On Eid al-Adha, the Muslim Festival of the Sacrifice, Jews are prohibited entry to the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif compound as per the status quo determined 52 years ago at the direction of Moshe Dayan, the then-all-powerful Israeli defense minister. While Israel claims sovereignty over the Temple Mount, the site is managed by Jordan, through the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf.

It is difficult to explain to a foreigner why this place generates so much division and violence. The leadership regimes of the Israelis and Palestinians are primarily secular, and Orthodox Jews actually oppose visiting the Temple Mount. In fact, the chief rabbinate has decreed that ascending the Temple Mount is forbidden. Following the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, all Jews for generations to come are considered impure, thus they cannot enter the holy site where the Temple was located. Those Jews who do enter the area are secular or “somewhat religious” national extremists.

According to regulations, Jews are forbidden to pray on the Temple Mount, and if someone is caught mumbling a silent prayer there, he or she is immediately detained and removed from the site. The Israeli Border Police screen those who visit the sacred area, and permission to enter (especially in terms of the age of Muslim male worshippers) depends on the security situation and the estimation of the likelihood of violence erupting between Muslims and Jews.

On the Israeli side, the entry of Jews is sometimes temporarily prohibited and sometimes prohibited for several years. At times entry by members of the Knesset is prohibited, and right-wing extremists set on praying there to prove Israeli sovereignty or to unfurl the Israeli flag are typically barred entry.