1967 Six-Day War
On June 7, 1967, Israeli paratroopers broke through the Lions’ Gate and captured the Temple Mount, ending 19 years of Jordanian control. The moment was marked by the now-iconic declaration, “The Temple Mount is in our hands,” signaling both a military victory and a religious homecoming for the Jewish people.
The capture of the Temple Mount on June 7, 1967, during the Six-Day War was one of the most iconic and emotionally charged moments in Israeli history. Following two days of intense combat in East Jerusalem—including the bloody battle for Ammunition Hill—Israeli paratroopers advanced toward the Old City. Jordanian forces, though outmatched, fought fiercely to retain control of strategic points but began retreating as IDF forces tightened their encirclement. In a bold move, Israeli troops from the 55th Paratroopers Brigade approached the Lions’ Gate and stormed into the Old City. At 10:08 a.m., Commander Motta Gur famously radioed to IDF Headquarters: “Har HaBayit b’yadenu”—“The Temple Mount is in our hands.” Moments later, soldiers ascended the steps to the Dome of the Rock and looked out over the site that had been off-limits to Jews for nearly two decades. The event had not only strategic and political consequences but also deep religious and national implications. For many Israelis, the moment represented a miraculous return to the holiest site in Judaism. It followed 19 years in which Jews had been denied access to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall under Jordanian rule, a period marked by destruction of Jewish heritage sites and international silence. While Israel now held the site militarily, the political decision over its administration would come swiftly. Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, seeking to avoid a broader religious war, decided to leave day-to-day control of the Temple Mount in the hands of the Islamic Waqf, a Jordanian-backed Islamic religious authority. Jews would be permitted to visit the site during designated hours but forbidden to pray there—a compromise that remains in place, and hotly contested, to this day. The Temple Mount’s capture shifted regional dynamics. While celebrated in Israel and by Jews worldwide, it was condemned across much of the Arab world as a provocative violation of Islamic sanctity. Subsequent UN resolutions, including 242, would attempt to address territorial outcomes, but the status of Jerusalem—and especially the Temple Mount—remained unresolved. To this day, the image of Israeli soldiers standing beside the golden Dome of the Rock symbolizes the sweeping success of the Six-Day War and the enduring complexity of Jerusalem’s religious and political geography.
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