Jews Ascend the Temple Mount for Holiday of Purim. PHOTO: Sliman Khader/Flash90

A large number of Jews ascended the Temple Mount – Judaism’s holiest site – on Wednesday morning to visit the holy site on the occasion of the holiday of Purim, Israel’s 0404 news website reported.

The staff members of the Temple Mount group reported that “the police made the visitors enter in small groups, despite the fact that the Mount was almost empty of Muslim worshipers.”

0404 reported that many of the visitors had to wait outside under rain for a long time before they were able to ascend the Mount.

According to the staff members, “the police were apparently afraid to have pictures taken showing large groups of Jews on the Temple Mount at the same time.”

If true, the fear was possibly animated by last year’s Palestinian riots that broke out across Jerusalem in response to Jews asserting their right to ascend the Mount and pray there, according to the report.