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Thousands of Jewish worshippers visit Jerusalem holy site as Israeli lawmaker boasts ‘Arabs aren’t allowed to come near us’

by admin on | 2025-04-17 21:57:28

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Thousands of Jewish worshippers visited a Jerusalem holy site during the holiday of Passover as far-right Israeli lawmaker Zvi Sukkot boasted, “Arabs aren’t allowed to come near us.”

Sukkot, a member of the Religious Zionism party, visited the al-Aqsa compound in the Old City of Jerusalem on Thursday morning, prostrating himself on the ground and praying in violation of the delicate status quo agreement that governs the site.

“Jews are bowing, praying, holding minyanim here,” said Sukkot, referencing a quorum of ten men required for certain Jewish worship. “Arabs aren’t allowed to come near us at all,” the lawmaker added, with Israeli security forces walking amongst the worshippers around him.

While anyone can visit the al-Aqsa compound, only Muslims are allowed to pray there, according to the status quo agreement, which has existed since Israel captured the Old City of Jerusalem in 1967. The site, which is known to Jews as the Temple Mount, is the holiest place in Judaism. It is known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif, and it is the third holiest site in Islam.

But the status quo agreement has increasingly been tested and, in some cases, deliberately challenged. Far-right lawmakers in Israel have made repeated visits to the holy site, encouraging other Jewish worshippers to do the same. Some of these visits have sparked protests, as well as diplomatic fallout across the region.

Video from the scene on Thursday showed Sukkot surrounded by a group of Jewish men openly praying while an Israeli police officer walked around in the background, not disturbing or interrupting the prayer session. Sukkot said it was far different to his last visit to the site 14 years ago.