The Battle for the Temple Mount
On June 7, 1967, during the Six-Day War, Israeli paratroopers breached the Lion’s Gate and advanced into Jerusalem’s Old City. Within hours, they reached the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site, marking the first time in nearly two millennia that Jewish sovereignty had returned to the sacred plateau. The announcement by commander Mordechai “Motta” Gur — “The Temple Mount is in our hands!” — reverberated across Israel and the Jewish world.
Historical Significance
The Temple Mount is the site of the First and Second Jewish Temples, destroyed by the Babylonians and Romans, respectively. From 1948 until 1967, under Jordanian control, Jews were barred from the site. The 1967 victory symbolized not just military success but also spiritual restoration. Yet, the moment also birthed a paradox: although Israel gained sovereignty, administrative control was handed to the Islamic Waqf to avoid a larger religious conflict — a move that remains controversial to this day.
Contested Ground
Today, the Temple Mount continues to be a flashpoint in Israeli-Palestinian tensions. The Israeli government’s decision to maintain the “status quo” — whereby Muslims can pray at the site but Jews may only visit — has generated both praise and criticism domestically and abroad.
Sources: IDF Archives, Israel MFA, Jewish Virtual Library
See also: Six-Day War Overview, Moshe Dayan’s Compromise