"We are the sovereign, even on the Temple Mount": Netanyahu reassures there is no change to the status quo, but police allow Jews to pray

The article reveals a gradual erosion of the status quo on the Temple Mount: police allow Jews to pray, Minister Ben Gvir led prayers as a cantor, and the state approved 9.4 million shekels for Temple-building groups. Dr. Zidkiyahu describes a de facto division in time and space, with a reduction of Muslim presence in the morning.

The article reveals that over the past year, the rules of the game on the Temple Mount have changed without a government decision or Knesset vote. Police allow Jews to pray, sing, and prostrate themselves, and the Jerusalem District Commander declares: "Today we are the sovereign in all this land, including there." The deputy commander of the Temple Mount unit recruits religious police officers "to realize sovereignty," and the state approved about 9.4 million shekels for two groups promoting the building of the Temple. Ahead of the elections, Minister Ben Gvir prayed on the Mount as a cantor, and Moshe Feiglin returns to the Knesset. Dr. Eran Zidkiyahu, a policy researcher, describes a de facto division of the compound in time and space, and warns that in East Jerusalem, Jordan, and the Arab world, every small change is perceived as part of a single process. The article cites testimonies about a reduction in Muslim presence in the morning hours, entry selection, and the spread of Jewish rituals to the eastern area of the Mount.

"We are the sovereign, even on the Temple Mount": Netanyahu reassures there is no change to the status quo, but police allow Jews to pray