Jewish men were permitted to bring prayer books onto the Temple Mount on Sunday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir confirmed to The Jerusalem Post, after right-wing journalist Arnon Segal shared a photo of Jewish men praying and reading from prayer books, claiming the photo was taken from the Temple Mount.
"Still no blanket permit, but an initial experiment aimed at ensuring the Middle East doesn't lose its mind over this," Segal claimed in his post. "History."
The minister had no further comment for the Post, which also reached out to the Israel Police for comment.
Temple Mount status quo for Jewish prayer shifting
Under the longstanding status quo, Jews and Christians are permitted to visit the Temple Mount but are generally prohibited from praying there, while Muslims are permitted to worship.
In January, Israel Police began relaxing some restrictions on Jewish prayer at the site, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA). Jewish visitors may now enter with a single printed prayer page prepared in advance, although prayer books remain prohibited.
Danielle Greyman-Kennard and Keshet Neev contributed to this report.