JERUSALEM, July 30, 2003…An Anti-Defamation League (ADL) delegation of national and regional leadership visiting Israel had their scheduled visit to the Temple Mount cancelled today. The League was told by the Jerusalem Police that for “operational considerations” they could not go.

This comes in the wake of Arafat’s pronouncement of “grave consequences” since Israel’s reopening in June of the Temple Mount after three years in which non-Muslims could not visit it. Anger about Israel’s decision was echoed last week by Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, who called the limited reopening of the site “provocative,” and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, who said it was “very dangerous” and “an insult to Muslims everywhere.”

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director said, “It is both sad and offensive in terms of Jewish history and tradition for the Palestinians to continue to fuel the myth that the Jewish people have no history, stake, or interest in the holy sites that have been the cradle of the Jewish faith.   To call a possible visit done with respect and consideration for Islamic tradition a provocation or crime is contrary to the spirit of the road map and reconciliation.”   

Related News Article:

Jerusalem Post: Police halt Jewish visits to Temple Mount