National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on Monday that Jewish worship was allowed at a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site as he visited the holy hilltop Al-Aqsa compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount.
“Today, thank God, it is possible to pray on the Temple Mount, to bow (in prayer) on the Temple Mount,” he said, according to a statement from his office.
Palestinians and the broader Muslim world view Jewish visits to the sacred site as a provocation. An understanding between Israeli and religious authorities at the site holds that Jews cannot pray there.
Ben-Gvir has sought to change that and increase Jewish access to the site. His visit came on Jerusalem Day, which marks the anniversary of Israel’s capture of the city’s eastern sector.
