Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ascended the Har Habayis in Yerushalayim on Wednesday morning, igniting a firestorm of criticism and reigniting tensions over the contentious site just days before Pesach. The visit, Ben-Gvir’s first since rejoining Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s coalition two weeks ago, drew sharp rebukes from rabbanim, political opponents, and Palestinian groups, underscoring the fragile status quo at one of the world’s most sensitive religious locations.
Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, arrived at the Har Habayis under heavy police escort early Wednesday morning, flanked by personal bodyguards and a small group of supporters. In a statement posted on X, he declared, “I went up to pray for Israel’s safety, the return of our hostages, and victory over our enemies—Har Habayis is ours, and we will not bow to threats.” The visit coincided with a record surge in Jewish visits to the Har Habayis, with over 50,000 recorded in 2024, a trend Ben-Gvir has championed despite widespread halachic prohibitions from leading rabbanim.
The move drew immediate condemnation from Degel Hatorah MK Moshe Gafni, who branded it a “desecration of the sacred site” and a “provocation that risks bloodshed.” Gafni, writing in Yated Ne’eman, reiterated the near-unanimous stance of Gedolei Yisrael—past and present—that entering the Har Habayis is assur. “Ben-Gvir’s actions defy Torah and endanger Jews worldwide,” he warned.
“This storming of Al-Aqsa reflects the Zionist agenda to Judaize our holy places,” a Hamas spokesman said said, echoing sentiments from Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, which called for international intervention. The U.S. State Department, recalling its August 2024 condemnation of a similar visit, urged Israel to uphold the status quo, under which Jews may visit but not daven at the site—a policy Ben-Gvir has openly sought to dismantle.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office swiftly distanced itself, stating, “The status quo on the Temple Mount remains unchanged—Minister Ben-Gvir’s actions do not reflect government policy.”
The rebuttal came amid Netanyahu’s delicate balancing act with his coalition, bolstered by Otzma Yehudit’s return after a brief exit over a Gaza ceasefire deal. Yet Ben-Gvir’s defiance—he has visited the Har Habayis multiple times since 2023, including davening there in July 2024—has fueled accusations of weakness against Netanyahu from opposition leader Yair Lapid, who said, “Bibi can’t control his own government.”
Gedolei HaPoskim throughout the ages including today’s leading rabbanim have ruled it is absolutely forbidden to visit Har Habayis. This is also the ruling of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. This is an Issur Kares.
Sixteen years ago on Sukkos, then President Shimon Peres paid a visit to the Sukkah of the late Posek Hador, Maran HaGaon Rav Elyashiv Zt”l, during which Rav Elyashiv called on the president to prevent Jews from visiting Har Habayis, stating it is an act that that is viewed as extremely provocative by the goyim. He said everything possible must be done to avoid a religious war, and the provocateurs are playing with fire.
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5 Responses
Imagine having such a ego that risking Karess each time doesn’t even scathe you
For one who has properly prepared, the Issur Kares is only with respect to the Makom haAzara and inward – the rest of the area is NOT a Halachic Issur Kares. There are other reasons not to go up at all, but at least be accurate on Halacha…
an Israeli Yid
He’s a sick man.
What about Jerusalem gay parades. Is that not provoking the Arab world. Why is that ok. And why is chillul shabbos where stoning is the penalty far harsher than kores allowed in Israel. I don’t think Jews should go up to the Har habayis but also keep the streets closed on shabbos and close pork stores and tattoo shops. The people against him are more worried about getting the Arabs upset than the penalty of Kores. They could not care less about kores as they don’t care about skillah either.
A couple of important points about the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif-Al Aqsa that I have counselled since 2012:
(1) Moshe Dayan made the best decision of his life on June 7th 1967 when he decided to hand the keys to the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif-Al Aqsa back to the Waqf. He was wise not to heed the insane counsel from people like Shlomo Goren to demolish the Golden Dome and Al Aqsa mosque when the IDF had the clear opportunity to do so. Dayan was being influenced by השגחה פרטית at the time, no question about it.
The metaphysical reason for this is that G-d/الله wants the site to be a place of Redemption. (A counter-balancing of the Evil energies by the Good). A Stable, Ordered, Benevolent and Expansive place under a certain management paradigm. A real Noble Sanctuary. A place of Vision, Courage and Trust Building. All the three great Monotheistic faiths, i.e. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are part of the same river. The site is meant to be a place of redemptive convergence, cooperation and compromise not chaos, enmity and violence.
(2) True Story: On Sunday 6th April 2014 at 12.15 IDT, just a week before Pesach 5774, Caroline and I “bumped into” Yehudah Glick in the Kotel, near the foot of the Mughrabi Bridge-Ramp, near the water fountains. I warned him in no uncertain terms that his continued advocacy for ritualised Jewish prayer rights on the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif-Al Aqsa and his demand for the Golden Dome and Al Aqsa mosque to be demolished to make way for a “Third Temple” was incredible incendiary and dangerous. 🧨🔥 29/10/2014 happened just six and half months later… ה’ אלוהיך יקים לך נביא כמוני מקרבך, מבני ישראל. אתה חייב להקשיב לו.
(3) The State of Israel is not the sovereign or owner of the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif-Al Aqsa. e.g. It does not have the “Title Deed”. The correct zoning for the site is actually: “Crown land that is reserved for a special crown 👑”
Regarding the Title Deed issue…
I am 100% sure that “2 Samuel 24:18-25” in the Tanach where King David pays Araunah the Jebusite over the odds for the threshing floor site in Jerusalem, the site of the First and Second Temples, is true. (David made sure to pay more than what Araunah requested so that he could never be accused of being stingy or of being a thief regarding the purchase of the site chosen to house the Ark of the Covenant. He wanted to make it a pure, clean, unimpeachable purchase in keeping with the future sanctity of the site.) The sale between them was probably concluded using a paper document and an actual stone tablet/stele, as was the custom in those ancient times. This tablet served as the contract, “Deed of Title” for the sale. I am sure it was closely held in the Royal Court for decades and centuries until at one point, probably in the late First Temple Era, circa 600 bce, it was either lost, broken, damaged or stolen. (It could easily have been the target of succession claims to the Davidic throne. Think of how messy some contested Wills are in families). Thus it disappeared from history and is not extant today.
Can and should a new Title Deed be written for the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif-Al Aqsa?
Yes!
What will be in it? Written by and for whom? Who will have that right?
Stay Tuned…
Adam Neira
Founder of World Peace 2050
Founded in April 2000
Paris – Jerusalem – Melbourne