From Ben Gvir touts his easing of limits on Jewish prayer at Temple Mount
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir boasts in a briefing to Knesset lawmakers that under his leadership there has been a “strengthening of sovereignty in Jerusalem, including on the Temple Mount.”
There used to be a policy that “a Jew who mutters and says a prayer is removed. I changed the policy and I am proud of it,” he says.
The status quo governing the Temple Mount compound allows Muslims to enter and pray with few restrictions, while non-Muslims, including Jews, can visit only during certain times and are prohibited from anything that can be interpreted as a religious rite, including prayer. Visibly religious Jews are only allowed to walk on a predetermined route, closely accompanied by police.
While Jews are still not officially allowed to pray, police have increasingly tolerated limited prayer in recent years — a trend that began before Ben Gvir’s tenure but has accelerated since he took office.
Since his appointment, Jewish worshipers have increasingly been seen prostrating themselves at the holy site. Ben Gvir has repeatedly declared an end to the longstanding status quo — prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to announce that it remains unchanged.
Any change to the status quo would likely set off fiery protests in the region and beyond while endangering Israel’s peace treaty with Jordan, which claims custodianship over the compound.
