A rabbi and activist for Jewish sovereignty over the Land of Israel is pushing for the Temple Mount to be governed by the rules of the Torah rather than by the King of Jordan.
Rabbi Yishai Fleisher, international spokesperson for the Jewish community of Hebron, addressed the Temple Mount controversy during a walk last week around the Old City walls in Jerusalem on Tisha b’av, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, when Jews mourn the destruction of the First and Second Temples.
Since the Byzantine Empire lost control of Jerusalem to Arabs in 637 CE, Jews and Christians have been prohibited from praying on the Temple Mount.
After the IDF liberated the Old City of Jerusalem in June 1967, Israel allowed the Hashemite ruler of Jordan to maintain control over the site.
Fleisher discusses whether the time has come for the Hashemite control of the Mount to give way to the rules set forth in the Torah by Hashem, the Hebrew term for God.