Benjamin Netanyahu Visits Western Wall Tunnels Ahead of Yom Kippur

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu led thousands of Israelis and several government ministers in a visit to the Western Wall plaza and its subterranean excavation tunnels in East Jerusalem on September 20. The visit occurred ahead of Yom Kippur, with the group accessing the plaza via Wadi Street to perform Selichot prayers and religious rituals.

During the visit, Netanyahu asserted that Israel "will always remain here" and described the tunnels as being very close to the "Holy of Holies." These events coincided with incursions by between 100 and 570 Israeli settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, where they performed Talmudic rituals under the protection of Israeli police.

The Jerusalem Governorate of Palestine and Hamas condemned the actions as provocative attacks on the identity and status of the mosque. Palestinian authorities encouraged citizens to gather at Al-Aqsa to counter the incursions, while the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Administration maintained that the Western Wall is part of Islamic holy sites. Some observers suggest the use of religious symbolism is intended to bolster Netanyahu's standing before October's general election, where he currently trails rival Gadi Eisenkot.