biblical account of the building and the dedicatory service of the second Jewish Temple built in Jerusalem around 2,500 years ago, Ezra 6. Jesus told the ancient prophet Zechariah that He would return to Jerusalem to build His Temple on the Temple Mount, Zechariah 1:16, Zechariah 6:12. However before that, conflict and controversy would surround the Temple Mount, Zechariah 12:2.

An Islamic leader claiming that there has never been a Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount is indeed evidence that Bible prophecy will be fulfilled.

Arabs infiltrate Temple Mount
'Muslim countries vying for influence, expecting Israel to give up holy site'

A number of Arab states quietly have sent intelligence agents to infiltrate the Temple Mount to determine how they can obtain more influence over Judaism's holiest site, informed security sources told WND.

"It's possible in the coming two years a deal will be made that transfers the Temple Mount out from Israeli hands," said a security source. "The Arab countries are vying for influence, since they think controlling the site means big prestige in the Muslim world."

The security sources said the Arab agents mostly are attempting to infiltrate the Waqf, the Muslim custodians of the Temple Mount, securing all sorts of positions from Waqf garden workers through religious clerics inside the Mount's many mosques.

The Waqf is largely controlled by Jordan, which took over top positions from the Palestinian Authority in recent years.

The sources said the agents' primary job is to collect information on how to gain more influence on the site. The agents also are to report on which Waqf officials are paid by Jordan, through which clerics can be suspected of having good relations with Israel.

"The Arab countries want to work their way in so Jordan doesn't get the most control once Israel gives up the Mount," said a security source.

Saudi Arabia sent the most agents to the Mount, but other countries, including Egypt, also sent agents, security sources said.

"Don't be surprised if in the near future even Somalia sends some people over to study how to have influence on the Mount," said a security source.

In line with Israeli-Palestinian negotiations started at last November's U.S.-backed Annapolis conference, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is working to create a Palestinian state before the end of the year.

Olmert is widely expected to announce Israeli evacuations from most of the West Bank and eastern sections of Jerusalem. The Temple Mount is located in eastern Jerusalem, although Israel is not expected to immediately give up the holy site during the initial attempted creation of a Palestinian state.

The Arab countries are "near certain" Israel will eventually evacuate the Temple Mount and likely hand it over to the PA together with a coalition of Muslim states, said an informed security source.

Temple Mount '100 percent Islamic'

Mainstream Palestinian leaders claim the Temple Mount is Muslim in spite of overwhelming archaeological evidence documenting the first and second Jewish temples.

Earlier this month, Rafiq Al Husseini, the chief of staff for PA President Mahmoud Abbas, declared Jerusalem and the Temple Mount belong to the Muslims and said any Israeli action that "offends" the Mount will be answered by 1.5 billion Muslims.

"Jerusalem is Muslim. The blessed Al Aqsa mosque and Harem Al Sharif (Temple Mount) is 100 percent Muslim. The Israelis are playing with fire when they threaten Al Aqsa with digging that is taking place," Husseini said.

In a WND exclusive interview last year, Taysir Tamimi, chief Palestinian Justice and one of the most influential Muslim leaders in Israel, argued the Jewish Temples never existed, the Western Wall really was a tying post for Muhammad's horse, the Al Aqsa Mosque was built by angels, and Abraham, Moses and Jesus were prophets for Islam.

Tamimi is considered the second most important Palestinian cleric after Muhammad Hussein, the grand mufti of Jerusalem.

"Israel started since 1967 making archeological digs to show Jewish signs to prove the relationship between Judaism and the city, and they found nothing. There is no Jewish connection to Israel before the Jews invaded in the 1880s," said Tamimi.

"About these so-called two Temples, they never existed, certainly not at the [Temple Mount]," Tamimi said during a sit-down interview in his eastern Jerusalem office.

The Palestinian cleric denied the validity of dozens of digs verified by experts worldwide revealing Jewish artifacts from the First and Second Temples throughout Jerusalem, including on the Temple Mount itself; excavations revealing Jewish homes and a synagogue in a site in Jerusalem called the City of David; or even the recent discovery of a Second Temple Jewish city in the vicinity of Jerusalem.

Tamimi said descriptions of the Jewish Temples in the Hebrew Tanach, in the Talmud and in Byzantine and Roman writings from the Temple periods were forged. He contended the Torah was falsified to claim biblical patriarchs and matriarchs were Jewish when they actually were prophets for Islam.

"All this is not real. We don't believe in all your versions. Your Torah was falsified. The text as given to the Muslim prophet Moses never mentions Jerusalem. Maybe Jerusalem was mentioned in the rest of the Torah, which was falsified by the Jews," said Tamimi.

He said Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Jesus were "prophets for the Israelites sent by Allah as to usher in Islam."

Asked about the Western Wall, Tamimi said the structure was a tying post for Muhammad's horse and that it is part of the Al Aqsa Mosque, even though the Wall predates the mosque by more than 1,000 years.

"The Western wall is the western wall of the Al Aqsa Mosque. It's where prophet Muhammad tied his animal which took him from Mecca to Jerusalem to receive the revelations of Allah."

The Kotel, or Western Wall, is an outer retaining wall of the Temple Mount that survived the destruction of the Second Temple and still stands today in Jerusalem.

Tamimi went on to claim to WND the Al Aqsa Mosque , which has sprung leaks and has had to be repainted several times, was built by angels.

"Al Aqsa was built by the angels 40 years after the building of Al-Haram in Mecca. This we have no doubt is true," he said.

The First Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Temple was the center of religious worship for ancient Israelites. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's presence dwelt. All biblical holidays centered on worship at the Temple. The Temples served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place for Israelites.

According to the Talmud, the world was created from the foundation stone of the Temple Mount. It's believed to be the biblical Mount Moriah, the location where Abraham fulfilled God's test to see if he would be willing to sacrifice his son Isaac.

The Temple Mount has remained a focal point for Jewish services for thousands of years. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed in about A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark what Muslims came to believe was the place at which Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven to receive revelations from Allah.

Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran. It is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible 656 times. Muslims worldwide pray with their backs away from the Temple Mount and toward Mecca.

Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night on a horse from "a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to "the farthest mosque" and from a rock there ascended to heaven. The farthest mosque became associated with Jerusalem about 120 years ago.

According to research by Israeli Author Shmuel Berkovits, Islam historically disregarded Jerusalem. Berkovits points out in his new book, "How dreadful is this place!" that Muhammad was said to loathe Jerusalem and what it stood for. He wrote Muhammad made a point of eliminating pagan sites of worship and sanctifying only one place – the Kaaba in Mecca – to signify the unity of God.

As late as the 14th century, Islamic scholar Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiyya, whose writings influenced the Wahhabi movement in Arabia, ruled that sacred Islamic sites are to be found only in the Arabian Peninsula, and that "in Jerusalem, there is not a place one calls sacred, and the same holds true for the tombs of Hebron."

It wasn't until the late 19th century – when Jews started immigrating to Palestine – that some Muslim scholars began claiming Muhammad tied his horse to the Western Wall and associated Muhammad's purported night journey with the Temple Mount.

Third Temple preparations underway with priestly garments

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1214726180915&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1214726180915&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull)

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Wearing a turban and a light blue tunic threaded with silver, a man stands in a workshop in Jerusalem's Old City beside spools of white thread affixed to sewing machines. A painting of high priests performing an animal sacrifice beside the First Temple illustrates the function of the room.

On Monday, the Temple Institute started preparing to build a Third Temple on Jerusalem's Mount Moriah, the site of the Dome of the Rock and the Aksa mosque, by inaugurating a workshop that manufactures priestly garments.

After Efrat Chief Rabbi Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, a Kohen himself, gets measured for his own set of Kohanim garments, Aviad Jeruffi, the clothing's designer, strums "To Ascend to the Temple Mount" on his guitar in celebration.

Priestly garments have not been worn since the destruction of the Second Temple by Rome in 70 CE and cannot be functional until a Third Temple is constructed.

Kohanim, priests directly descended from Moses's brother Aaron, are recognized by the Institute as such if their paternal grandfather observed the tradition. Today, they have special religious responsibilities; in days of yore they performed the most significant duties within the Temple.

Approximately one-third of the commandments in the Torah cannot be accomplished without a temple, including the obligations of the Kohanim.

But a Third Temple seems a flighty dream with nightmarish political implications to many, as both a shrine, the Dome of the Rock, and the Aksa mosque, Islam's third holiest structure, currently stand on the Temple Mount.

Rabbi Yehuda Glick, director of the Temple Institute, says he assumes Muslims will be supportive when the Temple is ready to be built:

"We already have some Muslims who are secretly in touch with us," he says.

When the Temple is rebuilt, Kohanim must wear the proper outfit to perform their obligations, Glick continues.

Each set has a turban, tunic pants and belt and is individually tailored at a cost of NIS 2,500.

"If it were a bathrobe for watching SNL [Saturday Night Live], it would not be worth it. But we're talking about people who have a very strong yearning for working in the Beit Hamikdash [Temple]," says Glick.

Years of diligent research was needed to create the garments in conformance with Jewish law.

Special flaxen thread was imported from India and overseas travel was necessary to obtain the correct colors for the clothes, including to Istanbul, to purchase mountain worms from which the correct shade of crimson is derived.

The secret of the correct shade of blue has been lost since the destruction of the Second Temple, as the identity of chilazon, the snail from which it was extracted, was uncertain until the Ptil Tekhelet nonprofit organization identified it as the murex trunculus, aka hexaplex trunculus, the banded dye-murex found near the Mediterranean Sea.

"The Temple is not a message just for the Jewish people. It reunites the world all around one central prayer house. All the prophets say that at the End Times all the nations will be coming to Jerusalem and take part of building the Temple," Glick says.

Teens enlisted to advance Third Temple
Attendees at youth conference sign 'treaty' to commit effort to rebuilding sacred site

Jerusalem’s Temple Institute takes biblical statement ‘build me a Temple and I shall dwell amongst you’ literally, enlisting hundreds of teens for this endeavor

Mourning over the destruction of Jerusalem is normal in the month of Av, but at the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faith Movement all focus is on the “big day” - the day in which the Third Temple will be built.

As part of the preparations, hundreds of teenagers are expected to sign the “Temple Treaty” and to proclaim, “We commit to doing everything in our power to abide by this commandment and to devote at least half an hour a week toward this effort.”

In the youth conference conducted by the Temple Institute in the Old City of Jerusalem, scheduled for Thursday, participants will discuss possible plans of action to further the building of the Temple.

Under the title, “Building the Temple, it’s in Our Hands,” lessons will be given by rabbis identified with the Temple and for the first time ever, a treaty pertaining to the necessity of building the Temple will be revealed.

“God commanded us in his Torah, ‘build me a Temple and I shall dwell amongst you',” as written in the document, “All of Israel must do everything they can to obey this commandment...”

In a conversation with Ynet, Temple Institute Director Rabbi Yehuda Glick vowed that this is the first event in a series that will institutionalize and widen youth activities.

“(Deceased general) Mota Gur said (during the conquest of east Jerusalem in the Six-Day War), ‘The Temple Mount is in our hands’, and I say now the Temple is in our hands,” said Glick.

“The treaty we composed contains a bunch of suggestions like Temple studies, embroidering priestly clothes, illustration for books on the subject, enhancing awareness, fundraising, or any other activity we believe can further the building of the Temple.

“No clause calls for the launching of LAW missiles or the exploding of the mosque at the Temple Mount,” Glick stressed.

Women are also expected to participate in Thursday’s event, during which they will watch a performance intended to encourage them to be active in the advancement of the Temple.

“This Temple is not just something historic stored in a memory chest,” said Glick, “everyone has the opportunity to contribute to this goal.”

Temple Institute completes Keter for the Laver
Written by Chris Perver
Friday, 22 August 2008

The Temple Institute have announced the completion of the keter, or 'ornamental crown', which is to sit on top of the copper laver following its construction. The pieces of the keter were delivered and assembled at the factory in Acco, where the latest laver is presently being manufactured. The Temple Institute have already created a copper laver which was patterned after a Second Temple design by Ben Kattin. But when an anonymous donor offered to give a gift to the nation of Israel in the form of a vessel that could be used in the administration of the Third Temple, the Temple Institute decided it would be best to recreate the copper laver using the latest production technology.

Quote: "THE BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED KETER IS THE WORK OF CHAIM ODEM, renowned Israeli metalsmith. Chaim has taken part in the design and manufacture of many of the metal vessels produced by the Temple Institute, most notably the golden menorah. For months Chaim has been busy at work on the keter, a process which began with his own artistic rendition of a crowning ornament worthy of adorning the Holy Temple-bound copper laver. Once having achieved a suitable design, Chaim then had to create moulds and templates, only after which did he begin the painstaking task of hammering by hand the design into the copper sheet.

In Old Testament times, when you first approached the Tabernacle, you had to come in through the gate. There was only one gate through which you could enter. This one gate is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who said, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture", John 10:9. And in reference to there being only one door, Jesus said, "He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber", John 10:1. There is only one way to get into heaven, and that is through the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who try to enter in some other way, either by good works or prayers or church attendance, will be found to be thieves and robbers and will not be able to enter heaven. The next thing you would see when entering the Tabernacle would be the altar of sacrifice. It was here that the children of Israel would bring their sin offerings. The life of an innocent animal would be sacrificed in the place of the guilty (Leviticus 17:11). The Apostle John declared that Jesus Christ is "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world", John 1:29. The Bible says of Jesus Christ, that "God made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him", 2nd Corinthians 5:21. It is only through faith in Christ's sacrifice on the cross of Calvary that we can have access into the presence of God (Hebrews 10:12). While the altar of sacrifice speaks to us of our salvation through the blood of Christ, the laver, which is located between the altar and the Holy Place, speaks to us of daily sanctification. Before the Old Testament priests could go into the Holy Place or before they could approach the altar to administer in the sacrifices, they were required to wash their hands and their feet at the laver (Exodus 30:17-21). When it comes to the laver, it is not a case of having to have our sins forgiven, they already have been forgiven at the altar of sacrifice. It is a case of cleansing ourselves, not from sin, but from the defilement of sin. Whenever Jesus Christ stooped to wash His disciples feet, Peter said he didn't want the Lord to be washing his feet (John 13). The Lord said if He didn't wash him, then Peter could have no part with Him. Peter then asked the Lord to not only wash his feet, but his hands and his head also. But the Lord replied, "He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean everywhere", John 13:10. As Christians, we have already been washed from our sins in Christ's precious blood the time we trusted in Him for salvation. If our sins have already been forgiven, like the priests, we need only wash our feet to cleanse us from the defilement of the way. The washing of our feet speaks of the cleansing of our walk, or our manner of life in this world. This cleansing is not done through blood this time, but through water. The water speaks of the Word of God (Ephesians 5:26). We cleanse ourselves by taking heed according to God's Word (Psalm 119:9). The washing of our hands would speak of cleansing our work, or our business in this world. Like the priests administering the Temple, this cleansing should be done on a daily basis (2nd Corinthians 4:16). Praise God that He has given us such a wonderful picture of our salvation and sanctification through the sacrifice of His beloved Son. If you haven't yet come to know Jesus Christ as your Saviour, why not trust in Him for salvation today?

Hebrews 9:11-12
But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Temple Institute completes Keter for the Laver (http://www.prophecynews.co.uk/content/view/965/1/)

Palestinian leader, Islamist chief discuss Temple Mount takeover
Conspirators seek to solidify control over Judaism's holiest site

Meeting with an Islamist leader here, the Palestinian Authority's chief negotiator this past weekend discussed ways to solidify Islamic control over the Temple Mount and block Jews from purchasing real estate in areas surrounding the holy site, according to a source involved in the talks.

The Palestinian Maan news agency quoted chief Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qurei as saying there can be no agreement with Israel unless it forfeits Jerusalem, and that postponing an agreement on the issue will only provide the Jewish state more time to "Judaize" the city.

"The Palestinian Authority will not negotiate and will not sign on any agreement with Israel that does not include Jerusalem," Qurei reportedly said during a meeting with Raed Salah, chief of the Islamic Movement in Israel, Sheikh Raed Salah, whose organization seeks for Islam to takeover the Temple Mount.

"The Palestinian leadership is decisive (in its stance) not to negotiate and conclude matters with the Israelis without Jerusalem," Queri said. "The postponement of the discussion of this issue is aimed at continuing the Israeli plans to Judaize the holy city, especially the Al-Aksa mosque."

A source involved in the talks told WND that Queri and Salah also discussed ways to solidify PA control over the Mount and to purchase strategic real estate surrounding the holy site.

The sources said Queri and Salah also discussed ways for the PA to compete with Jordan for more control over the Temple Mount.

Jordan continues to maintain a major influence over the Temple Mount. Sheik Azzam Khateeb, who was installed in February 2007 as the new manager of the Waqf, is known to be close to the Jordanian monarchy. The previous Waqf manager, Sheik Adnon Husseini, was loyal to Palestinian Authority although toward the end of his rein, he seemed to be warming to Jordan.

In a gesture to Jordan, in January 2006, Israel granted Jordan permission to replace the main podium in the Al Aqsa Mosque from which Islamic preachers deliver their sermons. The podium, which was partially funded by Saudi Arabia, is considered one of the most important stands in the Muslim world. Muslims now believe it marks the "exact spot" Muhammad went up to heaven to receive revelations from Allah.

The new stand bears the emblem of the Jordanian kingdom. It replaced a 1,000-year-old podium believed to have been shipped to Jerusalem by the Islamic conqueror Saladin.

That stand was destroyed in 1969, when an Australian tourist set fire to the Al Aqsa Mosque.

In recent years, Jordan quietly has been purchasing real estate surrounding the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in hopes of gaining more control over the area accessing the holy site, according to Palestinian and Israeli officials speaking to WND.

The officials disclosed the Jordanian kingdom in 2006 and 2007 used shell companies to purchase several apartments and shops located at key peripheral sections of the Temple Mount. The shell companies at times presented themselves as acting on behalf of the Waqf custodians of the Temple Mount, according to information obtained.

The officials said Jordan also set up a commission to use the shell companies to petition mostly Arab landowners adjacent to eastern sections of the Temple Mount to sell their properties. They said profits from sales at any purchased shops would be reinvested to buy more real estate near the Mount and in eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods.

The report the PA is looking to purchase real estate near the Mount follows a WND exclusive article in January quoting informed sources stating the PA recently established an intelligence apparatus in Jerusalem to clamp down on Israeli Arabs selling property to Jews in strategic areas of the city.

A contingent of Jewish groups, including an organization called Ateret Kohanim, work to strengthen the Jewish presence in Jerusalem by purchasing properties from Arabs, primarily in eastern neighborhoods, including in Jerusalem's Old City. Some of the purchased properties were formerly Jewish until Jews fled during Arab riots in the early 1900s.

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. The First Jewish Temple was built there by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's shechina or "presence" dwelt. All Jewish holidays centered on worship at the Temple. The Jewish Temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place for the Jewish people.

According to the Talmud, the world was created from the foundation stone of the Temple Mount. The site is believed to be the biblical Mount Moriah, the location where Abraham fulfilled God's test to see if he would be willing to sacrifice his son Isaac.

Jewish tradition holds Mashiach, or the Jewish Messiah, will return and rebuild the third and final Temple on the Mount in Jerusalem.

The Kotel, or Western Wall, is the one part of the Temple Mount that survived the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans and stands today in Jerusalem.

Throughout all notorious Jewish exiles, thorough documentation shows the Jews never gave up their hope of returning to Jerusalem and re-establishing their Temple. To this day Jews worldwide pray facing the Western Wall, while Muslims turn their backs away from the Temple Mount and pray toward Mecca.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph.

About 100 years ago, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem became associated with the place Muslims came to believe Muhammad ascended to heaven. Jerusalem, however, is not mentioned in the Quran.

Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from "a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to "the farthest mosque," and from a rock there ascended to heaven to receive revelations from Allah that became part of the Quran.

Palestinians today claim exclusivity over the Temple Mount, and Palestinian leaders routinely deny Jewish historic connection to the site, but historically, Muslims did not claim the Al Aqsa Mosque as their third holiest site and admitted the Jewish Temples existed.

According to research by Israeli author Shmuel Berkovits, Islam previously disregarded Jerusalem. He points out in his book "How Dreadful Is this Place!" that Muhammad was said to loathe Jerusalem and what it stood for. Berkovits wrote that Muhammad made a point of eliminating pagan sites of worship, and sanctifying only one place – the Kaaba in Mecca – to signify the unity of God.

As late as the 14th century, Islamic scholar Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiyya, whose writings influenced the Wahhabi movement in Arabia, ruled that sacred Islamic sites are to be found only in the Arabian Peninsula, and that "in Jerusalem, there is not a place one calls sacred, and the same holds true for the tombs of Hebron."

It wasn't until the late 19th century – incidentally when Jews started immigrating to Palestine – that some Muslim scholars began claiming Muhammad tied his horse to the Western Wall and associated Muhammad's purported night journey with the Temple Mount.

A guide to the Temple Mount by the Supreme Muslim Council in Jerusalem published in 1925 listed the Mount as the site of Solomon's Temple. The Temple Institute acquired a copy of the official 1925 "Guide Book to Al-Haram Al-Sharif," which states on page 4, "Its identity with the site of Solomon's Temple is beyond dispute. This, too, is the spot, according to universal belief, on which 'David built there an altar unto the Lord.'"

Police Arrest Temple Institute Director
10/19/08
by Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) While waiting in line to visit the Temple Mount early Sunday afternoon, Temple Institute Director Yehuda Glick was suddenly singled out and arrested. A police spokesman said he would look into the incident.

Glick was standing together with hundreds of others, many of whom had been denied entry in the first round of Temple Mount visiting hours on Sunday morning and were told to return at 12:30 PM. The Moslem Waqf [Islamic Trust] is very strict about enforcing the Mount's visiting hours for Jews, and closes the gates sharply at 10 AM, opens them again at 12:30 PM, and closes them for the day an hour later.

Around 1 PM, Glick, who stands out in a crowd with his full shock-red beard, was suddenly approached by policemen, who told him they wanted to question him about his acts of "instigation and provocation," and then promptly arrested him and led him to a paddywagon. In court later this afternoon, the police asked the judge to distance him from the Temple Mount area for 20 days. By 6:30 PM, the court hearing had still not been held.

Earlier this morning, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, hundreds of Jews were permitted by police to ascend to the Temple Mount, Judaism's most sacred site - but only in groups of 20. Many were thus left waiting on line for hours.

Lawyer: This is Harassment
Attorney Baruch Ben-Yosef told Arutz-7, "This is harassment, plain and simple, just because he has successfully brought many new people to the Temple Mount, and because of what happened last Wednesday. It is an outrage."

What occurred last Wednesday was that Glick similarly found himself among hundreds of Jews who were not allowed to enter the Mount. The four policemen on duty at the time were unable to handle the large crowds, and delayed the entry until the hour of 1:30 PM, when they said they could do nothing and that everyone must leave. Glick and others said they refused to leave - until large forces of Yassam riot police arrived and "began pushing," according to one eyewitness.

Richman: Police Know They Were Wrong
Rabbi Chaim Richman of the Temple Institute, who was also present at the time, told Arutz-7, "What is particularly infuriating about this arrest is that the police know that it was their own fault last Wednesday. We coordinated the list of visitors with them in advance, just as they had asked, and yet they still were unable to deal with us."

"A number of weeks ago," Richman explained, "the police told us that if we want to have many holiday visitors, we should give them their names in advance, and that that would speed the process along. So that is what we did! We gave them a list of 500 names - including people with little children and strollers, and people who came from as far away as Haifa - and yet they just turned us down flat and didn't let us in!"

Rabbi Richman said that later that day, "two police officers spoke with Yehuda and myself, and very cordially admitted that they had been at fault, and said that we should have a meeting to straighten everything out - and now they come up and arrest him!"

Jerusalem Police District spokesperson Shmulik Ben-Ruby told Arutz-7 said he was not aware of the incident and would look into the matter. A later call to him was not returned.

Ironically, the police control the visits only of Jews who ascend "in sanctity," i.e., having taken the halahkic precautions (such as immersion in a ritual bath] prescribed by those rabbis who permit visiting the Mount. Those who appear to be ascending as mere "tourists" are permitted to visit without restriction.

Police Arrest Temple Institute Director (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/128004)

2000 Years of Silence Come to an End: Hakhel Ceremony is Performed on the Temple Mount

While the nations of the world are being rocked by financial turbulence and meteorological volatility, in the holy city of Jerusalem history is being written with a steady hand amidst increasing signs that the long awaited redemption is at last drawing near.

Wednesday, October 15th, the first day of Chol Hamoed, (1st day of the intermediate days of Sukkot), the designated day for the biblically commanded Hakhel ceremony:

"'At the end of [every] seven years, at an appointed time, in the Festival of Sukkot, [after] the sabbatical year, when all Israel comes to appear before HaShem, your G-d, in the place He will choose you shall read this Torah before all Israel, in their ears.'" (Deuteronomy 31:10)

After months of quiet but intensive behind the scenes meetings with Israel's Internal Security Minister, top Jerusalem police officials, members of Israel's Knesset, and relevant parliamentary committees, (all the tireless effort of Yehudah Glick the Temple Institute's Director), word went out across the length and the breadth of the land of Israel that a Hakhel ceremony would be taking place on Biblical schedule upon the Temple Mount.

The campaign was conducted without fanfare and with no publicity. Years of experience have taught that when word of such plans are picked up by the media hostile elements soon threaten violence, and the police, suffering from cold feet, back down from their commitment.

People interested in participating in this once-in-seven-years mitzvah, (which in accordance with halachah - Jewish law - requires a ritual immersion prior to ascending), were asked to register in advance with the Temple Institute for the purpose of expediting the police security arrangements at the Moghrabi Gate entrance to the Temple Mount.

Two aliyot (ascents) were scheduled, one at 7:30 AM and a second ascent at 12:30 PM to accommodate those arriving from afar. An unprecedented four hundred Jews showed up at 7:30 AM and were ushered onto the Temple Mount. This was the largest gathering of Jews on the Temple Mount at one time since its liberation from the Moslems in 1967 - a true Hakhel, (literally, assembly). Once on the Mount the group was, with the prior consent of the police, able to read aloud the prescribed Hakhel ceremony passages from the book of Deuteronomy. Both the size of the assembly and the public Torah service that took place were unprecedented milestones in the ongoing efforts to spiritually liberate the Temple Mount from Moslem oppression. History was made.

Already well before 12:00 noon people began gathering again at the foot of the Moghrabi Gate ramp in anticipation of the 12:30 PM ascent to the Mount. The excitement was palpable as the line grew longer and longer. Men, women and entire families, some with infants in carriages, from towns on Israel's northernmost border with Lebanon, from the Negev, Israel's southern desert, from the Galilee, Haifa, the coastal cities, and, of course, from the tens of cites and towns of Judea and Samaria, had all answered the call made out by Moses 3,500 years ago to assemble in this spot and at this time.

The line awaiting entrance to the Temple Mount was longer than the line of Sukkot celebrants awaiting entry to the Western Wall plaza, a phenomenon never before witnessed. At last the police began admitting people to the Mount. Surely not anticipating such numbers, woefully undermanned, and sadly insensitive to the electricity in the air and the grandeur of the historical moment, the police security check performed on every individual going up was devastatingly slow.

Twelve o'clock turned to one o'clock and still the majority of participants had not completed the security check. At one thirty PM the police abruptly announced that no more people would be admitted. The reason stated? At 1:30 PM each day the Moslem Wakf, which was granted custodianship of the Mount by the state of Israel, shuts the gates to non-Moslems.

Two hundred people had passed through security and were already on the Mount, performing the Hakhel. More than five hundred were left below. People pleaded with the police to allow them to complete the purpose of their pilgrimage to Jerusalem, The Hakhel organizers entreated the police to allow the group just five minutes on the Temple Mount to quickly read out the required biblical verses, after which they would quietly leave. The police refused. The would-be Hakhel participants stood their ground. Desperate phone calls were made to higher ranking police officials, asking them to intervene to allow the worshippers entry to the Mount. The police bottom line was predictable as it was pathetic: "The Wakf rules the Mount." Exceptions to accommodate Jews trying to peacefully carry out a once-in-seven-years 3,500 year old Biblical injunction was out of the question. The standoff continued for another twenty tense minutes, until suddenly, in a moment of panic, the police brought in re-enforcements who violently pushed the Jews back from the Moghrabi Gate ramp.

Despite the bitter disappointment of all who couldn't make it to the Mount, (and this included Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven of the Temple Institute), the Hakhel gathering was unprecedented both in the numbers of Jews who did succeed in gathering on the Mount, (over six hundred), and in the number of Jews who arrived who weren't allowed on the Mount, (over five hundred). The recitation of Biblical verses out loud on the Mount with the express consent of the police was also a precedent that will no doubt prove extremely valuable in our ongoing efforts to be able to worship with complete freedom on the Mount. But most importantly, perhaps, we witnessed for ourselves the indefatigable spirit of the Jewish people. Our numbers will only continue to grow, our effort will be redoubled: Jewish worship on the Temple Mount is becoming a reality.

I CAN'T POST THE LINK BECAUSE OF SOLICITATIONS.

Christian leader urges Islamic control of Temple Mount
Claims his community 'belongs to the Palestinian national cause'

A top Christian Palestinian leader here yesterday urged Islamic control of the Temple Mount while claiming Israel was threatening the site's famous Al Aqsa Mosque.

"Regarding threats against the Al Aqsa Mosque from fanatic Jews, what is threatening you is threatening Christians. One who is attacking you is attacking Christians. We are one family and one people, and we belong to the Palestinian national cause," said Attallah Hanna, archbishop of Sebastia from the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem's Greek Orthodox Church is regarded by Orthodox Christians as one of the most important churches in Christendom. It has 100,000 Christians followers in the Holy Land and is also one of the largest landowners in Israel.

Hanna was speaking to Islamic leaders yesterday gathered at the Al Aqsa Mosque.

He went on to urge the Waqf, the Mount's Muslim custodians, to "keep fighting and protect Jerusalem." He thanked them for maintaining the Mount as a sacred Islamic site.

His claim of Jewish threats to the mosque are not grounded in reality. Islamic leaders routinely use non-existent Jewish threats to the Temple Mount to incite followers against Israel.

Hanna himself is closely aligned with the Palestinian cause. He was previously dismissed from his church position after Israel accused him of directly aiding terror organizations. He has held public solidarity meetings with leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah and appears regularly on Palestinian television urging children to engage in suicide attacks.

Holiest site

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. The First Jewish Temple was built there by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's shechina or "presence" dwelt. All Jewish holidays centered on worship at the Temple. The Jewish Temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place for the Jewish people.

According to the Talmud, the world was created from the foundation stone of the Temple Mount. The site is believed to be the biblical Mount Moriah, the location where Abraham fulfilled God's test to see if he would be willing to sacrifice his son Isaac.

Jewish tradition holds Mashiach, or the Jewish Messiah, will return and rebuild the third and final Temple on the Mount in Jerusalem.

The Kotel, or Western Wall, is the one part of the Temple Mount that survived the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans and stands today in Jerusalem.

Throughout all notorious Jewish exiles, thorough documentation shows the Jews never gave up their hope of returning to Jerusalem and re-establishing their Temple. To this day, Jews worldwide pray facing the Western Wall, while Muslims turn their backs away from the Temple Mount and pray toward Mecca.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph.

About 100 years ago, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem became associated with the place Muslims came to believe Muhammad ascended to heaven. Jerusalem, however, is not mentioned in the Quran.

Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from "a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to "the farthest mosque," and from a rock there ascended to heaven to receive revelations from Allah that became part of the Quran.

Palestinians today claim exclusivity over the Temple Mount, and Palestinian leaders routinely deny Jewish historic connection to the site, but historically, Muslims did not claim the Al Aqsa Mosque as their third holiest site and admitted the Jewish Temples existed.

According to research by Israeli author Shmuel Berkovits, Islam previously disregarded Jerusalem. He points out in his book "How Dreadful Is this Place!" that Muhammad was said to loathe Jerusalem and what it stood for. Berkovits wrote that Muhammad made a point of eliminating pagan sites of worship and sanctifying only one place – the Kaaba in Mecca – to signify the unity of God.

As late as the 14th century, Islamic scholar Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiyya, whose writings influenced the Wahhabi movement in Arabia, ruled that sacred Islamic sites are to be found only in the Arabian Peninsula and that "in Jerusalem, there is not a place one calls sacred, and the same holds true for the tombs of Hebron."

It wasn't until the late 19th century – incidentally when Jews started immigrating to Palestine – that some Muslim scholars began claiming Muhammad tied his horse to the Western Wall and associated Muhammad's purported night journey with the Temple Mount. A,pa.A guide to the Temple Mount by the Supreme Muslim Council in Jerusalem published in 1925 listed the Mount as the site of Solomon's Temple. The Temple Institute acquired a copy of the official 1925 "Guide Book to Al-Haram Al-Sharif," which states on page 4, "Its identity with the site of Solomon's Temple is beyond dispute. This, too, is the spot, according to universal belief, on which 'David built there an altar unto the Lord.'"

THANKS!

The articles are fascinating in view of Bible Prophecy that will be fulfilled MOST PERFECTLY at GOD'S Appointed Time. There is a huge and fascinating assortment of Christian materials here that relate to Bible Prophecy, the RAPTURE, the Tribulation Period, and THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. It's sad that many lost people think these topics are humorous or something to MOCK. All of these things are the OPPOSITE - VITAL information about a lost and dying world that will soon see and feel the RIGHTEOUS AND HOLY WRATH OF GOD.

If you are lost and reading this, please take some time to read various parts of the forum about SALVATION. This is no laughing matter. Your time to accept JESUS CHRIST as LORD and SAVIOUR might be growing short. The Holy Bible tells us that 7 years of horrible times like the world has never seen IS COMING! 75% of the people on earth will die, and only JESUS CHRIST Himself will be able to restore peace. JESUS CHRIST will restore peace at HIS SECOND COMING. YES - HE IS COMING AGAIN, but in GREAT AND HOLY WRATH. The devil will get to play with and torture people until CHRIST COMES BACK to defeat evil. CHRIST WILL WIN WITHOUT A DOUBT!

GOOD NEWS!

1: Romans 3:10 NASB as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."

2: Romans 3:23 NASB for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

3: Romans 5:12 NASB Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned--

4: Romans 6:23 NASB For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

5: Romans 1:18 NASB For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,

6: Romans 3:20 NASB because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

7: Romans 3:27 NASB Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.

8: Romans 5:8-9 NASB But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

9: Romans 2:4 NASB Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

10: Romans 3:22 NASB even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;

11: Romans 3:28 NASB For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

12: Romans 10:9 NASB that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

13: Romans 4:21 NASB and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.

14: Romans 4:24 NASB but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,

15: Romans 5:1 NASB Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

16: Romans 10:10 NASB for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

17: Romans 10:13 NASB for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

Thanks be unto GOD for HIS unspeakable GIFT!, JESUS CHRIST, our Lord and Saviour forever!

The Jewish Temples never existed and Israel has been working to "invent" a Jewish historical connection to Jerusalem, the chief Palestinian negotiator asserted.

Ahmed Qurei, the Palestinian Authority official leading all peace talks with the Jewish state, made the controversial statements in a small media briefing Wednesday attended by WND as well as by a Palestinian media outlet and an Arab affairs correspondent for a major Israeli newspaper.

But the Israeli publication decided not to print Qurei's comments, while the Palestinian publication, the Al-Ayam daily newspaper, made news of the remarks.

Qurei said "Israeli occupation authorities are trying to find a so-called Jewish historical connection" between Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, "but all these attempts will fail. The [Temple Mount] is 100 percent Muslim."

"The world must be mobilized against all these Israeli attempts to change the symbols and signs of Jerusalem," he said. "There is nothing Jewish about the Al Aqsa Mosque. There was no so-called Jewish Temple. It's imaginary. Jerusalem is 100 percent Muslim."

Continued Qurei: "The Arab world is called to interfere to stop the Israeli plans in Jerusalem, to stop the Israeli attempts to create a Jewish character to Jerusalem and the Al Aqsa mosque. Also to the Old City, which is the first step in the war to defend Jerusalem and Al Aqsa.

"They are competing against time in order to create facts on ground in the surrounding the imaginary Temple," Qurei added.

The chief Palestinian negotiator was reacting to the reopening last month of a long-closed synagogue just 100 meters from the Temple Mount. The holy structure, located in what is now known as the Muslim Quarter, was abandoned in 1938 in the wake of extreme Arab violence targeting Jews. At the time, thousands of Jews lived in the Quarter. The synagogue is closer than any other Jewish house of prayer to the Temple Mount.

Qurei, who is considered moderate by U.S. and Israeli policy, has been leading talks with Israel initiated at last November's U.S.-sponsored Annapolis Summit, which seeks to create a Palestinian state, at least on paper, before President Bush leaves office. Israel is widely expected to offer the Palestinians near complete control of the West Bank and significant control of undisclosed parts of eastern Jerusalem.

Holiest site

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. The First Jewish Temple was built there by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's shechina or "presence" dwelt. All Jewish holidays centered on worship at the Temple. The Jewish Temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place for the Jewish people.

According to the Talmud, the world was created from the foundation stone of the Temple Mount. The site is believed to be the biblical Mount Moriah, the location where Abraham fulfilled God's test to see if he would be willing to sacrifice his son Isaac.

Jewish tradition holds Mashiach, or the Jewish Messiah, will return and rebuild the third and final Temple on the Mount in Jerusalem.

The Kotel, or Western Wall, is the one part of the Temple Mount that survived the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans and stands today in Jerusalem.

Throughout all notorious Jewish exiles, thorough documentation shows the Jews never gave up their hope of returning to Jerusalem and re-establishing their Temple. To this day, Jews worldwide pray facing the Western Wall, while Muslims turn their backs away from the Temple Mount and pray toward Mecca.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph.

About 100 years ago, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem became associated with the place Muslims came to believe Muhammad ascended to heaven. Jerusalem, however, is not mentioned in the Quran.

Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from "a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to "the farthest mosque," and from a rock there ascended to heaven to receive revelations from Allah that became part of the Quran.

Palestinians today claim exclusivity over the Temple Mount, and Palestinian leaders routinely deny Jewish historic connection to the site, but historically, Muslims did not claim the Al Aqsa Mosque as their third holiest site and admitted the Jewish Temples existed.

According to research by Israeli author Shmuel Berkovits, Islam previously disregarded Jerusalem. He points out in his book "How Dreadful Is this Place!" that Muhammad was said to loathe Jerusalem and what it stood for. Berkovits wrote that Muhammad made a point of eliminating pagan sites of worship and sanctifying only one place – the Kaaba in Mecca – to signify the unity of God.

As late as the 14th century, Islamic scholar Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiyya, whose writings influenced the Wahhabi movement in Arabia, ruled that sacred Islamic sites are to be found only in the Arabian Peninsula and that "in Jerusalem, there is not a place one calls sacred, and the same holds true for the tombs of Hebron."

It wasn't until the late 19th century – incidentally when Jews started immigrating to Palestine – that some Muslim scholars began claiming Muhammad tied his horse to the Western Wall and associated Muhammad's purported night journey with the Temple Mount. A guide to the Temple Mount by the Supreme Muslim Council in Jerusalem published in 1925 listed the Mount as the site of Solomon's Temple. The Temple Institute acquired a copy of the official 1925 "Guide Book to Al-Haram Al-Sharif," which states on page 4, "Its identity with the site of Solomon's Temple is beyond dispute. This, too, is the spot, according to universal belief, on which 'David built there an altar unto the Lord.'"

Temple Institute Announces The Manufacture of The Golden Sensors

www.prophecynews

Rabbi Chaim Richman of the Temple Institute has announced the completion of the manufacture of two golden sensors, which are to be used by the priests in the service of the soon to be rebuilt Jewish Temple.

The Temple Institute has tasked itself with preparing for the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple, and has reconstructed many of the instruments that will be used in its administration. When I was in Jerusalem I was privileged to see the Golden Menorah, which now stands on the steps facing the Western Wall. The Golden Menorah was once carried off by the Roman armies following the destruction of the Temple in 70AD. The Roman authorities erected a facade in honour of the conquest of Israel, which depicts Jewish slaves carrying the Menorah through the streets of Rome along with other instruments belonging to the Temple. It is significant that after Israel's restoration, the Menorah is back, albeit not yet in a rebuilt Temple.

The Temple Institute has also manufactured many of the other objects that will used in the administration of the Temple, such as the Keter for the Laver, the priestly garments, the golden crown and the blue ephod for the High Priest. They are also working with the Sanhedrin on blueprints for the construction of the Third Temple.

"The Temple Institute has just completed the creation of two new golden bezichin - frankincense vessels. Each vessel, made of 150 grams of 14 carat gold is the result of intensive research, planning and painstaking craftsmanship. The bezichin, like all the vessels created by the Temple Institute, are made in strict accordance to the word of Torah, as it has been handed down from generation to generation since its revelation on Mount Sinai. The bezichin, like all the vessels created by the Temple Institute, are intended for use in the Divine service of the Holy Temple, may we merit to rebuild it soon."

There are a number of things that are preventing the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple. The ashes of a pure red heifer are required for cleansing the Temple site. The last red heifer born in Israel was found to have several white hairs in its tail, thus disqualifying it from being a suitable candidate for the ritual. The Temple Institute claim to have cracked the DNA code for producing a pure red heifer, so perhaps this may not prove to be such an insurmountable problem.

Then there is the issue of the peace process. The Muslim world will not presently permit Israel to carry out any construction work near the Temple Mount. But the Bible seems to indicate that this problem will be resolved, and that construction of the Third Temple will begin either shortly prior to or during the first half of Daniel's 70th week. It seems that the Antichrist's agreement (Daniel 9:27), which I believe will be in regard to the status of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, will pave the way for the rebuilding of the Temple and the restitution of the sacrificial system (Revelation 11:1-2).

As you can see, the fact that preparation is now being made for the rebuilding of the Temple and efforts are underway to divide the city of Jerusalem prove to us just how close we are to the fulfilment of end time prophecy.

Netanyahu wants to rebuild Temple
06.17.09

Leader of Islamic Movement's northern branch warns Muslim students at Haifa University that prime minister intends on completing plans from his first tenure. 'If they suggest we give up our holy sites, we would rather die and will welcome death,' he says Ahiya Raved

Sheikh Raed Salah, leader of the Islamic Movement's northern branch, spoke Wednesday afternoon in front of Muslim students at Haifa University and warned them that Benjamin Netanyahu was intending on completing his plan to gain control of the Temple Mount, which he said the prime minister had tried to do during his first tenure.

Some 150 Jewish students staged a protest in the area, equipped with Israel flags and drums. "This is not Tehran," they chanted towards Salah.

The Islamic leader, who was invited to speak by the IQRAA students' organization affiliated with his movement, briefed the students on the history of his movement and on the criminal proceedings taken against him and his people several years ago.

He noted that he had rejected the Shin Bet's offers to agree to concessions in Jerusalem. "We love life, our families, our homes and our children, but if they suggest that we give up our principles and holy sites, we would rather die and we will welcome death."

Salah claimed that the government continued constantly to dig tunnels under the Temple Mount and the al-Aqsa Mosque, and that Netanyahu was planning to complete during his current term what he did not complete during his first one – "to dig additional tunnels under al-Aqsa and rebuild the Temple on the Temple Mount."

The Muslim students responded by chanting, "Allahu Akbar" (God is great). At the same time, Jewish students clashed with the university's security officers. Police forces were also dispatched to the area but were no required to intervene.

Jewish students banned
The Jewish students were protesting against the event and the fact that the university only allowed Arab students to take part in it. A Haifa University official said that Salah had not been invited by the institution and that there was no legal way to prevent him from coming.

"The university has reservations about Sheikh Raed Salah's remarks, as made in the past, within the walls of other universities as well, but it cannot prevent him from speaking to students. The university hopes that the sheikh will not take advantage of this for incitement but will rather call for peace and coexistence."

University officials noted that they had reservations over the event and that they had managed to prevent Salah from visiting the place for several years, including on the recent Land Day, but that legal advice given to the university recently stated that it could no longer reject students' requests to have the Islamic leader lecture to them.

Addressing the Jewish students' claims, the university officials said that they were banned entry to the event so as not to disrupt public order. "In previous charged events as well, in which (Foreign Minister Avigdor) Lieberman and (former Defense Minister Shaul) Mofaz gave lectures, we banned the entry of Arab students," one of the officials said.

The Students' Union said in a statement that it condemned "any racist act which includes hatred and a desire to incite. We hope for coexistence, and such a speech and such a person creates provocations and disrupts the order within the university's walls. We will not sit idly by as such a serious incident takes place in our home."

The Union said its members had only found out about the events on Wednesday because the invitations were written in Arabic. They estimated that had they known about the event earlier, the number of protestors would have been much higher.

Netanyahu wants to rebuild Temple (http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3733099,00.html)

Quote from: DreamWeaver on June 18, 2009, 09:41:34 PM

All I can say is WOW!!

I wonder if Netanyahu knows of the events that will unfold, with the temple.

Brother Bob,

I seriously doubt that any of the world leaders pay ANY attention to Bible Prophecy at all. If you think about things from a Jewish perspective, the Old Testament alone would be more than sufficient. I must add that some of the so-called greatest Old Testament Bible Scholars are Jewish. It appears there is mass "blindness" in Israel. Those who speak the TRUTH about Bible Prophecy are laughed at. GOD foretold ALL, including their "blindness". "Seeing" is actually a believing heart.

Romans 11:25 KJV For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

It's interesting that "blindness" in Romans 11:25 from the root can also be rendered as stupidity, callousness, and hardness of heart.

Romans 11:25 AMP Lest you be self-opinionated (wise in your own conceits), I do not want you to miss this hidden truth and mystery, brethren: a hardening (insensibility) has [temporarily] befallen a part of Israel [to last] until the full number of the ingathering of the Gentiles has come in,

Romans 11:25 ASV For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits, that a hardening in part hath befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in;

Romans 11:25 NLT I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud and start bragging. Some of the Jews have hard hearts, but this will last only until the complete number of Gentiles comes to Christ.

AND, the "fullness of the Gentiles" coincides with the RAPTURE. AND, we know that the beautiful "mystery" is the greatest TRUTH in human history - JESUS CHRIST!

Love In Christ,
Tom

Romans 11:26-36 ASV and so all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer; He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 And this is my covenant unto them, When I shall take away their sins. 28 As touching the gospel, they are enemies for your sake: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sake. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are not repented of. 30 For as ye in time past were disobedient to God, but now have obtained mercy by their disobedience, 31 even so have these also now been disobedient, that by the mercy shown to you they also may now obtain mercy. 32 For God hath shut up all unto disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all. 33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35 or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and through him, and unto him, are all things. To him be the glory for ever. Amen.

Temple Institute Prepares To Build Sacrificial Alter For Rebuilt Temple

israelnationalnews

The Temple Institute will begin building the sacrificial altar on Thursday, Tisha B’av, a fast day when Jews mourn the destruction of the Temple some 2,000 years ago.

The sacrificial altar was located in the center of the Temple, and upon it the Kohanim (priests) offered the numerous voluntary and obligatory sacrifices commanded in the Bible.

The Temple Institute, which has already built many of the vessels for the Holy Temple, such as the ark and the menorah, has now embarked on a project to build the altar. Construction begins Thursday in Mitzpe Yericho (east of Jerusalem) at 5:30 p.m.

“Unfortunately, we cannot currently build the altar in its proper place, on the Temple Mount,” Temple Institute director Yehudah Glick said. “We are building an altar of the minimum possible size so that we will be able to transport it to the Temple when it is rebuilt."

Even a minimum size altar will work out to be approximately 4 meters tall, 6 meters long, and 6 meters wide. Workers have collected around 10 cubic meters of rocks weighing several tons already.

The rocks were gathered from the Dead Sea area and wrapped individually to assure they remain whole and are not touched by metal, as the Bible requires.

“The Torah says that no iron tools should be used on the altar’s stones,” Glick explained. “The altar represents a connection to life and to the creation of the world. Iron is the opposite – it is used to build tools of war, death, and destruction.”

The stones will be cemented together with a mixture of sand, clay, tar, and asphalt. Researchers from the Temple Institute visited the Finish glass factory near Yerucham to learn how to create a mixture which would remain as cool as possible under the altar’s unremitting fires and protect the Kohanim, who always worked in the Temple barefoot.

Glick said that Tisha B’av, a day associated with mourning, is really the ideal time to begin to build the Temple. “People mistakenly think Tisha B’av is only a day to cry,” he explained. “It also has to be a day of action. We have the ability in our era to begin the construction of the Temple."

“There are many positive developments recently with regard to the Temple,” Glick added. “Hundreds of Jews visited the Temple Mount this week, and more and more continue to come, after undergoing the requisite ritual immersion.”

Hello Grammyluv,

Thanks for posting these informative articles. The timing is perfect with other world events, and it's obviously a part of the Tribulation Period Bible Prophecy. The pieces of a giant puzzle are being readied to fall into place. All of God's Promises are going to be fulfilled, and those who have eyes to see will understand these things. The Temple must be and so must the abomination of desolation. It's more than amazing that God's Word tells us all about this and much more. The Great Tribulation, also known as "the Time of Jacob's Trouble, is the last 3 1/2 years of the 7 year Tribulation Period.

Matthew 24:14-51 KJV And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. 15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. 45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

For those who want to study this, it's important to remember that Jesus Christ comes twice in the End of Days events: 1) To Catch up His Church to meet Him in the air and take them Home to Glory. It's important to note that Christ does not come all the way down to earth for the Rapture; 2) His Second Coming to end the Tribulation Period. This will be in Great, Holy, and Righteous Wrath against evil and the enemies of Israel. He will crush evil and reserve it for final judgment to the eternal fires of Hell. He will also restore Israel and rule and reign over the earth from the Throne of David in Jerusalem. He will make a real peace like the world has never known.

Isaiah 9:6-21 KJV For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. 8 The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel. 9 And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart, 10 The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars. 11 Therefore the LORD shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together; 12 The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. 13 For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts. 14 Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day. 15 The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. 16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. 17 Therefore the Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. 18 For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke. 19 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother. 20 And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm: 21 Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh: and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Quote from: DreamWeaver on March 30, 2004, 01:07:29 AM

Hello my first post here. I thought I would add to your post and let you know another huge piece of the Temple restoration is being put into place. They have started building the altar for the new temple it will be portable. AM still unaware are we allowed to post links? IS THERE A REASON WHEN i TYPE A POST THAT IT'S SCROLLING UP AND DOWN BOY THAT'S ??? FRUSTRATING CAIN'T SEE WHAT am typing I did not see no specifics! ISRAELNATIONALNEWS.COM THERE ARE PICS AND YOU CAN SEE THEM GATHERING THE STONES OUT OF THE DEAD SEA AND DOING AND USING SPECIFIC MATERIALS TO ADHERE THE ALTAR TOGETHER IT WOULD APPEAR THIS IS THE ALTAR TO SACRIFICE THE RED HEIFER ON .

Temple fever: Look how many want it rebuilt now
Even half of secular Jews say time is right

64% of Israelis want Temple rebuilt
Even half of secular Jews say time is right

Nearly two-thirds of Israelis say the time is right to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple, according to a Ynet-Gesher survey.

Even half of non-religious Jews favor rebuilding the Holy Temple – an idea politically unthinkable in Israel just 10 or 20 years ago.

The poll was release on the saddest day on the Jewish calendar – the fasting day of Tisha B'Av, or the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av. It commemorates a series of tragedies that befell the Jewish people all on the same day, most significantly the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, which occurred about 656 years apart on the same day. Jewish tradition calls for the reading of Lamentations.

Aside from the destruction of the Jewish Temples, a remarkably large number of massive calamities befell the Jewish people on Tisha B'Av. Jewish rebellion leader Bar Kokhba's famous revolt against Rome failed in A.D. 136. Following the Roman siege of Jerusalem, the razing of Jerusalem occurred the next year. The first crusade pogrom against Jews in Palestine began on that date in A.D. 1096.

The Jews were expelled from Britain on Tisha B'Av in 1290 and were expelled from Spain that same day in 1492. The Warsaw Ghetto uprising was crushed by the Nazis on that day in May 1943, resulting in the slaughter of about 50,000 Jews.

Nationalists in Israel also mourn the removal of Jews from the Gaza Strip in 2005, which began the day after Tisha B'av.

The book of Lamentations, written in poetic verse, mourns the desolations brought on Jerusalem and the Holy Land by the Chaldeans.

The rebuilding of the Temple is an extremely controversial idea in Israel because currently Jewish access to the Temple Mount is restricted by the Muslim Waqf, which was granted administrative authority over the Jews' holiest sites, which are occupied by Muslim shrines.

Some Jewish leaders believe access to Jews should be restricted until the Third Temple is built.

Israel recaptured the Temple Mount during the 1967 Six Day War. Currently under Israeli control, Jews and Christians are barred from praying on the Mount.

The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until September 2000, when the Palestinians started their intifada by throwing stones at Jewish worshippers after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the area.

Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians.

The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003. It remains open, but only Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered "sensitive" by the Waqf.

During "open" days, Jews and Christian are allowed to ascend the Mount, usually through organized tours and only if they conform first to a strict set of guidelines, which includes demands that they not pray or bring any "holy objects" to the site. Visitors are banned from entering any of the mosques without direct Waqf permission. Rules are enforced by Waqf agents, who watch tours closely and alert nearby Israeli police to any breaking of their guidelines.

During Tendler's visit to the mount, he can be heard in the video complaining about the Israeli rules.

"I'm little bit annoyed at the instructions that we get," he quipped, "as if we were aliens and have to be told how to behave on [the Temple Mount]."

King Solomon built the First Temple in the 10th century B.C. The Babylonians destroyed it in 586 B.C. The Jews built the Second Temple in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. The Romans destroyed the Second Temple in A.D. 70.

The First Temple stood for about 400 years, the second for almost 600. Both Temples served as the center of religious worship for the whole Jewish nation. All Jewish holidays centered on worship at the Temple – the central location for the offering of sacrifices and the main gathering place for the Jewish people.

According to the Talmud, God created the world from the foundation stone of the Temple Mount.

The site is believed to be the biblical Mount Moriah, where Abraham fulfilled God's test of faith by demonstrating his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac.

Jewish tradition also holds that Mashiach – literally "the anointed one," the Jewish Messiah – will come and rebuild the third and final temple on the Mount in Jerusalem and bring redemption to the entire world.

The Western Wall, called the Kotel in Hebrew, is the one part of the Temple Mount that survived the Roman destruction of the Second Temple and stands to this day in Jerusalem.

The Temple Mount has remained a focal point for Jewish services for thousands of years. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple have been uttered three times daily by religious Jews since the destruction of the Second Temple. Throughout all the centuries of Jewish exile from their land, thorough documentation shows the Jews never gave up their hope of returning to Jerusalem and reestablishing their Temple. To this day Jews worldwide pray facing the Western Wall, while Muslims turn their backs away from the Temple Mount and pray toward Mecca.

Muslims constructed the al-Aqsa Mosque around A.D. 709 to serve as a place of worship near a famous shrine, the gleaming Dome of the Rock, built by an Islamic caliph, or supreme ruler.

About 100 years ago, Muslims began to associate al‐-Aqsa in Jerusalem with the place Muhammad ascended to heaven. Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from "a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to "the farthest mosque," and from a rock there ascended to heaven to receive revelations from Allah that became part of the Quran.

While Palestinians and many Muslim countries claim exclusivity over the Mount, and while their leaders strenuously deny the Jewish historic connection to the site, things weren't always this way. In fact, historically, Muslims never claimed the al-Aqsa Mosque as their "third holiest site" and always recognized the existence of the Jewish Temples.

According to an Israeli attorney, Shmuel Berkovits, Islamic tradition mostly disregarded Jerusalem. He points out in his book "How Dreadful is this Place!" that Muhammad was said to loathe Jerusalem and what it stood for to the other monotheistic faiths.

Muhammad also made a point of eliminating pagan sites of worship and sanctifying only one place – the Kaaba in Mecca – to signify the unity of Allah. As late as the 14th century, Islamic scholar Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiyya, whose writings later influenced the strict Wahhabi movement in Arabia, ruled that sacred Islamic sites exist only on the Arabian Peninsula, and that "in Jerusalem, there is not a place one calls sacred, and the same holds true for the tombs of Hebron."

Not until the late 19th century – when Jews started immigrating to Palestine – did Muslim scholars claim that Muhammad tied his horse to the Western Wall and associate Muhammad's purported night journey with the Temple Mount.

ChristiansUnite Forums

Theology => Prophecy - Current Events => Topic started by: Shammu on March 30, 2004, 01:07:29 AM