Op-Ed: What is Going on at the Temple Mount?

This article reveals the bizarre "rules" that exist on the Temple Mount - all intended to target Jews who simply wish to worship at their most holy site:

Op-Ed: What is Going on at the Temple Mount?

Isn't it about time the Temple Mount should be open for Jewish worshipers? I was detained by police for bowing down in prayer there. In what other democracy would a citizen be interrogated for praying?

The Israeli government can and should allow Jews freedom of prayer on the Temple Mount.

Yesterday I was detained by the Israeli police, and charged with “disorderly conduct that might cause riots.”
What I had actually been suspected of was bowing down in prayer on the Temple Mount.

The basis of this ridiculous charge?

The authorities are concerned that Jews praying on the Temple Mount could kick off local Muslims’ anger and that they might use this as an excuse for staging protests and riots. In their opinion, these fears are reason enough to strip law-abiding citizens of the very basic right of freedom of religion and prayer.

To state the obvious:

It is simply unacceptable that such a policy exists at all and it’s even worse that it’s based on fear of a threat that might rise by a party who might choose violence as a tool to establish facts on the ground.

The State has a responsibility to protect its citizens’ rights and not to cave in to bullies.

As a reminder, lets remember these facts:

Ten of the eleven gates of the Temple Mount are closed to Jews and open to Muslims at all times. Jews are permitted to enter the site only via the Mugrabi Gate on the south side of the Western Wall - and only during four hours daily on weekdays.

Jews who wish to enter the Temple Mount must go through a security check and clearance that is not mandatory for other visitors.

While non-Jews walk in freely with little or no security check, Jewish visitors are treated to pat-downs by police, who check their pockets and bags for prayer books and then warn them not to pray on the Mount. Once Jews get through all of this, they are followed by teams of police and Muslim Wakf guards who watch to see if they might be breaking the rules and praying without permission.

A Jew who is suspected of breaking the rules by daring to whisper a prayer is likely to be arrested

Once again, to state the obvious, we see this:

In what other country would you expect a citizen to be interrogated for praying? Can you imagine the police officer saying, "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can be used against you in a court of law..." and then "you are suspected of praying . . . “?

Instead of intimidating worshipers by patting them down for prayer books and warning them not to pray, they should be patting down those suspicious figures that might be inciting violence against the worshipers. Incitement coming out of the Mosque should be monitored if it becomes a platform for harassment of Jewish visitors to the site.

Only in bizarro world. Our world as we approach the Tribulation.