National Security Minister’s Open Worship in Jerusalem, on Judaism’s Holiest Site, on Tisha b’Av Fast Day, Signals Policy Shift; Says Temple Mount Proves Sovereignty Possible, Judea, Samaria, and Gaza to Follow. Arabs Rage, Netanyahu Says Status Quo Remains.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir made headlines once again this week by openly leading Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount, marking a watershed moment in Israel’s evolving approach to sovereignty over its most sensitive religious sites. But even more striking than his public worship was the message he delivered while standing at the heart of Jerusalem: Israel must conquer all of Gaza, declare sovereignty, settle Jews there, and encourage the voluntary departure of Palestinians.

Ben-Gvir’s appearance on the Temple Mount occurred on Tisha B’Av, the Jewish day of mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples. Surrounded by worshippers, the minister led a full prayer quorum, including acts traditionally forbidden under the status quo, such as group prayer and full prostration—openly and without interference from police.

According to the Times of Israel, this marked “the first time that the far-right leader has been seen in overt worship at the flashpoint site,” a move previously kept quiet by religious nationalist politicians due to diplomatic sensitivities. Police stood by, neither disrupting nor denying the activity, suggesting a quiet change in enforcement policy.

“From here—the place where we’ve proven sovereignty is possible—we must send a message: conquer all of Gaza, declare sovereignty over the entire Strip, eliminate every Hamas member, and encourage voluntary emigration. This is the only way that we will return the hostages and win the war,” Ben-Gvir stated, flanked by supporters and police on the Mount.

This call for Gaza’s total reassertion under Israeli sovereignty reflects not only a military doctrine but a theological vision, rooted in the same religious principles that inspire Jewish pilgrimage to the Temple Mount. For Ben Gvir and his allies, the restoration of prayer rights in Jerusalem and the renewal of Jewish life in Gaza are parallel battles for identity and destiny.

A Public Break with the Status Quo

For decades, successive Israeli governments upheld a fragile arrangement under which Jews were permitted to visit the Temple Mount but not to pray, to avoid inflaming Muslim opposition and preserve ties with Jordan, the official custodian of the Islamic holy sites. But Ben-Gvir, leader of the Otzma Yehudit religious-nationalist party, has rejected that paradigm.

“Today, thank God, it is possible to pray on the Temple Mount, to bow down… and we thank God for that,” he declared during a previous Jerusalem Day visit.

The minister has long advocated for Jewish prayer rights at the Mount and has repeatedly clashed with police and critics over the restrictions enforced there. In his view, preventing Jews from praying at their holiest site is discriminatory and incompatible with Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem.

Ultra-Orthodox leaders, however, have expressed deep discomfort. MK Moshe Gafni of United Torah Judaism condemned the visit as a “severe blow to the Jewish people and its holy places,” citing halakhic prohibitions on entering the Temple Mount. Religious authorities across the spectrum remain divided on whether Jewish ascent to the site is permissible under Jewish law.

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office, attempting to distance itself from the furor, emphasized that “there has been no change to the official status quo.” Nonetheless, reality on the ground paints a different picture: under Ben Gvir’s tenure as Minister of National Security, police have increasingly turned a blind eye to Jewish prayer, prostration, and even small organized groups praying together—actions that would once have prompted arrests or removal.

From Temple Mount to Gaza: A Strategic Continuum

While standing on the Temple Mount, Ben Gvir connected Jewish worship in Jerusalem directly with Israeli military goals in Gaza, where the war against Hamas continues. His message was clear: the same principle of sovereignty that now permits Jews to pray at Judaism’s holiest site should be applied to the entire Gaza Strip.

“Conquer all of Gaza, declare sovereignty… eliminate every Hamas member, and encourage voluntary emigration,” he said, outlining a vision sharply at odds with many in the international community and even elements within the Israeli security establishment.

This was not a new sentiment. In May 2024, during an interview with Kikar Hashabat, he said:

“Only the state of Israel. No one else. A full occupation of Gaza. Israeli control. Jewish settlement. I will be very happy to live in Gaza.”

That same month, at a nationalist rally in Sderot, just a few kilometers from the Gaza border, he declared:

“To end the problem… return to Gaza now! Return home! Return to our holy land!… Encourage the voluntary departure of Gaza’s residents… It is ethical! It is rational! It is right! It is the truth! It is the Torah!”

These calls align with a growing movement within parts of the religious-Zionist community to reestablish Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip, dismantled during Israel’s 2005 Disengagement. Ben Gvir, one of the most vocal critics of that policy, sees the current war not just as an opportunity to eliminate Hamas, but to reverse what he and his supporters view as a historic mistake.

Diplomatic Backlash and Regional Tensions

Predictably, Ben Gvir’s remarks and his Temple Mount visit drew sharp criticism from Arab and Muslim leaders. Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the Palestinian Authority all issued statements condemning the visit as a violation of the “status quo” and a provocation that could lead to regional escalation.

Waqf officials in Jerusalem, along with Arab-Israeli MKs, decried the growing Jewish presence and prayer on the Mount as a threat to peace. Some Muslim leaders warned that the visits amounted to an attempt to “Judaize” the site, and undermined prospects for future agreements.

American officials have also expressed concern over Ben Gvir’s repeated visits to the Temple Mount and his rhetoric on Gaza. However, Ben Gvir remains undeterred, insisting that Israeli sovereignty must come first.

“There will be no racist discrimination against Jews, who alone are forbidden from praying in the holiest place for the Jewish people,” he has said repeatedly.

A New Status Quo?

What was once whispered in the margins of Israeli politics is now being shouted from the Temple Mount itself. Ben Gvir’s leadership—whether one sees it as bold or reckless—marks a new phase in Israel’s internal debate over sovereignty, religion, and national destiny.

For the first time, a serving minister has publicly connected the fate of the Temple Mount to the fate of Gaza. In his view, both are test cases for Israel’s willingness to assert its rights and reclaim its inheritance.

Whether the government embraces or distances itself from this vision remains to be seen. But Ben Gvir has made his position unmistakable:

The war in Gaza will only be won—not by deals or foreign arrangements—but by conquest, sovereignty, and Jewish return.

And it starts, he says, from the mountain where the First and Second Temples once stood.