Nearly 60,000 Jews ascended the Temple Mount in the past year, a 13% Increase from the previous record two years ago. The data was collected by the “Beyadenu” organization. They reported that 58,149 Jews ascended the Temple Mount. This exceeds the previous record set in 2022, when 51,483 Jews visited the site.

This record was set despite limits set on hours of visitation and Jews being banned during Muslim holidays. The Temple Mount is open to non-Muslims Sunday – Thursday, 7:30-11:00 AM, and 1:30-2:30 PM.  Non-Muslims are only permitted to enter the site via the Mughrabim/Hallel Gate Gate and must adhere to a strict time frame and path. They must remain in limited groups and are accompanied at all times by a police officer for their safety and to ensure they adhere to the restrictions. 

Jews are usually permitted to pray in areas not visible to Muslims but are not permitted to bring books or other holy objects, like tallit and tefillin, used in prayer.

The rise in Jewish visitation was coincidental with an increase of police enforcement targeting Jews. Around 500 Jews were detained or arrested on the Temple Mount during 2024, compared to 317 in 2023 and 141 in 2022. More than 100 Jews were banned from the Temple Mount in 2024 through unlawful administrative procedures, compared to 85 in 2023 and 52 in 2022.

Two young men were detained last week after they danced on the Temple Mount in celebration of their weddings later that day. Attorney Rom said, “The futile delays and selective enforcement against Jews on the Temple Mount must stop. The detainees have not committed any offense.”

Also, two weeks ago,  the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court held an in-depth discussion – two years after the event – on the seriousness of the offense committed by Temple Mount activist Tom Nissani on Hanukkah 5783. The alleged offense took place two years ago, in December 2022. The police indicted Tom Nissani, the head of Beyadenu, for “entering the checkpoint with sufganiyot (donuts, a traditional Hanukkah treat).” Nisani was “asked to get rid of them, but he questioned the police order. Later, he tried to pass through with “stickers and a sign that were forbidden to bring into the Temple Mount.”

Attorney Eitan Lehman, who represents Nissani, suggested that the “donut affair” was “the funniest accusation.”

“Is distributing donuts to people a crime?,” he askd rhetorically. “ Many people brought sufganiyot on Hanukkah two years ago and distributed them to the police and ascenders to the Temple Mount throughout that morning. Of course, in the trial, we will question the police officers who decided that the defendant could not distribute sufganiyot. It’s true that he argued with the officers because he wanted to distribute sufganiyot, but arguing with police officers is not a crime.”

Nissani and former Likud MK RabbiYehudah Glick, were also accused of not moving “at the pace of the accompanying policeman and in a unified group during the tour of the compound. They stopped at every moment to take pictures, despite the warnings of the policeman who accompanied the group.”

Glick was accused of “breaking away from the group, wandering around in the nearby grove, and even trying to climb the Dome of the Rock.” 

“It’s not so clear how this is a crime,” said attorney Eitan Lehman, who represents Nissani. “We don’t think that breaking away from the group is a crime. Photographing the place is not a crime. We will submit a request to see the rules, and on what they are based.”

The lawyers submitted to the court a video of the “blocking incident,” which clearly showed the entrance to the mountain was not blocked by Nissani and Brosh, and their sitting there did not disturb anyone.

They also argued selective enforcement, noting “much more obvious cases of roadblocks” in the past two years by left-wing activists protesting against Knesset legislations, the police looked on with indifference and did not bother to prosecute anyone.”

Attorney Yitzhak Bem, representing Rabbi Glick, argued, “The defendant is charged with not walking at a pace that satisfied the police on the Temple Mount that day. He is disabled, a victim of hostilities following an assassination attempt on his life, and has lost more than half a lung. I’d like to see these policemen trying to run without half a lung.”

Judge Anat Greenbaum-Shimon asked the police to rethink the charges and postponed the next hearing so that she could “have a talk with the prosecution,” in the hope that she would succeed in getting the police down from the treetop.

The police representatives at the hearing rejected ther judge’s recommendation, demanding to schedule another hearing for early February.

The rules enforced by the Israeli police on the Temple Mount are racist and discriminate heavily against the Jews in a manner reminiscent of the Jim Crow Laws in the US that discriminated against blacks until the were overturned in 1956. Until 2021, Jews were forbidden from drinking from water fountains on the Temple Mount and were banned from bringing food or drink into the compound. Jews who violated these rules were removed from the site by police but were not arrested, as Israeli law mandates equality and freedom of religion at the site.

It should be noted that Palestinians are permitted unrestricted access to the site except for a few Jewish holidays. Palestinians may eat and drink at the site and frequently are seen having barbecues and engaging in activities such as soccer games at the holy site.

Non-Muslims also are prohibited from using the public bathrooms available at the site. 

The discrimination targets Christians as well. The Jerusalem Islamic Waqf has forced some Christian tourists visiting the Temple Mount to wear garments adorned with bright yellow stripes. The garments seem to be intentionally humiliating.