An Israeli court has ruled that Jews are allowed to call out “Am Yisrael Chai” (the children of Israel live) while visiting the Temple Mount – because it is not regarded as a prayer.
Itamar Ben Gvir, a right wing Israeli activist, was detained for three hours by the police in 2015 after shouting the slogan. He had been responding to a Muslim woman who had called him a “dog” in Arabic and had shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is great).
The police claimed that Mr Ben Gvir had broken the law, which forbids Jews to pray on the Temple Mount. However, Mr Ben Gvir sued the police for wrongful detention, and on Monday the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court ruled that he was right, and that “Am yisrael chai”, while a patriotic slogan, was not a prayer.
Speaking to Israel’s Chadashot news service, Mr Ben Dvir described the verdict as “a gift to the Jewish people on the eve of Israel’s 70th Independence Day.