Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount, once a rare sight, has become commonplace, with the number of Jews visiting the holy site surging by several hundred percent in recent years.
Data on the annual number of Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount shows a consistent upward trend.
But what is less well known is the quiet revolution taking place on the Temple Mount, thanks to the tens of thousands of people who ascend the Mount, and thanks to the work of Matte Irguni HaMikdash, which maintains a productive dialogue with police in the field, as well as with the local commander and even with Israel’s recent Public Security ministers.
The attitude of police on the Temple Mount has become far more friendly towards Jewish visitors, making visits to the holy site far more positive.
This change culminated in a shift in the police department’s policy on the Mount, which now quietly permits, albeit unofficially, Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount.
Just a few years ago, any Jew who was seen quietly praying by himself – even if those around him couldn’t even hear the words – would have been detained by police and barred from the Temple Mount for an extended period.
Today, however, most of the several dozen people barred from the Temple Mount are employees of the Waqf, the Islamic trust which manages the Mount.
Now, when Muslims attempt to harass Jews on the Temple Mount, they are arrested on the spot and barred from the Mount for four to six months, something which did not use to happen. Even the former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Ekrima Sa'id Sabri, was banned from the Temple Mount for half a year.
In addition, the police have even permitted a model of the Temple to be displayed near the entrance used by Jews ascending the Mount.