According to reports, Satmar (The "Rav Arele" branch) is starting a PR campaign to convince the Arabs that the Haredi community does not go up to Har Habayit. The campaign will be in Arabic and will explain both the prohibition of going up as well as the fact that Haredim are opposed to Zionism.
source Kikar and Srugim
It is unclear, to me at least, what the purpose of such a campaign is. They say it is important for them to make it clear to the Arabs that Haredim don't go to Har Habayit.
Why? Why is that important? Will Arabs stop their violence and attacks if they get convinced of that Haredim are not interested in Har Habayit? Are they building on the campaign that people think Mishpacha started last week to ask the Arabs to not attack haredim (while leaving it up to them to attack other Israelis or not)? Do they just want to curry favor with their friends the Arabs and show that they are anti-Zionists?
I am not clear on what this campaign is trying to accomplish. A campaign to try to convince Israelis to not go up to Har Habayit makes more sense to me than this.
One more thought.
I remember always hearing that while the Satmar Rebbe was anti-Zionist, he was pro-Israel and Jews (sort of). Meaning, while he fought against Israel and the Zionists, he loved the Jews of Israel and would never do anything that might harm them in the public eye.
I remember vaguely some story of a candidate for senator or governor who met with the Satmar Rebbe. This fellow did his homework and knew the Rebbe was anti-Zionist. When he met with the Rebbe he said he would not support some aid package to Israel that was being considered. The Rebbe rebuked him and said he should support it.
When pressed later by his followers, he explained that while he is anti-Zionist, that is only internally. In the face of the world he has to do what he can to help the Jews of Israel.
If the above is true, and while I do not have the details of the story clear in my memory, that was the gist of it and the lesson is one I remember clearly, then today's Satmar has clearly moved away from that style and is trying to be anti-Zionist even in public to representatives of other nations...
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