Thousands of Moslem worshipers packed into the Temple Mount holy site for Friday prayers in violation of public health guidelines, which cap outdoor crowds at 20 people.
The Kan public broadcaster estimated that 15,000 worshipers were in attendance and photos of the scene showed participants jammed up against one another with many not wearing face masks.
The Arutz Sheva news outlet reported that Israeli security forces prevented dozens of Paleostinians from entering what Moslems refer to as the al-Aqsa compound, but officers were evidently ill-equipped to prevent the mass crowding that ensued.
It was the first time the site had opened for Friday prayers after a 45-day shut-down due to rising COVID-19 case numbers, AFP said.
Footage showed large crowds both throughout the compound and inside the al-Aqsa Mosque itself.
Already in December, coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague)
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...czar Nachman Ash acknowledged that Israel has no way to enforce the pandemic restrictions at the Temple Mount, where tens of thousands of Moslem worshipers had been gathering every Friday.
"There is no solution," Ash was quoted as saying during a closed-door meeting on the subject.
The Waqf, a Jordanian-appointed council, oversees Moslem holy sites in Jerusalem. It claims exclusive authority over the Temple Mount compound and says it is not subject to Israeli jurisdiction. Tensions often escalate at the site.
The Temple Mount was also closed for weeks in March, as Israel imposed a nationwide lockdown. In September, as Israel entered its second countrywide closure, the Waqf initially said it would close the compound, but later reversed the decision, fearing that Jewish worshipers would be allowed to continue to visit.
Earlier this week, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion warned local Arab officials in the city that unvaccinated residents may not be permitted to go to mosques, schools or hotels.
The meeting between the mayor and the heads of a number of neighborhoods in the city was held amid concerns about low vaccination rates in East Jerusalem.
The legality of preventing unvaccinated individuals from attending gatherings or going to work is still under debate as the country struggles to add incentives to its world-leading vaccination program, which has been losing momentum.
