A significant update was announced on Wednesday to the guidelines governing Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount.
For the first time, Israel Police will allow Jewish visitors to enter the holy site carrying prayer sheets. In recent years, entry with any prayer materials had been strictly prohibited.
Under the new guidelines, only designated prayer sheets prepared by the Temple Mount Yeshiva will be permitted. The sheets will be distributed at the visitors’ entrance, where individuals may take one before entering the site.
In recent months, Jewish visitors have increasingly been observed singing and praying on the Temple Mount. This follows years during which any Jew caught quietly praying or even muttering words of prayer risked arrest, detention, and removal from the site for several months.
Police data also indicate a steady and significant rise in the number of Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount in recent years.
In 2022, 48,205 Jews visited the site. In just the first ten months of 2025, the number had already reached 54,677, representing an increase of approximately 13.4% over three years.
The figures further show that in 2023, when Itamar Ben-Gvir began his tenure as National Security Minister, 45,776 Jews visited the Temple Mount. In 2024, that number rose to 50,602, and the upward trend continued into 2025, with an average annual increase of roughly 5,000 visitors.