National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir toured the Temple Mount on Monday with Home Front Command officials, calling for the site to be opened to more worshippers amid wartime restrictions limiting access.
An additional tour of the site is expected to take place to examine alternative entry options after no agreements were reached on reopening it, Ben-Gvir’s office stated. Participants in the tour included senior officials from both the Israel Police and the Home Front Command.
Ben-Gvir's visit comes after controversy over the High Court’s decision on Saturday to allow anti-war protests with larger crowds than those currently permitted to pray at holy sites.
“The Home Front Command still opposes reopening the site, despite having agreed to allow protests of up to 150 people at Habima Square,” Ben-Gvir’s office stated after the far-right minister's tour of the Temple Mount.
The High Court intervened in the dispute over Saturday night’s war demonstrations, permitting no fewer than 150 participants at three different sites and no fewer than 600 people at Habima Square.
Wartime restrictions impacting holy sites
The decsion came as wartime restrictions have impacted holy sites in the Old City, with the Priestly Blessing ceremony at the Western Wall on Sunday limited to just 50 people, rather than the tens of thousands who typically attend during the holiday.
Later on Sunday evening, the number of worshippers permitted at the Western Wall was raised to 100 after the High Court heard a petition to expand attendance in light of the protest allowances.
Another hearing is scheduled for Thursday to further examine the issue of religious worship at holy sites during the war.
Ben-Gvir called the High Court’s decision to allow a larger number of protesters than worshippers at the holy sites “problematic and incorrect” on Sunday while presenting the position of the National Security Ministry.
“From the moment the High Court approved the protests at Habima Square, we cannot apply one standard to the square and a different standard to the Mount. It is impossible to discriminate against such a large public,” he stated.
“Therefore, the High Court must also allow the possibility of ascending to both the Temple Mount and the Western Wall in small groups,” he added.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the High Court’s decision to allow larger wartime protests on Sunday, calling it "unbelievable" and stating that “Freedom of protest is important, but freedom of prayer is no less important.”
“While Jews are restricted during the holiday from praying at the Western Wall, the High Court of Justice has approved a left-wing demonstration in Tel Aviv,” he had posted on X/Twitter.
Ben-Gvir’s visit to the Temple Mount on Monday reportedly drew condemnation from Qatar’s Foreign Ministry and the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs.
The far-right minister frequently visits the Temple Mount during Jewish holidays and has stated in the past that the status quo there no longer exists. The Prime Minister’s Office then subsequently clarified that Israel’s policy on the Temple Mount has not changed.
The visits have consistently drawn international condemnation and criticism from regional figures.
During Sukkot, Ben-Gvir ascended the Temple Mount, prompting Hamas to condemn the move as “an aggressive message” that reinforces the division of the site and reflects plans to “impose occupation control on it.”
The status quo on the Temple Mount, established after 1967, allows Israel to oversee security while the Jordanian-backed Islamic Waqf administers the site. Non-Muslims, including Jews, may visit during limited hours but are strictly prohibited from praying there.