Jewish worshipers were reportedly allowed to use prayer books at the Temple Mount on Sunday, marking the latest in a series of blows to a status quo arrangement that bans non-Muslim prayer at the flashpoint Jerusalem holy site.

While in the past, police would eject or detain Jewish visitors caught praying on the Temple Mount, the policy has largely fallen to the wayside over the past three years under National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has repeatedly demanded that police allow Jews to pray there.

On Sunday, Arnon Segal, a right-wing journalist and activist who seeks to expand Jewish religious freedom at the site, posted a picture of men praying on the Temple Mount while reading from siddurim, or books of Jewish liturgy.

In the photo posted Sunday, towels are seen on the ground in front of the men, indicating the inclusion of prostration in ritual worship on the esplanade, which was the home of the two ancient Jewish Temples.

“Still no explicit permit but a first try to make sure the Middle East doesn’t lose its mind over this,” Segal wrote, calling the event “historic.”

According to Haaretz, citing Segal and an unnamed activist, police allowed the visitors to ascend the site with the prayer books.

הבוקר בהר הבית: יהודים מתפללים עם סידורים. עדיין לא היתר גורף אבל ניסוי ראשוני במטרה........

© The Times of Israel