JERUSALEM (JTA) — Graffiti equating the Star of David with a swastika was found painted on the Temple Mount.
The graffiti in blue paint was found Sunday in at least three places on the Temple Mount, according to reports. Israel Police are investigating.
Two days earlier, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in a speech in Ramallah that Jews should be prevented from entering the Temple Mount and that Palestinians should protect the site, home to the Al-Aksa Mosque.
“It is our sacred place, Al-Aksa is ours, this Noble Sanctuary is ours. They have no right to go there and desecrate it,” Abbas said Friday.
On Saturday, Abbas called Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount “a herd of cattle.” He also said that he would take legal action to prevent Jews from ascending to the site, which is holy to both Jews and Muslims.
The Temple Mount has been the site of tension over the recent Jewish holiday period, as well as conflicts between Palestinians and the Israel Police.
