A woman waves an Israeli flag on top of the Temple Mount with the Dome of the Rock in the background (Source: X - video snippet)
Video clip of a woman with an Israeli flag on the Temple Mount

1,400 Jews Ascend Temple Mount as Ben-Gvir Marks Jerusalem’s Unification

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In a bold and highly symbolic act of national pride and religious affirmation, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led a delegation of government officials onto the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City on Monday to mark the 57th anniversary of Israel’s liberation of the eastern half of its eternal capital during the Six-Day War in 1967.

Standing amid throngs of Jewish visitors ascending to the sacred site under heavy police protection, Ben-Gvir declared:

“There are actually a large number of Jews flocking here, and it's a joy to see this. Today, Jews can pray and prostrate here. We thank God for that.”

A Historic Site, Reclaimed

The Temple Mount—Judaism’s holiest site and the location of both the First and Second Temples—was recaptured by Israeli forces when Jordan’s Arab Legion abandoned the area in 1967 as their defeat became imminent. In a controversial gesture of conciliation following the war, Israel granted day-to-day administrative control of the site to the Jordanian-controlled Waqf. Since then, Jews and Christians have been subject to discriminatory rules severely limiting both access and worship—restricted to certain hours and forbidden from praying aloud or even moving their lips in silent prayer.

But on Jerusalem Day, the tide visibly shifted.

Joined by Minister of the Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Yitzhak Wasserlauf and MK Yitzhak Kroizer, Ben-Gvir delivered fiery words of support for Israel’s new Shin Bet chief, David Zini:

“May he pursue our enemies and crush them, as he has done throughout his years. We embrace friends. We crush enemies.”

Mass Jewish Presence Sparks Predictable Palestinian Backlash

By midday Monday, more than 1,400 Israelis had ascended the Mount, many of them engaging in peaceful prayer rituals long forbidden by the Waqf. These displays of faith, while portrayed as "provocative" by Palestinian factions, were nothing more than the affirmation of religious freedom in the Jewish homeland.

Despite predictable Palestinian condemnation and claims of Israeli attempts to “Judaize” Jerusalem, the facts on the ground—and in history—paint a different picture. Under centuries of Islamic rule, Christian and Jewish heritage sites were routinely destroyed, repurposed, or denied recognition. Access to sacred spaces was often barred entirely. Ironically, it is under Israeli sovereignty that freedom of worship has been extended to all faiths—Muslims included. Despite this fact, anti-Israel media and activists use the term "storming" to describe Jewish visits to the site that is the holiest in Judaism.

Historical Truth vs. Political Propaganda

Palestinian propagandists insist that Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam. However, a growing number of Islamic scholars dispute this claim, arguing that the “Al-Aqsa” mentioned in the Quran likely referred to a mosque in what is today Saudi Arabia—northeast of Medina—not the structure in Jerusalem which didn’t exist at the time of the Prophet Muhammad. The current mosque, which sits atop the ruins of the Byzantine-era Church of Mary of Justinian, was constructed decades after Muhammad’s death.

Moreover, Jerusalem is mentioned over 600 times in the Hebrew Bible—but not once in the Quran.

From Occupation to Liberation

In 1967, Israel won a defensive war against invading Arab armies and reunited Jerusalem, a city that had been divided for 19 years under illegal Jordanian occupation. In 1980, Israel formally annexed the entirety of Jerusalem. While international recognition lagged for years, the United States Congress affirmed Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in the early 1990s—culminating in President Donald Trump’s historic embassy move in 2018.

Since 2003, Jews have been allowed to visit the Temple Mount daily—except on Fridays and Saturdays—under tight restrictions. Yet despite this limited access, Palestinian groups continue to peddle baseless narratives of Israeli aggression while ignoring the religious apartheid that has governed the site for decades.

Security Before Sentiment

Since the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023, Israel has rightly imposed limitations on Palestinian access to Jerusalem from Judea and Samaria. Critics have dubbed these measures “collective punishment,” but considering the widespread Palestinian support for Hamas and celebrations that erupted following the October atrocities, such restrictions are both rational and necessary for national security.

Ben-Gvir’s visit marks the seventh time he has ascended the Temple Mount since joining the Netanyahu-led government, each time asserting Israel’s inalienable right to its holiest site and eternal capital. Monday’s visit was not just a political statement—it was a defiant act of sovereignty, memory, and prayer.

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