Defense Minister Katz Vows to Cement Israeli Sovereignty Over Jerusalem Holy Sites

Defense Minister Israel Katz reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to strengthening its sovereignty over Jerusalem, including the highly sensitive Temple Mount, during a visit to the Western Wall on Tisha B’Av.

Posting on X alongside photos of himself praying at the Western Wall and greeting IDF soldiers, Katz declared that “the Western Wall and the Temple Mount are again under the sovereignty of the State of Israel,” two millennia after the destruction of the Second Temple.

“On Tisha B’Av, two thousand years after the destruction of the Second Temple, the Western Wall and the Temple Mount are again under the sovereignty of the State of Israel,” Katz wrote. “Israel haters around the world continue to make decisions against us and protest, and we will strengthen our hold and sovereignty over Jerusalem, at the Western Wall, and the Temple Mount, forever.”

Katz also said his prayers included hopes for the return of hostages still held in Gaza, peace for Israeli communities, protection for the country’s security forces, and victory over Hamas.

His statement follows a controversial early-morning visit to the Temple Mount by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who openly prayed at the site, a move that drew sharp rebuke from Jordan and Saudi Arabia for violating the long-standing status quo arrangement that restricts non-Muslim prayer.

In response, the Prime Minister’s Office released a clarification stating that “Israel’s policy of maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount has not changed and will not change.”

While Katz did not directly reference Ben-Gvir’s visit, his statement is seen by analysts as reinforcing a broader message of unwavering Israeli control over Jerusalem’s holy sites, a position that continues to fuel tensions both regionally and internationally.