Israeli lawmakers call for police to open the Temple Mount to Jews on Jerusalem Day
Police will be sectioning off Jerusalem ahead of Jerusalem Day and the "Dance of the Flags" March. This as lawmakers fight to allow Jews to visit the Temple Mount despite restrictions
This week, on May 14–15, Israelis will be celebrating Jerusalem Day, commemorating the reunification of East and West Jerusalem following the Six-Day War. However, the festivities are not without controversy. Government ministers and coalition Knesset members have sent a letter to Police Commissioner Danny Levy and incoming Jerusalem District Commander Avshalom Peled demanding that Jews be permitted to enter the Temple Mount on Jerusalem Day.
In the letter, the lawmakers sated that it is "unacceptable that on the day marking the liberation of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, Jews would be entirely barred from accessing the holiest site for the Jewish people." As per regulations, Jewish visitors are allowed to enter the Temple Mount Sunday-Thursday, but it is closed on Friday afternoon and on Saturdays. Jerusalem Day falls on a Friday.
Included as signatories of the letter are Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Defense Minister Israel Katz, as well as Likud and Religious Zionist Part MKs Amit Halevi, Ariel Kallner, and Avichai Boaron among others.
All this comes on top of regular preparation operations by the Jerusalem District Police for Jerusalem Day and the 2026 "Dance of the Flags" March.
According to a police spokesperson, in order to ensure that all events proceed safely, starting this Thursday, thousands of police officers, Border Police fighters, and volunteers will be deployed throughout Jerusalem.
The Traditional “Dance of the Flags” March is expected to follow its regular route, from Sacher Park through the city center and toward the Western Wall via the gates of the Old City. Police officers will accompany participants and regulate both pedestrian and vehicle traffic.
As part of efforts to ease movement for city residents and visitors, beginning at 3:00 p.m., the following roads will be closed to traffic:
Ben Zvi (from Rupin to Rabin), Bezalel, King George, Agron, Yitzhak Kariv, King Solomon, King David, Jerusalem Brigade Road, Paratroopers Road, HaHandasa, the IDF Tunnel, Haim Bar-Lev (southbound from the Zaks Junction Sultan Suleiman, and the Ophel Route.
The roads will gradually reopen as the march progresses.
Public transportation will operate on alternative routes coordinated with the transportation companies. The light rail will operate on a limited schedule beginning at 2:00 p.m. (from the south up to the Central Bus Station, and from the north up to Givat HaMivtar).
Regarding the Samuel the Prophet Hillula, Route 436 will be intermittently closed from Mintz Junction to Har Shmuel in both directions. The mountain complex will be closed to private vehicles, and access will only be permitted via public transportation.