Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and the Arab party Ra'am clashed on Sunday after Jews were allowed to sing and pray in certain parts of Temple Mount on the occasion of Tisha B'Av, in which Jews mourn the destruction of the two temples and a variety of other calamities.
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Ra'am, which is a critical faction in Bennett's razor-thin coalition that spans both right-wing and left-wing lawmakers, was outraged after footage emerged showing Jews, who are normally not allowed to recite prayers or hymns on the Temple Mount, singing Israel's national anthem and even praying discreetly in a secluded area.
"Settlers and MKs who trespass into the Al-Aqsa Mosque could lead to disturbances and a regional religious war," Ra'am warned. "We will not allow this to happen – we won't tolerate prayer and the singing of Hatikvah in the mosque that is under Islamic ownership, all 35 acres."
Bennett quickly tweeted, both in Hebrew and in Arabic, that the latest events do not reflect any change of the rules that prohibit Jewish religious practices in the plaza, which has two of the most sacred sites in Muslim tradition.
The statement read: "Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke with Public Security Minister Bar-Lev and Israel Police Inspector-General Shabtai and thanked them for managing the events on the Temple Mount with responsibility and consideration while maintaining freedom of worship for Jews on the Mount. Prime Minister Bennett emphasized that freedom of worship on the Temple Mount will be fully preserved for Muslims as well, who will soon be marking the fast of the Day of Arafah and the Eid al-Adha."
Earlier, brief clashes erupted between Israeli police and Palestinians at Al-Aqsa Mosque over visits by Jews.
No serious injuries were reported in what police described as stone-throwing early in the day by several Palestinian youngsters who it said were then dispersed.
Palestinian officials said police forcefully evacuated Muslim worshippers to clear the way for Jewish visitors and fired rubber-coated bullets during the confrontation in one of the most sensitive venues in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
All was quiet by the time Muslim noon prayers were held, but the incident drew condemnation by the Palestinian Authority.
Israeli media reports put the number of Jewish visitors who walked through the Jerusalem plaza at around 1,300.
In a statement, the Palestinian Authority said it held "the Israeli occupation government fully responsible for the escalation resulting from the Israeli incursion in the Al Aqsa mosque complex in occupied Jerusalem".
The PA called the Jewish visits provocative and a "serious threat to "security and stability".
After the spate of violence, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett directed that Jewish visits there "continue, while maintaining order at the site."
The area is in Jerusalem's walled Old City and part of the territory Israel captured in a 1967 Middle East war.
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