Overview

• Israeli police implemented a policy on Tisha B’Av permitting thousands of Jewish worshippers to sing, dance, pray and prostrate across the Temple Mount for the first time under official supervision
• Morning videos showed dozens of visitors celebrating openly in all areas of the compound while officers maintained a hands-off approach
• In a single enforcement action, police arrested an Arab man who confronted Jewish worshippers, illustrating flashpoints created by the relaxed rules
• The change overturns a long-standing 1967 status quo that barred overt non-Muslim worship at Judaism’s holiest site to guard against violence
• Israel’s security establishment and ultra-Orthodox factions have warned the new policy risks public safety and could provoke broader unrest among Arab nations