Jerusalem police to step up security on Mount of Olives
Majority of attacks around the cemetery have taken place on its overcrowded, narrow roads. Over the years, attacks have been so striking that many visitors have had to retain security escorts.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFJerusalem police to step up security on Mount of Olives(photo credit: Courtesy)
A Jerusalem police department agreed on Monday to improve security on the Mount of Olives (Har Hazeitim), a 3,000-year-old Jewish cemetery in the Old City. Shalom Lerner, executive director of the International Committee for Har Hazeitim (ICHH), discussed ways to tighten security with police chief Shmuel Marziano, newly appointed head of the Kedem District of eastern Jerusalem, which includes the famous mountain where four prophets, former Prime Minister Menachem Begin and leaders of rabbinical dynasties are buried. In 2014, three Jewish passengers on the way to a funeral on the Mount of Olives were ambushed by a dozen Arab youths, the Jerusalem Post reported, noting that the majority of attacks around the mountain have taken place on the overcrowded, narrow roads that lead to the cemetery.Over the years, attacks have been so striking that many visitors have been forced to retain security escorts.Following the meeting, Lerner expressed confidence that the police, some of whom have family buried on the mountain, will do their best to prevent future attacks. “I am confident that police will be doing their best to ensure the safety of all those going to Har Hazeitim,” he said.
