In a letter sent to members of the US Senate on Monday, a group of Israeli ministers and lawmakers from the Likud, Religious Zionism, and Otzma Yehudit factions called for a congressional declaration recognizing the Jewish people’s “eternal and inalienable right” to the Temple Mount. The appeal, spearheaded by the advocacy groups Beyadenu for The Temple Mount and Shofar in Zion, urges the US government to formally endorse Israel’s sovereignty over the site, emphasizing its significance as the location of the ancient Jewish Temples destroyed by the Babylonians and Romans centuries ago.
The letter was signed by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar, and several members of Knesset, including Dan Illouz, Ariel Kellner, and Moshe Pasal of Likud, Simcha Rotman of Religious Zionism, and Limor Son Har-Malech of Otzma Yehudit, among others. The signatories argue that despite Israel’s guarantee of access to holy sites for all faiths, Jewish people remain denied full access to their holiest site due to international pressure.
ביום ירושלים 2004 הגעתי לכניסה להר הבית עם קבוצה קטנה מגוש עציון. ההר היה נעול ליהודים אבל אפילו בערוץ 7 לא דיווחו על כך. זה היה רחוק מהלב ומהתודעה. והנה ביום ירושלים 2024 1600 יהודים עלו להר. אנחנו מתקדמים והגאולה בדרך, למרות הצקות, מעצרים והתנכלויות ממסדיות. לחיי המקדש שבדרך pic.twitter.com/McD87FK4Lt
— ארנון סגל (@arnonsegal1) June 5, 2024
“In light of the US being Israel’s great ally, recognition from your nation could help restore historical justice,” the letter reads. “This is not a symbolic gesture but a declaration of religious freedom and a restoration of truth.” The letter also highlighted the significance of this action in the wake of Hamas’s October 7 atrocities, which, the lawmakers argue, desecrated the sanctity of the site (the Hamas operation referenced the Al Aqsa Mosque – DI).
Yosef Rabin, Chairman of Shofar in Zion, framed the moment as a rare opportunity to rectify historical wrongs and correct the international narrative surrounding the Temple Mount. “We are facing a modern-day Cyrus moment, and it is our duty to seize it,” Rabin said. “There is no Zionism without Mount Zion.”
The initiative, which is particularly timely following Donald Trump’s return to political prominence, aims to pressure the US government to take a strong stand on Israel’s rights to its religious sites. Tom Nissani, CEO of Beyadenu, echoed this sentiment, expressing gratitude for the lawmakers’ support and the hope that the American administration will back full Israeli sovereignty over the Temple Mount.
Finally, some “Yiddishe Naches.” The IDF parade on the Temple Mount immediately after its liberation in 1967, before Defense Minister Moshe Dayan ripped the flag from the Dome of the Rock and voluntarily handed over the keys to the Waqf:
ככה נראה הר הבית בידנו, וככה נראה פספוס היסטורי.
תיעוד של המסדר הצה”לי בהר הבית מיד אחרי שחרורו, לפני שדיין קיפל את הדגל מגג כיפת הסלע והעביר על דעת עצמו את המפתחות לוואקף.
מאז, בגלל אותה ההחלטה, מעולם לא היו כל כך הרבה יהודים יחד בו זמנית על ההר. pic.twitter.com/5knEgB3yOe— Roni Eitan (@roni_eitan) May 21, 2020
