Thousands of Jewish worshippers visited a Jerusalem holy site during the holiday of Passover as far-right Israeli lawmaker Zvi Sukkot boasted, “Arabs aren’t allowed to come near us.”
Sukkot, a member of the Religious Zionism party, visited the al-Aqsa compound in the Old City of Jerusalem on Thursday morning, prostrating himself on the ground and praying in violation of the delicate status quo agreement that governs the site.
“Jews are bowing, praying, holding minyanim here,” said Sukkot, referencing a quorum of ten men required for certain Jewish worship. “Arabs aren’t allowed to come near us at all,” the lawmaker added, with Israeli security forces walking amongst the worshippers around him.
While anyone can visit the al-Aqsa compound, only Muslims are allowed to pray there, according to the status quo agreement, which has existed since Israel captured the Old City of Jerusalem in 1967. The site, which is known to Jews as the Temple Mount, is the holiest place in Judaism. It is known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif, and it is the third holiest site in Islam.
But the status quo agreement has increasingly been tested and, in some cases, deliberately challenged. Far-right lawmakers in Israel have made repeated visits to the holy site, encouraging other Jewish worshippers to do the same. Some of these visits have sparked protests, as well as diplomatic fallout across the region.
Video from the scene on Thursday showed Sukkot surrounded by a group of Jewish men openly praying while an Israeli police officer walked around in the background, not disturbing or interrupting the prayer session. Sukkot said it was far different to his last visit to the site 14 years ago.
“Back then, they used to watch you closely – if they saw you whisper a prayer, they’d jump on you. What’s happening now is an incredible miracle,” he said.
Sukkot’s visit comes amid a surge of Jewish worshippers going to the holy site to pray, according to the Temple Mount Administration, which said 6,315 worshippers had so far attended prayer sessions since Passover began last weekend.
The organization, which filmed the video of Sukkot at the compound, added that a daily record was set on Thursday, with 2,106 attending. Despite the moniker, the Temple Mount Administration is not a government agency.
Instead, it is a right-wing organization working to organize and promote Jewish prayer at the holy site. They described the number of visitors as “historic records,” saying it was a 37% increase from last year.
Far-right Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, who leads the Jewish Power party, praised Sukkot’s visit. “What wasn’t done in 30 years is being done on my watch, and I’m grateful to have been granted, by God’s grace, the privilege of leading this tremendous change,” he said on social media.
Ben Gvir has frequently visited the holy site, making clear his intentions to allow and promote Jewish worship, despite the prohibition. Following a visit in December, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office was forced to put out a statement saying, “The status quo at Temple Mount has not changed.”