On the morning of January 3, 2023, newly minted Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited Judaism’s holiest site without fanfare or incident — despite the media’s attempt to fan the flames of conflict.
The minister’s brief walk on the Temple Mount took place on the 10th of Tevet, a Jewish fast day mourning the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem over 2,500 years ago, which resulted in the destruction of the First Temple. Accompanied by security forces, Ben-Gvir — who has long advocated for Jewish rights at the sensitive hilltop compound — strolled the site for roughly 13 minutes, sticking strictly to the sole, narrow route permitted to Jews.
The tour was held after an assessment with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and police officials, the National Security Ministry said in a missive.
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Crucially, in keeping with the decades-old status quo arrangement, which prohibits non-Muslim prayer on the Temple Mount but permits access to all, Ben-Gvir at no point called for freedom of worship for Jews. In a separate statement, Netanyahu similarly emphasized that “the claim that a change has been made in the status quo is without foundation.”
Yet the Palestinian leadership responded in their usual fashion: by inciting baseless hatred against Israel.
I've observed an increase in extremist content regarding @itamarbengvir in recent weeks. In this recent publication posted today, warnings and threats are made after Ben-Givr's visit to the grounds of al-Aqsa Mosque. pic.twitter.com/PnyW4PFHMI
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) January 3, 2023
Palestinian Authority (PA) representative to the United Nations Riyad Mansour described Ben-Gvir’s visit as an “attack…against our holy sites on Al-Aqsa Mosque and Haram al-Sharif,” while PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh claimed that Israel plans to convert the mosque “into a Jewish Temple.” The Hamas terror group condemned the “raid” as a “grave violation,” warning that its fight against the “settler-colonial occupation and its fascist extremist government will continue…until liberation and return.”
Meanwhile, the international media poured fuel on the fire by blatantly misrepresenting the basic facts surrounding Tuesday’s events.
Could the Ben-Gvir visit have any positive outcomes?
HonestReporting executive director @Gil_Hoffman has an idea: pic.twitter.com/8aDPj4i4BG
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) January 4, 2023
“Praying on the Temple Mount”
So how did the media cover Ben-Gvir’s Temple Mount tour?
In perhaps the worst example of journalistic malfeasance, some media outlets simply made up facts, falsely asserting that Ben-Gvir defied the status quo by praying on the Temple Mount.
For instance, The Times of London’s “Israel hardline minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visits Temple Mount in ‘provocation’” noted that the minister “visited Temple Mount in Jerusalem, next to the al-Aqsa mosque, to pray yesterday.”
To The Times’ credit, after HonestReporting reached out to the newspaper, the demonstrably erroneous claim was swiftly removed from the lead.
UPDATE: Thanks to @thetimes for removing the erroneous claim that Ben-Gvir went to “pray” on the Temple Mount following correspondence with HonestReporting. https://t.co/5VFmyz5GC5
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) January 4, 2023
Related Reading: Before ‘Palestine’: Exploring the Unbroken Jewish Connection to Temple Mount
“Visiting the Mosque”
Furthermore, many news organizations ran misleading headlines suggesting that Ben-Gvir entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque during his tour, seemingly echoing the disingenuous Palestinian propaganda line depicting all of Judaism’s holiest site as being part of the “Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.”
Shockingly, CBS News, Agence France-Presse, Sky News, and The Daily Telegraph all failed to understand that the Islamic shrines on Temple Mount are wholly off-limits to Jewish pilgrims, prompting HonestReporting to request corrections.
Sky News duly corrected its headline following our complaints.
CORRECTED! @SkyNews has removed the reference to the Al-Aqsa mosque from its headline following complaints from HonestReporting. https://t.co/fkeAMxM55j
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) January 5, 2023
CBS’s claim that Ben-Gvir had visited the mosque was but one issue in a substandard and one-sided report.
Substandard and one-sided reporting from @CBSNews @haleyjoelleott.
1. Claims Ben-Gvir "visited the site known by Jews as the Temple Mount & by Muslims as Al-Aqsa Mosque."
No, he did not visit Al-Aqsa Mosque; the whole site is known by Muslims as Haram al-Sharif.
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) January 5, 2023
Which Mosque? Confusion Reigns
In another embarrassing error, multiple journalists revealed their apparent cluelessness about the Arab-Israeli conflict by confusing the Al-Aqsa Mosque with the Dome of the Rock, a separate Muslim structure in the same area. We contacted editors at The Washington Post, Sky News, The Independent, and Bloomberg and asked that this obvious factual inaccuracy be corrected. Sky News eventually changed its faulty photo caption in response.
Looks like @Independent has miscaptioned its @Reuters photo of what it claims to be the Al Aqsa mosque.https://t.co/mkkBuS50uR
We've pointed out the error. pic.twitter.com/Vpn2mN4lIT
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) January 4, 2023
Academic Hussein Ibish took exception to our calling him out on his error in Bloomberg and republished in the Washington Post, which he claimed was because “the word compound somehow got dropped.” Still, it didn’t excuse his attempt to falsely claim HonestReporting’s desire for media accuracy was just a cover for defending Israel’s government.
His claim that the Temple Mount was “presumed to be the site” of the Second Temple had nothing to do with Ben-Gvir and everything to do with diminishing Jewish rights and history.
This has nothing to do with defending the Israeli govt. & everything to do with ensuring the story is presented accurately. The mosque reference was incorrect. Your reference to the 2nd Temple was irrelevant to Ben-Gvir & was all about diminishing Jewish rights & history.
— Simon Plosker (@SimonPlosker) January 5, 2023
Related Reading: Jewish Ties to the Temple Mount – What’s the Story?
No, the Western Wall is Not “Judaism’s Holiest Site”
Sky News made several faux pas, even labeling the Western Wall, a mere remnant of the wall that surrounded the Second Temple courtyard, “the most holy site in the Jewish faith.” In reality, the Western Wall only became a place of Jewish prayer in the sixteenth century — due to its proximity to the sacred Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount.
The Independent also stated that the Temple Mount “houses the al-Aqsa mosque, revered in Islam, and the ancient biblical temples that are the holiest site in Judaism.” After we notified The Indy that the First and Second Temples were destroyed in 586 BCE and 70 CE respectively, the publication corrected the unfortunate error.
UPDATE: Prompted by HonestReporting, @Independent has corrected the error and removed the text that claimed ancient biblical temples still existed on the Temple Mount. https://t.co/1WoRErBXaM
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) January 4, 2023
No Israeli Officials Visited the Temple Mount in Recent Years?
For its part, the United Press International news agency claimed that “Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon was the last high-level official to visit the sacred compound back in 2000, which triggered a deadly Palestinian uprising that lasted for several years.” However, one of Itamar Ben-Gvir’s predecessors, Gilad Erdan, visited the Temple Mount as recently as 2017. Then-agriculture minister Uri Ariel did the same in 2018.
Moreover, even Palestinian leaders have refuted the charge that Ariel Sharon triggered the Second Intifada.
UPDATE: Prompted by HonestReporting, @UPI has removed the erroneous statement that Ariel Sharon was the last high-level official to visit the Temple Mount. https://t.co/OdJzKOMsuK
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) January 4, 2023
Related Reading: Did Ariel Sharon Start the Second Intifada?
Perceived Israeli threats to the Al-Aqsa Mosque have long been a rallying cry for terrorism. After a Palestinian gunman murdered three Israelis and injured more than a dozen others in Tel Aviv on April 7, 2022, terror groups in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were quick to link the attack to the myth that the sanctity of Al-Aqsa was being threatened.
While Ben-Gvir’s 13-minute walk on the Temple Mount might have been perceived as a provocation by some, media organizations should do better than spreading flat-out lies that seek to inflame a volatile situation.
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Featured Image: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images
