Arab Media Outlets Condemn Temple Mount Shofar Blowing As ‘Dangerous Attack On Al-Aqsa’

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Arab world reacted angrily after several Jewish men blew the shofar on Temple Mount on the second day of Rosh Hashana. This is the third consecutive year that the shofar has been sounded on Rosh Hashana at the holy site.

PA Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Fadi Al-Hadmi said Sunday that although police “pursued and arrested them after the ‘barbaric assault’,” the Israeli police had still “facilitated and encouraged extremist settlers’ incursions into the mosque and the performance of Talmudic rituals.”

One of those detained for shofar blowing was Raziel Buaron, son of Likud MK Avichai Buaron.

The Islamic websites reported that “this year there were two sites of shofar blowing, in the central circle of Al-Aqsa Plaza and near the Gate of Mercy. One of the blows was longer than usual, which allowed the Al-Aqsa guards to identify the blower on the surveillance cameras.”

אחרי מעצר יהודי שהעז לתקוע בהר הבית בחג,הערבים משתוללים וכותבים “תקיעת השופר נחשבת לאחת ההתקפות המסוכנות ביותר על אלאקצא, שכן היא נועדה להכריז על ריבונות ציונית.להכריז על סיום העידן האסלאמי באלאקצא ותחילת עידן היהדות.
היא מסמלת את הפיכתו של אלאקצא למקדש על כל שטחו ולכן כה מסוכנת” pic.twitter.com/AVLR45SmfY

— assaf gibor (@assafgibor) September 18, 2023

The sites added that “The blowing of the shofar is considered one of the most dangerous attacks on Al-Aqsa, as it was intended to declare Zionist sovereignty, the end of the Islamic era in Al-Aqsa and the beginning of the era of Judaism. It symbolizes the transformation of al-Aqsa into a temple over its entire territory and therefore it is so dangerous.”

The Al-Jazeera network spearheaded a campaign framing the incident as a provocation against Muslim worshipers. Video footage was disseminated, showing clashes between security forces and Muslim devotees responding aggressively to the shofar’s sounds. Reports also indicated that a number of young Muslim men were detained, and movement was restricted for Muslim workers and women — presumably to minimize the Muslim presence on the mountain during the Jewish holiday season.

Al-Jazeera also meticulously documented the rise in numbers of Jewish worshipers on Temple Mount, stating that there were 426 Jewish “invasions” of the Temple Mount, compared to 405 last Rosh Hashana.

The Saudis also used the shofar blowing as a pretext to attack Israel. An official statement of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said this was an “invasion by extremists of Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the Israeli occupation forces,” constituting a “violation of agreements,” and a “taunting of the feelings of Muslims around the world.”

Later, the Saudi Foreign Ministry charged Israel with the responsibility for the consequences of the Jews’ ascension to the Temple Mount, and demanded that the international community act to end the “escalation of the Israeli occupation.”

The altercation on Temple Mount led to Arab riots in several locations near the Gaza Strip fence. Several people were injured, including three Arab journalists who were injured by gas grenades.

“During the violent disorder, explosives were activated and grenades were thrown at the IDF forces,” the IDF spokesman said over the holiday. “There are no casualties to our forces. The forces acted in the face of a breach of the public order and used measures to disperse demonstrations.”