Ben-Gvir visits Temple Mount; some worshippers prostrate themselves while in prayer at the site, a violation of the status quo (Photo: Arnon Segal)
Ben-Gvir disregards status quo and joins worshippers on Temple Mount
August 13, 2024
JFJFP
Roni Green Shaulov, Liran Tamari, Shilo Freid report in Ynet 13/08
About 1,500 Jews visited the Temple Mount on Tuesday, as part of their commemoration of the fast of Tisha B’Av, and dozens of them were recorded praying and bowing in a violation of the status quo of the holy site. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is responsible for the enforcement of these rules, was also seen on Temple Mount. The police detained 11 worshipers.
Ben-Gvir arrived at the Temple Mount on Tuesday morning together with the Development of the Periphery, the Negev and the Galilee Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf. Just last week, on August 5, the police responded to an inquiry on the subject and stated that “the rules in the Temple Mount have not been changed.”
Ben-Gvir referred to the incident where worshipers bowed on the Temple Mount against the holy site’s rules, saying, “Our policy is to allow prayer.” According to him, “We come on Tisha B’Av to commemorate the destruction of the Temple. We must say honestly there is great progress here in exercising our sovereignty.” He added: “We must win this war, and not go to conferences in Doha or Cairo, but defeat them, bring them to their knees. This is the message. We can defeat Hamas.”
At first, Jewish worshipers entered in groups of a hundred at a time but quickly deviated from the status quo concerning the prayer guidelines. Shortly after, only groups of 50 were allowed to enter at a time. Joining Ben-Gvir, Knesset member Amit Halevi from the Likud Party also wished to join the worshipers but was instructed to enter alone.
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry published an official condemnation for the mass visit of Jewish worshipers including ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Yitzhak Wasserlauf to the Temple Mount, along with hundreds of other worshipers. According to the statemen, “the assault of two extremist ministers from the Israeli government on the Temple Mount, under the auspices of the police, is a blatant violation of international law, the historical and legal situation in Jerusalem and the holy places.”
The chairman of the ultra-Orthodox Degel HaTorah Party, lawmaker Moshe Gafni, commented on Ben-Gvir’s visit to the Temple Mount saying that “the damage to the sanctity of the Temple Mount and the status quo is not of interest to the minister, who goes against the great men of Israel and the chief rabbis throughout the generations.” According to him, “The damage he is causing to the Jewish people is unbearably great, and this adds to the hatred on the day of the destruction of the Temple. We will have to check with our rabbis if we can be partners with him in the government, and we will make this clear to the prime minister as well.”
Tisha B’Av marks the destruction of both Holy Temples, which stood on the Temple Mount. Many haredim believe that Jews should not enter the site so that they do not enter the areas of great holiness.
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