Congressional Delegation Harassed on Har Habayis

A delegation from a pro-Israel congressional caucus was subjected to harassment during a visit to Har Habayis on Tuesday, The Jerusalem Post reported.

“We walked up there,” Rep. Keith Rothfus (R-PA) recounted, “and were almost immediately approached by several men who started shouting. We were tracked the entire time we were there and found these individuals surprisingly intolerant and belligerent.”

“There was an effort to completely suppress not only any expression of religious conviction, but any articulation of historical reality,” said Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), co-chairman of the Israel Allies Foundation’s congressional caucus.

The Israel Allies Foundation is an inter-faith organization supporting 33 parliamentary caucuses around the world that mobilize political support for Israel.

The group was accosted first by Arab men shouting at them in the plaza and then by Waqf staff.

Men wearing shirts with Waqf insignia repeatedly interrupted the group’s guide and tried to snatch his maps. The guide told them that he was doing nothing illegal and would only stop if told to do so by police.

For the rest of their visit to the site, the group was followed around by Muslim men.

E.J. Kimball, director of U.S. Operations for the Israel Allies Foundation, said the congressional delegation “wasn’t doing anything controversial” that would justify the treatment they encountered.

This article appeared in print on page 25 of the August 12th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.