Jewish worshipers get extended visiting hours on Temple Mount during Ramadan

Police have extended visiting hours for Jewish worshipers on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem by an hour more than is customary during Ramadan, on the first day of the Islamic holy month.

This morning, Jewish worshipers were able to ascend the flashpoint holy site from 6:30 to 11:30 a.m., following pressure from activists.

In previous years, visiting hours during Ramadan were from 7 to 11 a.m, with the the Al-Aqsa compound completely closed to Jewish visitors throughout the afternoon. According to Haaretz, the extra hour was allotted as “compensation” for the site’s afternoon closure.

The Palestinian Authority denounces the departure from the status quo as a “dangerous escalation” and warns that the extra hour may morph into a permanent policy extending beyond Ramadan, in a statement quoted by Arab outlets.

A spokesman for Beyadenu, an organization dedicated to cementing a Jewish presence at the site, says that the extra hour is a “slight concession” following meetings between Temple Mount activists and senior police officers in the Jerusalem District. He notes that today is the first day of the Hebrew month of Adar, and says some over 1,000 Jewish worshipers ascended the Temple Mount this morning and last night to mark the occasion.

Police have not yet responded to a request for comment.

Last month, Deputy Commissioner Avshalom Peled, a confidant of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, was appointed to the sensitive position of Jerusalem District commander.

Peled, who formerly served as deputy police chief, replaced Deputy Commissioner Amir Arzani, who went on leave under reported pressure from Ben Gvir, after he pushed back against the far-right minister’s attempts to further relax Jewish prayer restrictions on the Mount.