World

Drive-By Shooting Of Israeli Activist Puts Jerusalem On Edge

The drive-by shooting of a right-wing Israeli activist has stoked tensions in Israel with both Jewish and Muslim leaders condemning each other.

Drive-By Shooting Of Israeli Activist Puts Jerusalem On Edge
Getty Images / Ilia Yefimovich
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The attempted assassination of a prominent right-wing Israeli activist in Jerusalem Wednesday night has led to the closure of one of the city's most holy places. 

A gunman on a motorcycle shot U.S.-born activist Yehuda Glick at the end of a conference about the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Holy City. (Video via Arutz Sheva)

The Temple Mount, known as El-Harem Al-Sharif to Muslims, holds ties to many Biblical passages and is an important religious site for Jews, Muslims and Christians. Because of that, it's also served as a major point of contention between Palestinians and Israelis.

Glick has been a vocal proponent of reversing the Israeli government's ban on Jewish or non-Muslim worship at the site, a policy meant to curb any violence between Jews and Muslims. 

A day after the shooting, Israeli police killed the man suspected of shooting Glick in East Jerusalem, which caused further tensions. 

Following the suspect's death, Palestinian youth protested on the street and the Israeli government decided to block all access to the Temple Mount to prevent any further escalation in violence. (Video via Deutsche Welle)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has condemned the closing, saying it amounts to a "declaration of war." 

While he has called for calm, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also blamed Abbas for inciting the violence. 

And yet some far-right Israelis are blaming the government. 

The Temple Institute, which advocates destroying the iconic Dome of the Rock mosque on the Temple Mount and replacing it with a Jewish temple, says the government ban on Jewish worship at the site led to the attack. 

The Jerusalem Post released this video of far-right activists attempting to force their way into the Temple Mount in an attempt to show solidarity with Glick and protest the government ban on Jewish worship there. 

Glick is reportedly in serious condition. The Temple Mount has since been reopened because police were concerned about backlash.

This video includes images from Getty Images.