A group of young individuals ascended to the revered Temple Mount this past Tuesday, only to encounter an unexpected and unsettling episode of violence at the hands of law enforcement officers. The incident, captured on video and initially published by "Israel Hayom", portrays a distressing scene: one of the police officers is seen striking a young boy on the head, sending another's phone crashing to the ground.
This disturbing incident has added fuel to an ongoing debate surrounding the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, and his handling of Jewish individuals visiting the Temple Mount. According to concerned activists, there has been a discernible deterioration in the treatment of Jewish worshippers at this sacred site.
סיור בלהות בהר הבית: צעירים (קטינים) שהגיעו להר השבוע השתחוו (דבר שהמשטרה אוסרת) אך במקום הרחקה מהירה ספגו אלימות מצד שוטר, צעקות ואיומים.
— חנן גרינווד (@hanan_green) September 28, 2023
בתיעוד של ארגון "בידינו למען הר הבית" נראה שוטר מכה צעיר, ללא כל סיבה נראית לעין. עוד טוענים הצעירים: החרימו ממנו טלפונים ומחקו חומרים -… pic.twitter.com/90CgfVEYmt
Among the group of young people were approximately 20 members of the Migdal HaEmek Yeshiva, who had embarked on a pilgrimage to the Temple Mount. However, what began as a routine visit took an unexpected turn when some members of the group decided to kneel and pray. The police intervened promptly, asserting that such actions were a breach of the established status quo. In typical situations like this, the police remove the individuals involved and may even subject them to questioning. But on this particular occasion, tensions escalated rapidly, leading to shouting, shoving, and violence directed towards minors. Shockingly, cameras and phones were also confiscated, with allegations from the "Beyadenu" organization that police went so far as to delete vital videos stored on these devices.
Additional evidence from a GoPro camera, employed by an activist from "Beyadenu," captures the moments immediately following the confiscation of phones. The motive behind this action remains unclear, especially since the police had not concealed any documentation of the events. The available footage paints a troubling picture.
The guided tour of the Temple Mount pressed on, but matters took a more ominous turn when one of the young men, while recording the incident, expressed his indignation at having his phone confiscated and videos deleted by a police officer. The same officer, accused of kicking the young man, then attacked him and knocked the camera from his hand. The pinnacle of this distressing encounter occurred mere minutes later when the footage captured the officer, seemingly incensed by the young men's remarks, striking one of them.
מקרה חמור מאוד שחשפנו בהר הבית.
— בידינו - למען הר הבית Beyadenu (@Beyadenu) September 28, 2023
הכתבה המלאה ב"ישראל היום", בתגובות! pic.twitter.com/qt9nbJtPK5
In the words of one of the young men who experienced this ordeal, "The police resorted to physical force, urging us to move more swiftly, and they did not hesitate to use force against anyone who attempted to engage them in dialogue. I was walking quickly when a police officer approached me from behind and pushed me for no apparent reason, causing me to fall to the ground."
At the end of their tour of the Temple Mount, the young men were escorted to a police station. They claimed that all of their phones were confiscated without proper warrants. Furthermore, they asserted that the police deleted a significant portion of the videos documenting the event and resorted to threats in order to compel them to unlock their phones.
