The following video – supposedly of Jewish revellers desecrating Al Aqsa Mosque by dancing and drinking alcohol up there – is being disseminated by anti-Israel social media accounts.
Upon seeing this, I knew it could not be true.
For a start, it is hard enough for Jews to be allowed on the Temple Mount at all, let alone carrying bottles of alcohol. There are severe restrictions on non-Muslims up there, especially Jews. This includes not being able to bring religious articles, and not being able to pray.
Israel is responsible for general security to the Temple Mount, while the Jerusalem Waqf Islamic religious trust controls the Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa Mosque, including its internal guarding and internal inspection. Between both these bodies, no Jews would be allowed up there with alcohol, and would certainly not be permitted to drink, sing and dance. The site is protected from desecration pursuant to the Protection of Holy Places Law passed after the Six Day War.
The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism – in fact many Jews hold we are not allowed up there at all for fear of accidentally desecrating it. Even if the strict security up there did not exist, religious Jews would never dream of dancing up there intoxicated.
If all of this does not convince you (but it should), there’s also the fact the area in the video looks nothing like any of the Al Aqsa Mosque compound’s doors or gates.
As I mentioned last time a similar libel was disseminated, if this incident had happened, you would definitely have heard about it. We’d likely have had a World War III. But that did not occur because the incident never happened.
What is clear to me – besides the fact this is yet another pernicious libel – is that the video was taken on Purim, which occurred yesterday in Jerusalem. I have been told that it is footage from outside a yeshiva (seminary) in Jerusalem’s Old City. I am still trying to find out the exact name of the yeshiva, and will update the post if I find it out.
