Ben Gvir spotted at entrance to Temple Mount, but apparently does not enter

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is spotted at the entrance to the Temple Mount site while hundreds of other Jewish pilgrims enter the flashpoint site to mark the Sukkot festival.

Hebrew media reports initially reported the minister entered the site, but his office later said he was just outside the entrance meeting those who ascended to the mount. His last visit in August sparked several complaints among ultra-Orthodox coalition members who believe such visits violate Jewish law.

According to the Temple Mount activist group Beyadenu, some 200 Jewish pilgrims visited the site this morning.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently had to deny any change to the status quo governing the contentious site, with Ben Gvir repeatedly asserting a Jewish right to prayer at the Temple Mount, the site where the two Jewish Temples once stood and which is now the home of the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The vague status quo governing the compound allows Muslims to pray and enter with few restrictions, while non-Muslims, including Jews, can visit only during limited time slots via a single gate, with visibly religious Jews only allowed to walk on a predetermined route, closely accompanied by police. While Jews are not officially allowed to pray, police have increasingly tolerated limited prayer.

Under Ben Gvir, Jews, who in years past would have been removed for merely silently mouthing a prayer, have even begun prostrating themselves on the mount. He has also expressed support for a synagogue being placed atop the Temple Mount.

הר הבית נפתח לעליית יהודים
למעלה מ200 יהודים כבר עלו הבוקר להר הבית ועוד רבים צפויים להגיע בהמשך היום ובמהלך השבוע. המשטרה עיכבה יהודי בעקבות תפילה ושירה בקול בצפון הר הבית. pic.twitter.com/A6PMuk3uVo

— בידינו – למען הר הבית Beyadenu (@Beyadenu) October 20, 2024