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ConflictIsrael's Ben-Gvir leads over 1,000 Jewish settlers in prayer on Temple Mount, defying ban
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On July 23, 2026, Israeli far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir led over 1,000 Jewish settlers onto the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to pray on Tisha B'Av, a Jewish fast day, in defiance of the long-standing status quo that restricts Jewish prayer at the site. The Temple Mount, home to the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque, is the third holiest site in Islam and the holiest in Judaism. The status quo, established after the 1967 Six-Day War, permits only Muslim worship there, while Jews may visit but not pray. Ben-Gvir, who has long advocated for Jewish prayer rights, declared the event a sign of 'enormous progress.' The action drew sharp condemnation from Jordan, which serves as custodian of the Muslim holy sites, and from the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, who called it a provocation and desecration. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated that the status quo would not change, but critics warn the move risks escalating violence across the region.
Source report
Security Minister Ben-Gvir prays with over 1,000 worshippers on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem – despite the ban. This is not the first provocation of its kind.
23 July 2026 | 4:09 PM
Sacred to Muslims and fiercely contested: the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. View from the Mount of Olives to the Old City, July 23, 2026. Photo: Miro Maman/reuters
By Serena Bilanceri, Jerusalem
On Thursday, religious Jews observe Tisha B'Av, the annual fast day. It is a day of mourning, commemorating the destruction of the Jewish temples in history; bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues remain closed. And every year, groups of ultra-Orthodox settlers attempt to reach the Temple Mount to pray there.
However, this is forbidden. Under the so-called status quo – an agreement following the end of the Six-Day War in 1967 – only Muslim worshippers are allowed to pray on the Temple Mount, located in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem. Jews are only permitted to visit the holy site, which for centuries has housed the Dome of the Rock with its famous gold-colored dome and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Jewish prayers are allowed at the Western Wall.
Since 2018, however, the Israeli police have increasingly allowed silent prayer without visible religious symbols. And earlier this year, they even permitted the bringing of religious texts. This has further encouraged radical settler groups to circumvent the prayer ban.
On this Tisha B'Av, far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, together with more than 1,000 settlers, stormed the Temple Mount. The crowd was accompanied by police officers. Videos and images show them, for example, praying against the backdrop of the Dome of the Rock.
Ben-Gvir has long advocated for Jewish prayers on the Temple Mount. "On Tisha B'Av, we remember the destruction. But we also see enormous progress on the Temple Mount. Look at what is happening here – Jews are praying and feel like the owners of this place. Nothing like this has ever happened before," he said in a video on Thursday.
Ideological Struggle Over Holy Sites
The action is inflaming tensions in Arab neighboring countries. Jordan's Foreign Ministry sharply condemned the move. The authority called the action a "blatant violation of the historical and legal status quo, a desecration of the sanctity of the mosque, a condemnable escalation, barbaric behavior, and an unacceptable provocation." Jordan – despite its defeat in the 1967 war – is the custodian of the holy sites there and funds the Jerusalem Waqf authority, which oversees the mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Jordan's "special role" in maintaining the Muslim sites in Jerusalem is enshrined in the peace agreement between the two states from 1994.
The Palestinian Authority similarly criticized the visit. The terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip also condemned the incident, stating: "Our people and our resistance will not stand idly by in the face of the desecration of our holy sites."
The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam. Security experts argue against a Jewish takeover – also because it carries a high risk of inciting violence against Israelis in the Arab world. Some radical ultra-Orthodox individuals, however, wish to build the Third Temple precisely there. According to Jewish tradition, the first two temples stood on that very Temple Mount. This would require the removal of the Dome of the Rock. That is exactly what Muslims worldwide fear.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, has repeatedly stated that the status quo will not be changed. The Israeli human rights organization Peace Now stated on Thursday:
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Israel's Minister Ben-Gvir Provokes with Prayer on Temple Mount Despite Ban