Did the Israeli police receive orders to forbid Jews from eating or drinking during the Muslim month-long holiday of Ramadan?

According to the Temple Mount Heritage Foundation, one of the group’s guides was asked by a police officer not to consume anything or to do so out of plain sight reports Srugim.

While getting briefed before going up onto the Temple Mount, the police officer in charge told the guide that “eating is forbidden on the Temple Mount.” Later on, when he asked the officer for clarification, the cop said: “you can only eat or drink discreetly, so no one sees you and so it doesn’t bother the local Muslims.”

Head of the organization, Tom Nisani sent a complaint to Minister of Internal Security Amir Ohana: “The Temple Mount, whose area stretches 144 dunams (35 acres) is not one big mosque where Jews need to avoid eating or drinking because of a Muslim fast. The same way on Yom Kippur police in Tel Aviv don’t prevent Muslims from eating or drinking, all the more so on the Temple Mount, the holiest place for a Jew.”

“It’s abhorrent that after 54 years that the Temple Mount is under Israel’s control, the Israeli police have still not internalized that the Temple Mount is of vital national and religious significance to the Jewish people.”

“We are requesting that you instruct the police to allow Jews who are not fasting on Ramadan to eat and drink and to stop enforcing scandalous laws upon people who are not Muslim.”

The Israeli police responded saying: “In the framework of visits that take place on the Temple Mount, the police are operating within the visitation norms of the location.”

“The Israeli Police are operating and will continue to operate to allow everyone to visit the Temple Mount.”