Israeli Officials Demand Opening Temple Mount to Jews on Shabbat and Jewish Holidays

At a conference held on Thursday evening, Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and Knesset member Amit Halevi called for the Temple Mount to be opened to Jews on Shabbat. Their demand follows a recent request by Knesset member Simcha Rothman to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to allow the blowing of the shofar and open the site for prayer on Rosh Hashanah, even when it falls on Shabbat.

Karhi criticized the closure of the Temple Mount to Jews the previous day, which was done to allow the Islamic Waqf to celebrate the Prophet Muhammad's birthday. He warned that if such restrictions continue, Jews could face closed gates on major Jewish holidays and Shabbat during the month of Tishrei. Karhi emphasized that this is not a favor but a demand for Jews' historical rights to the site.

Knesset member Halevi joined the call, condemning the current limitations on Jewish access to the Temple Mount, calling the demand to open it on Shabbat "self-evident." Earlier in the week, Rothman formally requested Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir to permit shofar blowing and open the Temple Mount for the Mussaf prayer on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, which this year coincides with Shabbat. Rothman highlighted the spiritual and national importance of these requests, noting that preventing access restricts many Jews from fulfilling key religious commandments.

The officials urged the government to reconsider policies governing Jewish access to the Temple Mount, especially on significant religious dates, framing their demands as rooted in historical and religious rights rather than political favors.