‘Temple desecrators’: Haredi newspapers slam Ben-Gvir's ascent to Temple Mount

The front page of the Yated Ne'eman (Hebrew for loyal stake) newspaper, associated with the Degel Hatorah faction led by MK Moshe Gafni, was dedicated on Wednesday morning to a strong attack against the National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

The article was published following the controversial incident where Ben-Gvir visited Temple Mount on Tisha B’Av. The main headline of the article read, "Temple Mount desecrators endanger Jewish lives," and included a call from "rabbis and public figures" to reconsider the coalition partnership with Otzma Yehudit, which is led by the minister, similar to a statement issued by MK Gafni on Tuesday.

In an editorial, the newspaper wrote, "Urgently, padlocks for the Temple Mount." The author, Israel Friedman, compared Jewish visits to the Temple Mount to "throwing a match into an oil well," warning that the Temple Mount could become a volcano that would cover the entire Middle East with its ash and smoke.

The article also criticized Ben-Gvir, stating, "Whether he is a minister or not, we cannot allow any fringe figure to endanger us all. This is not a game of 'cops and robbers'; it is about human lives and severe prohibitions."

Ultra-Orthodox parties demand Netanyahu act

The ultra-Orthodox opposition to visiting the Temple Mount stems from a halachic prohibition upheld by most rabbis, both present and past.

The newspaper also suggested that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of Ben-Gvir could lead to increased bloodshed in the region. Rather than taking definitive action against this "reckless behavior," he only criticized coalition members, particularly Ben-Gvir's group, for such conduct.

The newspaper hinted that the prime minister's relative silence and inaction are problematic. The MKs from Degel Hatorah stated, "We will turn to the Torah sages for their ruling."

The ultra-Orthodox parties' strong stance against Ben-Gvir aims to signal to the Prime Minister that they are losing patience with Ben-Gvir's behavior, both in the government and the Knesset.

They expect Netanyahu to take more decisive action against him, especially since senior figures in the ultra-Orthodox parties have conveyed these messages to Netanyahu several times during recent closed-door discussions.

Sephardic reaction to Ben-Gvir's Temple Mount visit

In addition to the Ashkenazi newspaper, a comment on the Sephardic Haderech (Hebrew for The Way) daily issue on  Ben-Gvir’s visit to Temple Mount also criticized the act on Wednesday.

The daily issue was titled “And you who rebelled against the command of the Lord, and acted presumptuously and ascended the mountain,” followed by a condemnation of Ben-Gvir’s “continued provocative conduct and disrespect.”

Moreover, the Sephardic haredi newspaper stated that Ben-Gvir’s actions, “With coarse arrogance, he tramples on the sanctity of the Temple and ascends the Temple Mount again, in complete defiance of the opinions of all sages and great leaders of the generations, creating a dangerous provocation and unnecessary, irresponsible confrontation.”

“These Knesset members do not represent Israel’s Torah, they desecrate our holy places,” Former Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef stated on Haderech.

A video released later on Wednesday showed various rabbis speaking out against ascending the Temple Mount, with subtitles in Arabic. 

לאחר עליית השר בן גביר להר הבית: רבנים חרדים בסרטון היוצא נגד העלייה להר, בתוספת תרגום לערבית@AkivaWeisz pic.twitter.com/iC2Qe92R4I

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) August 14, 2024