Temple Mount Visitors Sue Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir Over Weekend Closures

A group of Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount filed a petition with Israel's High Court of Justice on Thursday, demanding the site be opened to Jewish visitors on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath. The petition, filed against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and the Commander of the Jerusalem District Police, also seeks an urgent interim order to allow visits during the upcoming High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, and Shmini Atzeret.

The petitioners, represented by attorneys Asaf Yechiel Fried and Yosef Meir Rabin, argue that the continued closure of the Temple Mount on Saturdays is unreasonable and discriminatory, particularly as it prevents many Jews who are free from work and studies on that day from visiting. They contend that after the Six-Day War, the site was accessible to non-Muslim visitors six days a week, excluding Fridays. Following the Second Intifada, access was reopened in 2003, but the Saturday opening was not reinstated, allegedly disrupting the previous status quo.

The petition highlights that the Temple Mount is open on Jewish holidays that do not fall on a Saturday, which the petitioners claim supports their argument against the Sabbath closure. They also cite a Knesset Interior Committee report that reportedly recommended reopening the site on Saturdays, as was the practice until 2000.

Previous attempts to address the issue with government and police officials were reportedly unsuccessful. According to the petition, one visitor was directed from Minister Ben-Gvir's office to the Prime Minister, while the Jerusalem District Commander stated that visits are only permitted from Sunday to Thursday. MK Simcha Rothman, Chairman of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, has also reportedly joined the call to open the site on Saturdays during the High Holy Days, and even suggested allowing the Shofar to be blown on Rosh Hashanah.

The petitioners reject the notion that opening the site on Saturdays would lead to disturbances, asserting that recent law enforcement on the Temple Mount demonstrates that order can be maintained. They argue there is no current security justification for the ongoing Saturday closures. Given the proximity of the High Holy Days, they are urging the court to hold an expedited hearing and issue the interim order before the main petition is decided.