Ben Gvir Ascends Temple Mount With Prayer Book in Status Quo Violation
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir violated status quo guidelines by ascending the Temple Mount with a prayer book following stalled efforts to approve religious items.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir sparked a fresh political controversy after ascending the Temple Mount while holding a prayer book, a move that directly violates the longstanding status quo guidelines at the holy site, as reported by Israel Hayom.
The minister's action follows weeks of persistent efforts to advance an official pilot program aimed at permitting Jewish worshippers to bring religious items, such as prayer books and prayer shawls, onto the mount for the first time. However, the contentious initiative faced resistance from police leadership and failed to receive the police commissioner's approval due to severe security concerns and fears of regional escalation.
This is not the first time Ben Gvir's visits to the compound have ignited fierce political and diplomatic fallout. In 2023, the minister visited the site for the second time since taking office, shortly after Jerusalem Day, prompting widespread international and domestic condemnation after he declared before the press that "we are the landlords here."
