For decades, the Israeli security establishment operated under a self-imposed psychological constraint known informally as the "Ramadan Veto." The logic was as predictable as it was defeatist: as the Islamic holy month approached, the State of Israel would preemptively shrink its own sovereignty in Jerusalem to avoid "provoking" those who use the holiday as a springboard for violence.
But as of today, that era of strategic retreat is officially over.
The decision by the Israel Police to not only maintain but expand Jewish visiting hours on the Temple Mount during the first day of Ramadan was a watershed moment. By moving the opening time to 6:30 a.m. and extending the morning window to 11:30 a.m., Israel has sent a clear message to the region: the Temple Mount is not a "no-go zone" for Jews, and Israeli policy is no longer dictated by the threat of Islamist riots.
The Failure of the Appeasement Model
The "Ramadan Veto" was born from a fundamental misunderstanding of Middle Eastern deterrence. For years, "experts" in the security echelons argued that restricting Jewish access to Har HaBayit (the Temple Mount) would lower the "flames of incitement." They believed that if Israel showed enough restraint, agitators would have no excuse to ignite the street.
The results of this "quiet for quiet" policy were disastrous. Instead of being pacified, extremist groups viewed Israeli restraint as proof of Jewish weakness. Each concession during Ramadan became a baseline for the next demand. By signaling that Jewish presence was a "provocation" that could be turned off with enough threats, Israel inadvertently validated the narrative that Jewish connection to the Mount is temporary and negotiable.
Real peace is not the result of satisfying an aggressor’s demands; it is the result of the aggressor realizing that their goals are unattainable. When Israel retreated from its holiest site during Ramadan, it fueled the hope that the Jewish state can eventually be pushed out of Jerusalem entirely.
2026: Sovereignty as a Security Essential
What we are seeing today is the implementation of a sovereignty-first security policy. Rather than asking, "How can we avoid a riot?" the question has become, "How do we assert the permanence of Israeli rule?"
The expansion of visiting hours is more than a technical change; it is a declaration of ownership. When 1,000 Jewish worshipers ascended the Mount to mark the beginning of the month of Adar-overlapping with the start of Ramadan-the sky did not fall. The police deployment was robust, the rules were clear, and the "veto" was ignored.
This shift recognizes a hard truth: the violence associated with Ramadan is not caused by Jewish presence; it is caused by incitement that uses the holiday to weaponize the Al-Aqsa compound. By standing firm, Israel forces the agitators to realize that their efforts have hit a wall of sovereign resolve.
Breaking the Stockholm Syndrome
For too long, the Israeli public was told that sovereignty was a "luxury" that had to be traded for "stability." They were told that "managing the conflict" required them to accept a reality where Jews were treated as second-class citizens at their own holiest site. This was a form of strategic Stockholm syndrome, where the victim began to think like the harasser to survive.
The 2026 policy breaks that cycle. By refusing to shutter the Mount to Jews, the government is treating Jerusalem as a unified capital in practice, not just in rhetoric. It is an acknowledgment that true stability only comes when the law is applied equally and the state refuses to be bullied by the threat of "escalation."
The Road Ahead: From Defense to Reality
Of course, the international community will decry this move as a "dangerous escalation." They will quote predictable condemnations and warn of the "fragility" of the status quo.
But we must ask: whose status quo? A status quo where Jews are banned from their holiest site because of their identity is not a "peaceful arrangement"-it is a surrender.
Control of symbolic spaces like the Temple Mount is the ultimate metric of national resolve. By ending the "Ramadan Veto," Israel is finally acting like a nation that intends to stay. And as the crowds of Jewish worshipers continue to grow, the message to the world is undeniable: Jerusalem is not for sale, and Jewish presence on the Temple Mount is no longer a question-it is a fact.
Amine Ayoub, a fellow at the Middle East Forum, is a policy analyst and writer based in Morocco. Follow him on X: @amineayoubx