Moshe Dayan’s Tragic Blunder

Whenever Israel’s Temple Mount is in the news, one is reminded of the old joke in which two Americans, touring England, pay a visit to Runnymede. “It was here,” the guide proclaims, “that King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta, the first declaration of the rights of man, one of the important moments in the history of democracy.” One of the Americans raises his hand and asks when this occurred. “1215,” the guide responds. The American turns to his friend, holding his watch arm aloft. “It’s 12:30 now! We just missed it!”

All too often, people are apt to opine about a historic site without any elemental understanding of its history. Thus it was that when new Israeli minister of public security Itamar Ben-Gvir strolled for some 15 minutes on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, apparently with the foreknowledge of Prime Minister Netanyahu, his visit was immediately condemned by the government of Jordan, as well as by State Department spokesman Ned Price. “We oppose any unilateral actions that undercut the historic status quo,” Price declared. “They are unacceptable. The president has previously underscored the need to preserve that historical status quo at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount, as has the secretary.”

There was only one problem: Strolling on the Temple Mount in no way violates the so-called status quo, dating back to the policies adopted by then–Defense Minister Moshe Dayan after the Six-Day War—according to which, Jews are allowed to visit the Temple Mount but not openly pray there. That is exactly what Ben-Gvir did.