UTJ chairman Moseh Gafni called on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to leave Har Habyis closed to Jews.
“Due to our sins the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed and there’s a chiyuv kareis in ascending to Har Habayis,” Gafni stated on Motzei Shabbos.
Nevertheless, Har Habayis was opened to Jews on Sunday morning for the first time since May 10.
Religious Zionist politicians from the Religious Zionism party and Yamina slammed Gafni’s request, with Religious Zionism MK Itamar Ben-Gvir saying that closing the site to Jews is a capitulation to Hamas.
According to a B’Chadrei Chareidim report, Gafni’s request even aroused opposition within the UTJ party, with one senior member saying that Gafni’s statement doesn’t reflect the opinions of all members of the party. “We support Jews not ascending to Har Habayis because that is the opinion of Gedolei Yisrael,” he said. “But Gafni’s goal right now is to concede to the Arabs – which will lend them legitimacy to continue their riots in Jerusalem.”
Riots continued to take place on Har Habayis overnight Motzei Shabbos and on Friday.
Jews were forbidden from visiting Har Habayis since Yom Yerushalayim amid flaring tensions in the capital. Later that day, Hamas threatened to fire rockets at Israel if Israeli police didn’t back off from Har Habayis and the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
Hamas fulfilled its threat and Operation Guardian of the Walls began.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
Here’s a wild idea… why doesn’t Gafni mind his own business and let everyone decide how machmir or Meikel to be themselves! Maybe instead he should be focusing on getting his chareidim to stop killing people with their poor party planning skills
There iis no issur kareis to enter Har Habayis-Mishna Keilim. If one stays in the boundaries which have been proven with 100% certainty after immersing in a mikva he may ascend as Smotrich rightly points out.
LiChvod Reb Moshe Gafni LOY”T:
Yasher Kochachem!
Please ask fellow Shomrei Torah UMitzvos to learn Sefer Yechezkel, Chap. 40-43. My drawings of Bais HaMikdash HaShlishi, made with professional software, may be helpful:
https://ourspecialmitzvah.org/
https://ourspecialmitzvah.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Key-to-Prophesy.pdf
Editors:
There is no reason to use Zionist invented holidays in your reporting. I don’t particularly care when the Zionists decide to celebrate their conquering of Yerushalayim after having lost it in 1948 thanks to Zionist aggression. So please use dates instead of their invented holidays like “Yom Yerushalayim”.
Jojo:
One isolated incident is not a reason to be motzi shem ra on all “his chareidim”.
Kudos to you Gafni for so strongly advocating staying far away from an איסור כרת.
It is absolutely reprehensible for any Jew to set foot on any part of הר הבית and playing their life, until such time as when 3rd בית-המקדש has been built
Nice to hear some encouraging words from him. It should stay sealed for Jews. Its assure to enter the holy place.