The Israeli government will finance Jewish educational tours of the Har Habayis for the first time, in an effort “to strengthen and stabilize the Old City,” Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reported on Monday night.
According to the report, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the National Security Council (NSC) have approved the Heritage Ministry’s plan to offer state-funded guided tours of the Har Habayis. A total of 2 million shekels ($543,338) has been allocated from the budget of Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyah, a member of the Otzma Yehudit Party, to fund the program.
However, the NSC quickly issued a statement denying any involvement in the plan. “The National Security Agency did not approve and was not asked to approve the Heritage Ministry’s tours of the Temple Mount. Any publication regarding the involvement of the NSC in the matter is devoid of any foundation,” the statement read.
The Prime Minister’s Office also sought to clarify concerns over potential policy changes at the site, saying, “There is no change in the status quo on the Temple Mount.”
Despite the reassurances, the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah condemned the plan, warning that it could lead to increased tensions. “This is an official policy aimed at Judaizing the Al-Aqsa mosque and changing the existing legal status. The decision could lead to an explosion in the West Bank and chaos,” the Palestinian Authority said in a statement.
The educational tours are expected to begin after Sukkos. The Heritage Ministry said that the tours will provide an accurate historical perspective of the Jewish heritage of the Har Habayis, countering narratives that it says are aimed at promoting an anti-Israel agenda. “The operation of the guided tours will take place with permission and authority, [having] received the approval of all the relevant parties [and] passed a legal tender committee, and will be done in coordination with the Israel Police,” the ministry wrote.
Tensions surrounding the Har Habayis have been high, particularly following recent statements by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has openly advocated for Jewish prayer at the site, a move seen as a challenge to the status quo. “The policies on the Har Habayis allow prayer, period,” Ben-Gvir told Army Radio on Monday. He has consistently argued that his goal is to eliminate discrimination against Jews at the site.
Ben-Gvir’s comments prompted Prime Minister Netanyahu to release a statement reiterating that “there is no change to the status quo” barring davening at the Har Habayis. “It is the government and the prime minister who determine policy on the Har Habayis,” Netanyahu’s office stressed.
The controversy surrounding Jewish prayer on the Har Habayis has been ongoing for years. Although the status quo barring Jewish prayer at the site has not been formally enshrined in law, it has been upheld by successive Israeli governments since 1967. Earlier this month, Ben-Gvir visited the Har Habayis on Tisha B’Av.
Despite the ongoing debate, Jewish visits to the Har Habayis have surged. According to data compiled by the Israeli NGO Beyadenu, over 50,000 Jews have visited the site since last Rosh Hashana.
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7 Responses
This is a huge chilul Hashem, even according to the few rabbonim that allow going on the har habais there’s no heter for the thousands of yidden that are tomei to go to such a holy place.
There should be an official letter put out by rabbonim clearly stating the isur and there should be mass protests.
Dubious according to halacha (unless the Israel government has come up with tahor kohanim and a parah adumah), and politically very unwise (alienating many goyim who support the zionists).
I am not a zionist and I don’t care about the poem as akuperma is…..I am simple religious jewish women period……never a zionist….Jews built this land and only YIDDEN will live on it
Yeah, let’s have mass protests. We definitely need more if those. And which goyim will be offended? Tens of thousands of Christians go up every year. They won’t be offended. So if you’re talking about Arabs…they don’t support us. They are trying every day to kill us. If you live in Israel, you would know that. As for the halacha, I think people should follow their Rav. At this time, there are an equal number in both sides.
…”received the approval of all the relevant parties…” who are the relevant parties? The Rav of the Kosel, certainly not! WAFK the Jordanian caretakers, certainly not – only ROSHO Ben Gvir חוטא ומחטיא את הרבים besides putting countless Jewish lives in danger!
Temai’ay meis are allowed in Machane Levi’iah and the areas visitors are physically allowed to enter have the halachic status of Machane Levi’iah.
See Rambam Bi’as Hamikdash 3:4.
It is a chilul haShem that goyim are allowed to go freely on the Har Habayis and Jews are not. That goyim are allowed to pray there and Jews are not. More than any technical halacha, that is a chilul haShem.
If the government wanted to do the right thing it would seize the next opportunity, whenever the next riot there takes place, to close the site entirely and not let anyone up there except soldiers on guard duty. But failing that, if goyim are allowed then Jews must be, or we are telling the world that this is not a Jewish place, and that is kefira in the entire Torah.
As for the halacha, we may not know exactly where the azara was, but we know where it was definitely NOT. And the areas that frum Jews go on Har Habayis are not where it may have been.