Jewish men permitted to pray on Temple Mount, bring prayer books for first time
"Still no blanket permit, but an initial experiment aimed at ensuring the Middle East doesn't lose its mind over this," Segal claimed in his post. "History."
Jewish men were granted permission to bring prayer books onto the Temple Mount for the first time on Sunday, according to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who confirmed the change to The Jerusalem Post. Right-wing journalist Arnon Segel sparked the controversy by sharing a photo of Jewish men praying and reading from prayer books on the Temple Mount, claiming the image was captured from the sacred site. Segel's post stated, "History," implying that this was a significant development.
The Israel Police have not provided a blanket permit for this new policy, but view it as an initial experiment aimed at preventing the Middle East from "going mad" over the issue, as Segel suggested. The minister himself offered no further comment on the matter, while The Jerusalem Post reached out to the Israel Police for their official stance, which has not yet been released.
Previously, the Temple Mount status quo allowed Jews and Christians to visit the site for prayer but generally prohibited them from doing so, while Muslims were permitted to worship freely. In January, the Israel Police began to relax certain restrictions on Jewish prayer at the Temple Mount. Under the revised rules, Jewish visitors may now enter the site carrying a single printed prayer page prepared in advance, although the use of prayer books remains prohibited. The reporting on this story was contributed by Danielle Greyman-Kennard and Keshet Neev.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
