A spokesman from Beyadenu, which advocates for Jewish worship on the Temple Mount, says that some 3,000 Jewish visitors have visited the site today, with hundreds currently waiting in line to enter.
Hundreds more are expected to ascend the flashpoint site in the afternoon, he tells The Times of Israel.
The spokesman estimates that a dozen have been arrested so far for praying on the western side of the Temple Mount, as opposed to the eastern side where Jewish prayer is de facto permitted by police.
The arrested comprise only a small number of those who have prayed at the site’s western half, he adds, due to the “sheer amount” of worshipers.
Police are permitting Jewish worshipers to bring Tisha B’Av liturgy up to the Temple Mount. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir was seen with a prayer book and worshiped openly at the site, after having done the same on the fast day last year.
BY: Charlie Summers
