A group of Israeli ministers and Members of Knesset (MKs) have sent a letter to members of the U.S. Congress, calling for official recognition of Jewish rights to the Temple Mount, a site of immense religious and political significance in Jerusalem. This development, reported across various news outlets in early March 2025, underscores the ongoing tensions surrounding the contested holy site and highlights Israel’s efforts to bolster international support for its claims. The Temple Mount, known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif, is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, making it one of Islam’s holiest sites. For Jews, it is revered as the location of the ancient First and Second Temples, the most sacred site in Judaism. The area has long been a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with access and control tightly regulated under a decades-old “status quo” agreement. This arrangement, established after Israel captured East Jerusalem in 1967, allows Jews to visit but not pray at the site, while Jordan retains custodial oversight through the Islamic Waqf. According to reports from Arutz Sheva, a prominent Israeli news outlet, the letter was spearheaded by a coalition of right-wing Israeli politicians who argue that Jewish rights to the Temple Mount have been unjustly restricted. The signatories, including several cabinet ministers and MKs from parties such as Likud and Religious Zionism, assert that recognizing Jewish historical and religious ties to the site is a matter of justice and a step toward affirming Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem.