🇮🇱✡️ — NEW: Jewish visitors were reportedly allowed to bring and use siddurim on Har Habayit this morning for the first time, in another significant change to longstanding restrictions on Jewish prayer at the site.
• Police did not explicitly confirm a new policy, saying the… pic.twitter.com/gQIcpHWcAf
— Belaaz News (@TheBelaaz) August 16, 2026
Israel365 News posted the following:
Jewish Men Pray From Prayer Books on the Temple Mount: The Quiet Revolution Bringing the Third Temple
August 19, 2026
Jewish worshipers were allowed to carry and read from full siddurim (prayer books) on the Temple Mount on Sunday, the latest and most significant challenge to a decades-old policy barring non-Muslim prayer at Judaism’s holiest site. …
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that the worshipers had been permitted to bring the prayer books onto the compound. The Israel Police, asked for comment, said only that the site is managed “in accordance with the instructions of the political leadership, standard practices at the site and based on an operational assessment.”
A Policy Eroding in Practice, Not in Law
The shift Sunday had its beginnings earlier this year when authorities began allowing Jewish visitors to carry a single pre-printed prayer page distributed at the entrance, while full siddurim and other ritual items remained formally prohibited. Enforcement has loosened steadily since: police have increasingly allowed Jewish and Christian groups to pray quietly at the site, prostrate themselves, and sing, all technically forbidden under the site’s governing arrangement, without intervening.
This reflects Ben-Gvir’s three-year campaign, as the minister overseeing the police, to stop enforcing a ban that was never actually supported by Israeli law in the first place.
What Israeli Law Actually Says
Israel’s own Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel, passed in 1980, states plainly that the government must “protect the Holy Places against desecration and any other violation and against anything that is likely to violate the freedom of access of the members of the different religions to the places sacred to them.” The Protection of Holy Places Law, passed in 1967, says the same. On paper, Israeli law does not carve out an exception for Jews at the site the Bible identifies as their own holiest place.
The courts have said as much directly, and the gap between what the law recognizes and what police actually permit has a name in Israeli legal circles: the de jure/de facto divide. In 1993, then-Justice Aharon Barak, presiding over a Supreme Court panel on the question, ruled that Jews possess a genuine right of worship on the Temple Mount, a right police must enforce unless they determine themselves genuinely unable to protect public safety while doing so. As a matter of law, the question was settled: de jure, full freedom of religion at the site. …
The law never changed between the years Glick was banned and Sunday’s siddurim. The policing did. …
The Restrictions That Remain
Even after Sunday’s shift, Jewish worshipers still face restrictions found nowhere else in Israeli religious life. Jews may only ascend the Temple Mount during limited visiting hours set by the police and the Waqf, are barred from the areas nearest the Dome of the Rock, and continue to face screening for religious items at the entrance, prayer shawls and phylacteries among them, that would raise no eyebrows at the Western Wall a few hundred feet away. Israel’s own Chief Rabbinate, separately, holds that Jews should not ascend to some or all of the site at all under Jewish law, given uncertainty about the exact location of the ancient Temple’s inner sanctuary, a religious caution entirely distinct from the political restriction imposed by police. https://israel365news.com/420602/jewish-men-pray-from-prayer-books-on-the-temple-mount-the-quiet-revolution-bringing-the-third-temple/
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is a leader in the Otzma Yehudit, ‘Jewish Power,’ party.
He favors the building of a Jewish temple, deportation of ‘enemies’ from Israel, and ascending the ‘Temple Mount.’ He was criticized publicly by the Biden Administration (e.g. see Ben Gvir is criticized for going to ‘Temple Mount’ and is being pressured to push for Jewish Passover sacrifice) and other US political leaders (see US leaders pushing against Ben Gvir, but one day a religiously influential leader will be successful in renewing animal sacrifices) for his views and actions.
That said, notice something that was posted here nearly seven years ago related to Ben Gvir;
September 5, 2019
Head of the Otzmah Yehudit (Jewish Power) party, Itamar Ben-Gvir and his Otzma Yehudit party has come out in support of building the third Temple …
On the same day that Ben-Gvir expressed support for building the third Temple, …
The Otzmah Yehudit party is considered to be the most right wing party in the current elections … Otzma Yehudit is the only party left in the elections who publicly supports building the Third Temple. https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/136641/elections-party-expected-enter-next-govt-comes-favor-3rd-temple/
Ben Gvir is a supporter of a ‘third temple,’ which also means he would have to be a supporter of the resumption of daily animal sacrifices as that is part of the Jewish purpose for wanting another temple.
In Israel, they have a multi-party parliamentary political system. And in order to have a coalition government, the leading party often must make deals with small parties. This led to Ben-Gvir’s current position, despite the fact that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had spoken against Ben-Gvir previously–politics makes strange bedfellows according to an old saying.
Notice also something else related to him and Israeli matters:
May 24, 2026
Israeli police arrested 13 people Friday after they broke through security barriers and forced their way onto the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City, attempting to perform the Biblically mandated grain offering to mark the festival of Shavuot. …
A Law That Exists on Paper
Israel’s Protection of Holy Sites Law, enacted in 1967 following the reunification of Jerusalem, mandates freedom of access and religious practice at holy sites for all religious communities. On paper, it applies equally to Jews, Christians, Muslims, and all others.
In practice, the reality on the Temple Mount tells a different story. Under the status quo arrangement — a set of unwritten rules governing the site that successive Israeli governments have upheld under Jordanian Waqf administration — non-Muslims, including Christians, face strict limitations. Jewish and Christian visitors are permitted entry only during limited daytime hours. They are prohibited from praying audibly, bowing, or making any visible act of worship. They may not bring prayer books, a tallit (prayer shawl), tefillin (phylacteries), Torah scrolls, or shofarot (ram’s horns) onto the mount. Anyone who appears to be praying can be immediately removed by Israeli police, who enforce Waqf rules on Judaism’s holiest site.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has made repeated visits to the Temple Mount, has publicly called for lifting the ban on Jewish prayer there. …
The two loaves of bread never made it to the altar. The men who carried them are in police custody. https://israel365news.com/418322/13-arrested-on-temple-mount-as-jews-attempt-to-sacrifice-shavuot-bread-offering/
As Christians, we do not need to have the bread offering (cf. Hebrews 9 & 10), but since the Jews do not accept the New Testament, the more religious ones do believe that they need to do that as well as animal and other sacrifices.
Various ones have made attempts to offer sacrifices on the area called the Temple Mount in the past, but have often run into political/judicial opposition. Israeli courts have generally agreed that Jews have the right to perform animal sacrifices, but have repeatedly denied this right as the timing would have excessively negative consequences. Essentially the concern is that allowing sacrifices on the Temple Mount would trigger massive violence from Muslims, as many are concerned that a massive Jewish Temple would come and displace their al-Aqsa Mosque–which does not have to happen.
Consider that in a case heard in 2010 by the Supreme Court in Israel concerning the sacrifices, there was the following report:
The organizers also demanded to be allowed to celebrate this coming Passover holiday on the site of the Holy Temple by offering the Paschal sacrifice. They noted that according to Jewish Law, the Holy Temple does not need to be built in order to resume the sacrificial offerings. They emphasized accordingly that the Temple Mount organizations are not trying to change or make modifications to any existing structures on the Mount, but rather aim to receive permission to build a temporary altar, which would be dismantled immediately following the Passover Offering. (Fendel H. Supreme Court: No Passover Sacrifice Again This Year. IsraelNN.com, March 24, 2010. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/136699)
Although the court ruled against allowing this THEN on current political grounds, the point is that there are many Jews who are willing to resume the sacrifices without a temple being built or the Temple Mount at all modified.
While many do wish to build another temple, it should be pointed out that:
- Biblical prophecies do not require that a Jewish temple be built in Jerusalem before Jesus returns (for details, see Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required?).
- There is no biblical requirement for a temple to be built for sacrifices to resume (cf. Ezra 3:6).
- Jewish leaders have long recognized the second point (see also Nascent Sanhedrin structure and high priest: The plan is to start animal sacrifices–this would fulfill prophecy!)–which is part of why there have been animal sacrifices this century.
- The Bible also tells of daily sacrifices being stopped (Daniel 9:27, 11:31)–and since they have not started, their start is a prophetic event to look out for.
The sacrifices could be resumed with a synagogue or even a tent.
Temple Institute, Heifers, Hamas, and a Tent
In March 2024, the Temple Institute recently pointed out that how God blessed the Sabbath, He also blessed the construction of a tent tabernacle. They pointed out progress from the ancient Israelites. Should Christians be making spiritual progress each year before Passover? The Temple institute has stated that the area called ‘the Temple Mount’ needs to be cleared of Muslim mosques, etc. so that a ‘third temple’ can be built. It also claims that it has four thriving red heifers, one of which it want to sacrifice before the implementation of regular animal sacrifices. Has Hamas claimed that the existence and possible use of a red heifer was a factor in its attack in Israel on October 7, 2023? Does the Temple Institute believe it must have a massive temple in order for sacrifices to resume? Or is having a priesthood, an altar, and a tent enough? What does the Sanhedrin say about that? Did Ezra write that animal sacrifices were made after the first temple was destroyed, but before the second temple was started? Is that believed by numerous modern Jewish rabbis and scholars? Does the Bible teach that regular animal sacrifices will be resumed? Could there be any relationship to the stopping of them and the return of Jesus? Is the day of Jesus coming getting much closer? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie address these issues.
Here is a link to our video: Temple Institute, Heifers, Hamas, and a Tent.
The fact that the police are allowing prayer books is a sign that small, more religiously-focused parties can have influence.
Such influence is expected to be a factor in getting sacrifices reimplemented. This allowance of prayer books shows that change can happen–which prophetically also know will take place.
Related to a possible Jewish temple, we recently produced the following video:
Can the Jews Build a Holy Temple?
Are any of the Jews interested in building a third temple in this age? What about the Temple Institute? Can the Jews build ‘a holy temple’ in this age? Are you sure? Did people in the Old Testament sacrifice animals without a temple? What about Noah, King David, and Ezra? Did Jesus teach that the abomination of desolation spoken of in the book of Daniel would take place in a holy temple built in Jerusalem? What about Jesus Christ? Wasn’t He a more perfect tabernacle? The book of Daniel calls for animal sacrifices to be stopped. Must they begin in a newly built holy temple or is an altar sufficient? What about you? Are you a Christian? Are Christians part of God’s holy temple? Do you know the answers to these questions? Do you want to know the answers? Do you know the answers to these questions from the Bible? Are you aware that there are two different Greek words translated as ‘temple’ in the New Testament and one of them, according to Jesus and the Apostle Paul, often does NOT refer to a physical building? Watch this video as Dr. Thiel quotes chapter and verse from the Bible to shine the light of the Word of God on the truth about whether or not the Jews can build a holy temple in this age.
Here is a link to our video: Can the Jews Build a Holy Temple?
Religious Jews are having increasing impact in Jerusalem.
One day, consistent with several prophecies in the Book of Daniel (Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11), animal sacrifices will be reimplemented.
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required? Although people like Timothy LaHaye teach a third Jewish temple is required, who is ‘the temple of God” in the New Testament? Does the Bible require a rebuilt Jewish Temple? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Por qué no se requiere un templo judío en Jerusalén? Here is a link to two sermons The Temple, Prophecy, and the Work and God’s Temple in Prophecy. And here is a version of the latter one in the Spanish: El templo de Dios en profecía.
Nascent Sanhedrin and Prophecy The reconstituted Sanhedrin wants the reimplementation of animal sacrifices. A related video is titled Sanhedrin pushing animal sacrifices. And a newer one is: Sanhedrin makes burnt offering to dedicate altar!
The Red Heifer, Jewish Beliefs, and the End of the World The Temple Institute is watching a ‘red heifer.’ Why might this be important in the sequence of end time events? Here is a related link in the Spanish language Novilla roja descubierta en EE.UU. e Instituto del Templo está interesado en ella. Here are links to three related videos in English: Red Heifers and the Fate of the World and The Red Heifer and the End of the World and 5 Red Heifers and Year 5783?
Preparing for the ‘Short Work’ and The Famine of the Word What is the ‘short work’ of Romans 9:28? Who is preparing for it? Will Philadelphian Christians instruct many in the end times? Here is a link to a related video sermon titled: The Short Work. Here is a link to another: Preparing to Instruct Many.