Jewish visitors were permitted to sing and dance openly throughout the entire Temple Mount compound on Wednesday, following a policy directive issued by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The development represents a dramatic change from past practice, where Jewish prayer—even whispered—on the Temple Mount could lead to arrest, detention or being barred from the site for months.
For decades, Israeli police enforced strict limitations on Jewish religious expression on the Mount, citing security concerns and maintaining the status quo agreement with the Waqf Islamic trust that administers the site.
However, under Ben-Gvir’s new guidelines, police have been instructed to allow Jewish prayers and songs throughout the compound, according to Israel National News.
Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levy reportedly ordered officers not to restrict Jewish singing on any part of the Mount.
This policy was first publicly hinted at during a meeting held three weeks ago between Ben-Gvir and organizations advocating for greater Jewish access to the Temple Mount.
During that meeting, participants urged the minister to expand permissions for religious expression beyond a single location and to permit singing out loud across the compound.
One activist who regularly ascends the Mount reportedly told Ben-Gvir, “You’ve worked magic since taking office,” adding, “This is a historic transformation we never imagined could happen.”
Ben-Gvir, a frequent visitor to Judaism’s holiest site and known for his advocacy of Jewish rights at the site in Jerusalem’s Olde City, responded during the meeting, “My policy is that singing should be allowed throughout the entire Temple Mount.”
