So this extreme leftist, Kaplanist even according to some, is also an extreme messianic (though without the qualifying long unkempt peyos) rightist, maybe even a Bengvirist. I will note, one of the reaosns I went today is because my daughter who serves in Mishmar Hagvul (which is why I said maybe even a Bengvirist), aka Magav, is stationed this week on Har Habayit. 

Obviously I have heard of the changes on Har Habayit over the past few years. I still have sort of kept up and stayed in My Har Habayit whatsapp groups and I always follow Har Habayit in the news, so none of it was a surprise to me, but seeing the changes with my own eyes, and all at once after a period of time rather than seeing it incrementally as it happens, was significant.

Going in had a minimal security check, just the metal detector - no iterrogation and body search for a siddur or other religious materials.

Being that I did not go up with a group, the police gathered the several individuals going at that time together on the Mugrabim Bridge and turned us into a group. On the bridge was a box with a sheaf of laminated papers of prayers. During the police instructions he told us that we cannot use our own siddurim or anything else other than the sheet of tefillot prepared and available. He also said we can daven openly on the eastern side and only on the eastern side. While I am not sure what the  difference is, if they are letting people pray publicly there and even with a source sheet, why nto also allow siddurim? but ok, they used to arrest people for moving their lips silently on Har Habayit, so offering a limited prayer sheet that you can hold and walk around with is a massive change.

Also, some people were wearing colorful shawls turned into a tallis, and one person from Yeshivat Har Habayit and had turned his jacked into a begged of tztzis. There are some black shawl tallitot that have become popular recently by Yeshivat Har Habayit people that I have seen pictures of but nobody in my group today was wearing them.

Once we went up it was pretty basic for the first section, but what was noticeably different was no Waqf guards following us around - just the police and Magav.

Once we hit the eastern side, pretty much everyone did hishtachavaya, full prostration. Right there, out in the open, not hiding behind other people or trying to catch the moment the plice office is looking in the other direction...Continuing on we went to the center of the eastern side where the path directly to the mikdash area is and everyone did prostration again, and people settled in and davened, each doing their own thing. The police did not rush anyone or try to move us along. Interestingly enough, a few people sat down theer at one point and started learning somethign (I think hilchot har habayit but not sure). At some point the police asked who wants to continue on and who wants to stay with the kollel.

Just then another group approached us, which also would have never happened before - it used to be only one group at a time, and if you took too long you were holding up other people waiting to go up. Also, it turned out one of the kids there (ascending with his father) was just turning bar miztva, so at that point many joined in to sing and dance with the bar mitzva boy. Also somethign that would never have been allowed before.

The rest of the way around was uneventful. Near the end I saw my daughter as she came over for a moment from where she was stationed, we exited the Har, and I walked over to Shaar Kutna where she was stationed to see her for a few minutes (Jewish exit off Har Habayit is Shaar Hashalshelet) and then headed out for my car.

Crossing the Kotel plaza I thought for a moment to go down and pray but then caught myself and thought that this would be sacreligious after praying on Har Habayit on the other side of the wall. What do you think - is it appropriate to pray at the Kotel after praying on Har Habayit or is it sacrilegious and maybe a bizayon to Har Habayit?