Ben Gvir urges High Court to allow worshippers to visit Temple Mount, Western Wall despite wartime restrictions

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir urges the High Court of Justice to allow “small groups” to ascend the Temple Mount and worship at the Western Wall despite wartime restrictions limiting public gatherings.

He issues the statement hours after Jewish religious leaders petitioned the High Court to relax the limits on attendees, as both Jerusalem holy sites remain closed to the vast majority of worshipers.

Amid the Iranian missile threat, the IDF Home Front Command is restricting outdoor public gatherings to 50 people.

Today’s petition was filed in reaction to an interim order handed down by the High Court last night that obliged police to allow anti-government protests to take place, so long as they did not exceed 600 people in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square, and 150 people in Haifa, Jerusalem and Kfar Saba.

The move infuriated ultra-Orthodox leaders and coalition lawmakers, who accused the court of operating on a double standard as holy sites in Jerusalem remained closed to the vast majority of worshipers during the week-long Passover festival.

Ben Gvir calls last night’s decision — which applied solely to last night’s protests — “problematic and not right.”

He further says there must not be “one law for the Square, and another for the Mount,” referring to Habima and the Temple Mount, respectively. As such, he demands judges permit “small groups” to go to the Temple Mount and Western Wall.

Contrary to Ben Gvir and other coalition members, critics of the government accuse police — not the justice system — of selective enforcement, claiming officers regularly break up demonstrations but have refrained from doing so when it comes to non-political gatherings.

Last night, police violently dispersed the anti-government demonstration in Tel Aviv soon after it exceeded 600 people, arresting 17 protesters.