Temple Mount and Al Aqsa
Accusation: Israel is accused of threatening Al Aqsa Mosque, planning to destroy it, and denying Muslims their right to worship on the Temple Mount.
The Short Answer
No. The Temple Mount is Judaism's holiest site, where both Jewish Temples stood. Since 1967 Israel has left the daily running of the compound to the Islamic Waqf, overseen by Jordan, and Muslims pray at Al Aqsa every day.
Under the status quo, Jews may visit but are restricted from praying there. The claim that Al Aqsa is in danger has been used to incite violence for a century.
The Holiest Site in Judaism
The Temple Mount, known in the Bible as Mount Moriah, is where King Solomon built the First Temple. The Babylonians destroyed it in 586 BCE. The Second Temple stood there until the Romans burned it in 70 CE.
The Western Wall, where Jews pray today, is part of the retaining wall that King Herod built around the Temple Mount. Jews have faced this place in prayer for thousands of years.
Its Importance in Islam
The Dome of the Rock was built on the Temple Mount around 691 CE, and Al Aqsa Mosque was built in the early 8th century. Muslims consider the compound the third holiest site in Islam.
Who Runs the Temple Mount Today
Between 1948 and 1967, Jordan ruled the Old City. Jews were barred from the Western Wall and the Temple Mount, the Jewish Quarter was destroyed, and dozens of synagogues were blown up.
When Israel reunited Jerusalem in 1967, Defense Minister Moshe Dayan handed the daily administration of the Temple Mount back to the Islamic Waqf. That arrangement, known as the status quo, still stands.
Muslims pray there freely every day, and hundreds of thousands attend during Ramadan. Jews and Christians may visit only at limited hours and are restricted from openly praying at Judaism's holiest site. Read more: Religious Freedom in Israel
A Century of the Al Aqsa Is in Danger Lie
In 1929 the Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al Husseini, spread rumors that Jews planned to seize Al Aqsa. The riots that followed included the massacre of Jews in Hebron.
The same lie has been used ever since. Hamas named its October 7 massacre “Al Aqsa Flood.” Yet in almost sixty years of Israeli rule, the mosque has stood untouched and open to Muslim worshippers.
Some Palestinian leaders even deny that the Jewish Temples ever existed. In 1999, Waqf construction removed truckloads of earth full of ancient artifacts, which archaeologists later sifted and found to contain finds from the First and Second Temple periods.
Key Facts About the Temple Mount
Both Jewish Temples stood on the Temple Mount, which is Judaism's holiest site.
Jordan barred Jews from the Western Wall from 1948 to 1967.
Since 1967 the Islamic Waqf, overseen by Jordan, runs the compound day by day.
Muslims pray there daily. Jewish prayer is restricted under the status quo.
Temporary security limits during violence are not religious bans.
How to Respond
Ask who barred Jews from their holy sites between 1948 and 1967.
Point out that Israel handed the compound to Muslim administration after winning it in a defensive war.
Ask why Jews, not Muslims, are the ones restricted from praying there.
Explain that the Al Aqsa is in danger slogan has been used to incite massacres since 1929.
Conclusion
Al Aqsa is not in danger. It is protected by Israel and run by Muslims. The real injustice on the Temple Mount is that Jews still cannot freely pray at the holiest place in their faith.