Israel’s Covid czar Nachman Ash has admitted that Israel has no way to enforce the corona regulations on the Temple Mount – a Jewish Holy site where tens of thousands of Muslims gather every Friday to pray, according to reports by the Kan public broadcaster on Sunday.
“There is no solution,” Ash was quoted saying while in a closed-door meeting on the matter. The statement followed Friday’s prayer at the holy site which attracted roughly 18,000 Muslims.
The report was released following the publication of photos by the public broadcaster showing thousands of Muslim worshipers crowding in the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount without masks. The photo was released at a time when data is showing that almost half of all new corona cases in Israel come fom the Arab sector including in Jerusalem.
An official who attended the meeting stressed that the Jordanian Waqf Islamic custodians of the Temple Mount are making efforts to adhere to the health restrictions.
“How can they, if there are 18,000 people?” Ash responded.
The Waqf, a Jordanian-appointed council, manages Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. They also claim sole authority over the Temple Mount compound and claims that it doesn’t fall under Israeli jurisdiction.
