Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday pledged to reinforce Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem and its holy sites, as Jews around the world marked Tisha B’Av, the annual fast commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples.
“Two thousand years after the destruction of the Second Temple, the Western Wall and the Temple Mount are again under the sovereignty of the State of Israel,” Katz wrote on X following a visit to the Western Wall in the capital’s Old City.
“Israel haters around the world continue to make decisions against us and protest, and we will strengthen our hold and sovereignty over Jerusalem,” he added.
Katz said he prayed for the return of hostages held in Gaza, peace for Israeli communities, the well-being of the country’s security forces, and the defeat of Hamas.
His remarks came just hours after National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ascended the Temple Mount and openly prayed at the site—Judaism’s holiest.
According to the decades-old “status quo” arrangement governing the Temple Mount, Israel maintains overall security control of the site, while the Islamic Waqf, under Jordanian custodianship, oversees day-to-day religious administration. Under this framework, non-Muslim public prayer has been traditionally prohibited, though Jewish and Christian visitation is permitted during limited hours and under strict supervision.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel visited the Temple Mount on Sunday, marking Tisha B’Av.
“In the shadow of October 7, with our people still reeling from war and 50 hostages still in Hamas’s dungeons of torture, the pain in Israeli society runs deep,” Haskel wrote on X. “The anger and grief are overwhelming.
“But I went up to remember—and to promise,” she continued. “To promise leadership that unites, that heals, and that protects the next generation.”
