Israeli lawmakers lobby US Congress to back Jewish right to pray on Temple Mount

Two government ministers and more than a dozen Knesset members urged the US Congress to back Jewish rights on Temple Mount, including freedom of prayer, along with recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the holy site.

By World Israel News Staff

Two government ministers and nearly a dozen sitting Members of Knesset, along with several former lawmakers and other public figures, issued a joint call Wednesday to the U.S. Congress, urging American lawmakers to endorse Jewish religious freedom on the Temple Mount, and formally recognize Israel’s historic connection to and sovereignty over the holy site.

The initiative, led by the Beyadenu For The Temple Mount and Shofar in Zion organizations, has received the backing of Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi (Likud), and Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar (Likud), along with 13 current and former MKs from the Likud, Religious Zionist Party, and Otzma Yehudit factions.

In the letter, the signatories urged Congress to promote a formal declaration recognizing the “eternal and inalienable right of the Jewish people to the Temple Mount.”

“This is the place where our Temples stood, destroyed by the Babylonian and Roman empires approximately 2,500 and 1,900 years ago.”

Despite Israel’s commitment to religious freedom, the letter highlights the restrictions on non-Muslim visitors to the Temple Mount.

“While the sovereign State of Israel guarantees access to holy sites for all religions, the Jewish people themselves are denied full and unrestricted access to their holiest site due to immense international pressure. Official recognition from the world’s leading nation and Israel’s greatest ally—the United States—will help neutralize these pressures and ensure historical justice.”

In addition to the letter, the activists behind this initiative have been engaged in ongoing discussions with members of both chambers of Congress over the past month, with further meetings scheduled this week. These discussions aim to advance the recognition of Jewish rights to the Temple Mount and build support for a formal congressional declaration on the issue.

Israeli Temple Mount activists argue that official U.S. recognition of Israel’s historic ties to the Temple Mount and the importance of protecting Jewish rights there would not be merely symbolic but “would affirm truth, religious freedom, and historical justice.”

“With Trump’s return, we can correct the international narrative on the Temple Mount and rectify the grave injustice done to the Jewish people,” said Yosef Rabin, Chairman of Shofar in Zion.

“The denial of our religious and national rights to the site must end. This is a modern-day Cyrus moment—we must declare loudly: there is no Zionism without Mount Zion.”

In addition to Ministers Karhi and Zohar, the letter was signed by 11 current MKs, two former MKs, Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Aryeh King, and Yossi Dagan, chairman of the Samaria Regional Council.

The current MKs include Dan Illouz, Ariel Kellner, Moshe Pasal, Nissim Vaturi, Hanoch Milwidsky, Keti Shitrit, and Avihai Boaron from the Likud; Simcha Rothman of the Religious Zionist Party, and Otzma Yehudit MKs Limor Son Har-Melech, Yitzhak Kreuzer, and Almog Cohen.

Former Likud MKs Moshe Feiglin and Yehudah Glick also signed the letter.

“This letter calls for a natural and just recognition of the Jewish people’s exclusive right to their holiest site,” said Tom Nissani, CEO of Beyadenu For The Temple Mount.

“I am grateful to the ministers and MKs who joined this important cause, and I believe it will resonate internationally. The American administration supports full Israeli sovereignty over the Temple Mount.”