BREAKING NEWS

Sheep, Jewish activists barred from Temple Mount

Jerusalem police decided Thursday to block a right-wing march on the Temple Mount that was scheduled for Sunday afternoon, saying it would endanger the public. Some 200 activists were expected to march with 20 sheep to the Temple Mount plaza.
The activists wanted to protest the fact that they cannot perform ritual sacrifices on the Temple Mount. "This procession would cause danger to the peace and would raise the possibility of disturbances from different sources," Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben Ruby said on Thursday. Ben Ruby added that there would be increased police presence in the Old City on Sunday in order to stop any attempts to sneak sheep into unacceptable places.
Rumors from right-wing Jews over large marches to the Temple Mount have sparked rioting in the past few months, spread by rumors in the Arab press of a Jewish attempt to overtake the Al Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock. When Likud activist Moshe Feiglin tried to go up to the Temple Mount in February, ensuing riots in east Jerusalem and the Old City led to the arrest of more than 30 Arabs and injured a number of police officers.