A stone (2.43x1 m) with Hebrew inscription "To the Trumpeting Place" excavated by B. Mazar at the southern foot of the Temple Mount is believed to be a part of the Second Temple.
On Monday, the eve of the Sukkot holiday, the High Court of Justice handed down a ruling officially permitting Jews to pray on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount on Wednesday, between 7:30-9:00am. The court’s decision was in response to a petition filed by the Temple Mount Faithful organization. The ruling stipulated that in order to prevent a confrontation with Muslims, prayers must conclude by 9:00 o'clock, when Islamic worshippers usually arrive.The decision sets a precedent, as it permits Jews not only to visit the Mount but also to pray there. Such a position has not been taken by the court since at least 1976.
When worshippers arrived on the scene on Wednesday morning at the appointed time, however, the police did not allow them to enter the area.... In the end, officers allowed only three groups to enter the Temple Mount, but they informed them that prayer was strictly prohibited.
However, according to some of those present this morning on the Mount, in practice, the police did not interfere when two groups of Jews ascended the Mount in succession and read from printed pages of the morning prayers. Those who were allowed to enter could only do so from 7:45 till 08:15 ....
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