Temple Mount Is Briefly Shut During Dispute
In an illustration of the centuries-old rivalry over Jerusalem that derailed the Camp David peace talks, Muslim custodians of one of the city’s sacred sites locked an entrance used mostly by tourists and Jewish worshipers for several hours Saturday.
Officials of the Muslim religious council that administers the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City said they locked a Temple Mount gate because Jewish extremists tried to bring Israeli flags into the complex’s Al Aqsa mosque Thursday. But after receiving assurances from the Jerusalem police that they would prevent any suspicious people from entering the area, council officials agreed to reopen the gate.
“I hope this is the end of the problem,” said Adnan Husseini, director of the religious council.
Earlier, Moshe Elizathen, a Jew who arrived to find the gate closed, said Muslims were creating tension by denying Jews “the right to pray.”
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