When the IDF captured the Old City of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War, the then Defense Minister, Moshe Dayan, aware of how stunned the Arabs were at their humiliating defeat, wanted to avoid further upsetting them. So he decided, on his own, that there would be restrictions placed on Jews wishing to visit the Temple Mount (Haram al-Sharif). First, he decreed that Jews would not be allowed to bring prayer books or other religious paraphernalia with them onto the Mount. Second, they were forbidden even from silently mouthing prayers. Third, while Muslims could visit the Mount, and pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, at any time, except when security concerns led to temporary restrictions, Jews were restricted to visiting from Sunday to Thursday. Furthermore, their visits were limited to 4½ hours in summer, and four hours in winter.
Dayan’s restrictions were unwise. Yes, the Arabs were reeling from their defeat but it was precisely then, when they were in such a state of weakness and confusion, that Israel should should not have provided them with such concessions. It was, rather, the time for Israel to press home its victory in the Six-Day War. June 1967 is when Jews should have been given the right to bring their prayerbooks, and to pray openly, on the Temple Mount, and also to visit the site not for a few hours, but all day, from Sunday to Thursday.
Now that intolerable ban on Jewish prayer at the Mount has been lifted. More on this welcome news can be found here: “Jewish men permitted to pray on Temple Mount with prayer books for first time, Ben-Gvir confirms,” Jerusalem Post, August 16, 2026:
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….
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. Jewish visitors may now enter with a single printed prayer page prepared in advance, although prayer books remain prohibited.
The first step in reasserting the right to Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount was taken this past January, when the ban on Jewish prayer was partially lifted; each male visitor could bring a single printed prayer page. Eight months later, on August 16, Jewish men were allowed to bring with them not just a page of prayer, but an entire prayer-book.
On August 5, Arab and Muslim officials meeting in Amman condemned what they described as an Israeli “escalation” in “the occupied city of Jerusalem,” according to the Jordanian Foreign Ministry.
The officials agreed to condemn recent Israeli policies and measures that they claimed were intended to alter the “Arab, Islamic, and Christian identity” of Jerusalem…
The Arabs are angry because the Jews of Israel are at long last being allowed to pray at their holiest site? Tough. And they dare to mention the “Arab, Islamic, and Christian identity” of Jerusalem, but pass over in silence the Jewish identity of Jerusalem for the past 3500 years? They’ll just have to adjust. Meanwhile, Dayan’s quite unnecessary concessions on access to, and behavior on, the Temple Mount, are now being reversed.
Once everyone has gotten used to Jews praying freely on the Temple Mount — give it a few months — then the Israeli government should follow up by increasing the visiting hours for Jews. Let them go up on the Mount not just for a few hours, but all day, every day, from Sunday to Thursday. How can the Arabs, who have for the past fifty-nine years, with Israel in possession of what the Arabs call the Haram al-Sharif, been able to visit it all day, seven days a week, possibly complain about the new dispensation? Oh, don’t worry. They will.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Moshe Dayan made a major mistake by not levelling the al Aqsa mosque. After all, it’s not like the Arab/muslim world could hate Israel/Jews any more as a result of that: their hatred had already peaked due to their humiliation by Israel
Not only should the mosques there have been demolished, but all muslims should have been expelled to Jordan proper – as well as Egypt and Syria. And Israel should have built a temple in Mt Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments, and declared it a Jewish heritage site
Ugly 312 says
Infidel, perfect. Thank you B”H
Rabbi Menashe Bovit says
Exactly!!!🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱
Taffy says
So, where is Mount Sinai? Modern scholarship seems to believe that it is in Saudi Arabia. This video is worth listening to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjrxHqNy5CQ
And, the route that Moses took would logically take him through familiar territory, namely the land of Midian.
Moshe Dayan, an astute general, was not too good at judging the Arabs’ character. When the Jordanians were defeated, the correct course of action would have been to rub their collective noses in the conquest and raze the Al-Asqa Mosque and The Dome of the Rock Mosque, and then tell King Hussein of Jordan that if he gives them any more trouble, Jordan proper will be the next conquest.
Dayan was supposed to represent Israelis, and not the conquered Jordanians. If sure that if the shoe were on the other foot, King Hussein would have gladly invited the Israelis to romp around Jordan. [sarcasm switch off]
Beans🫘 says
No that’s not why. He was actually very wise in his decision. The Israeli army was extremely exhausted but victorious. Any attempt to change the status quo at the holy site would have triggered other countries to possibly jump in, an unpredictable escalation the Israelis were not prepared for.
At this time Israel was alone, and America would not have jumped in to help. So they chose to leave this alone to preserve Israel. Also, Israel was a much more secular society then as well, not that the mount didn’t matter at all.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Beans
At the end of that war, the Arabs were decimated. Nasser barely managed to hang on, but Cairo was humiliated: their border w/ Israel was now along the Suez Canal
Given that the Arabs were at their weakest, this would have been the right thing to do. If only Israel had had their trio of Begin/Shamir/Sharon at the top, like they did in the early 1980s, then they wouldn’t have been bullied into it by Carter. Yeah, he’d have tried, but lost
Beans🫘 says
You are aware there are other Muslim nations that could have went in.
James Lincoln says
Correct on all points, Infidel.
Cynthia says
+1
In ‘67 the world backed Israel. It was the exact time to take full control of Temple Mount. Kicking out most of the “Palestinians” would have been accepted as well.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Also, at that time, they weren’t even called “Palestinians”. Yeah, the PLO had been founded 3 years earlier, but this was still an Arab-Israeli war. The Soviet rebranding hadn’t started
Islam is bad says
Correct.
After capturing the Temple Mount during the Six-Day War in June 1967, Israel erred by not eradicating all evidence of Islam’s attempted colonisation of a Jewish holy place; including removing all evidence of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the structure over the Dome of the Rock.
Islam’s claim to the Temple Mount is based upon a fraudulent uncorroborated story by Muhammad. Islam has no valid claim over Temple Mount.
Michael Skok says
Isn’t Mr. Sinai in Saudi Arabia?
Siddhi Nasranni says
Correct, In Galatians 4:25, Paul mentions “Mount Sinai in Arabia.” It’s good to keep in mind that “Arabia” in the ancient world is not to be equated with “Saudi Arabia” in the modern world. The biblical term Arabia covers a vast area, including what we now call Saudi Arabia and the Sinai Peninsula.
Raja says
Infidel, Your comments are serious stuff and I’m all for it. It appears that the Jewish leadership was magnanimous even when the barbarians/eternal enemies were defeated. But you are dealing with barbarians and they almost never appreciate or reciprocate. Take for example, Prithiviraj Chauhan who defeated the islamic invaders but was magnanimous. The result: he was beheaded in a typical islamic savagery perpetrated for centuries- not just some odd event.
Please correct me if I’m wrong about the story.
Brian Ozzy says
Spot on!
Juniper says
Judea, Samaria, and Gaza were won in a war Israel did not start. What would the Muslims do if they had won those places? They should be pleased we Jews are not as barbaric as they are. They are welcome to either submit to Israeli rule or GTFO to Jordan, Egypt, or Lebanon.
Rob Porter says
Absolutely right, ࿗Infidel࿘. Only one variation to “demolition”; the al Aqsa mosque should have been declared ready for dismantling and offered to the highest bidder. It should then have been dismantled in numbered pieces and carted away. Moshe Dayan decision was incomprehensible and foolish, in every country or city conquered by Arabs or Ottomans churches and synagogues were destroyed and replaced by mosques. TheMuslim should ghsave been given a taste of their own medicine.
Patton says
Jews and Christians should be the ONLY people allowed at the site of God’s Temple. There are two Abrahamic faiths. Period. Is Sllime is a cult of satan. An abomination before God. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Jesus would all endorse the right of all Christian and Jewish believers to worship in their Temple. F-is-slime. Oh yeah and F-BHO and Let’s Go Brandon.
somehistory says
as others have written, it was a huge mistake to allow the evil “high place” to stay; and worse, to restrict the Jews while allowing the muzzies to do whatever in their worship of satan….the enemy of mankind.
It’s a good thing that the Jews will now have some freedom in the City conquered by David so many years ago.
Juniper says
They have some chutzpah calling Jerusalem, the city of King David, “occupied” by Jews. Mr. Fitzgerald is right. We Jews & Israelis need to act with strength, not with trembling knees and begging for equal rights.
Beans🫘 says
When Muslims become a ruling force, a majority or have a strong presence anywhere ever, it is considered allahs land for eternity.
Even if there were no Arabs there, they would still be on a mission to retrieve it for Muslims. Thats how they kept all the Christians lands. Christians simply move on. Lebanon Turkey Libya Egypt etc etc. Muslims? They want to get back what they say is theirs. Think India. It was Muslim ruled once. And they want that back to this day. Same goes for Israel.