Half of Jewish Israelis support Jewish prayer on Temple Mount — poll

3 May 2022, 3:18 pm

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A group of religious Jews walk past the Dome of the Rock during their visit to the Temple Mount, known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif (The Noble Sanctuary), in the Old City of Jerusalem on April 20, 2022. (Menahem Kahana / AFP)

Fifty percent of Jewish Israelis support allowing Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount, according to a new survey conducted amid the latest tensions in Jerusalem.

The Israel Democracy Institute poll indicates a substantial number of Israelis effectively support reversing the current status quo at the flashpoint holy site where only Muslims are allowed to pray. Non-Muslims are only allowed to visit.

Thirty-eight percent of Jewish Israelis tie their support for Jewish worship at the Temple Mount to the message it sends regarding Israel’s sovereignty on the site, according to the poll. Twelve percent of Jewish Israelis say that prayer should be allowed at the Temple Mount because it is a religious commandment.

The IDI survey was conducted from April 24 to 26, with 601 people interviewed in Hebrew and 150 in Arabic. The margin of error is 3.56%.