Jerusalem Post says 'over 1,000 Jewish visitors' went up to the Temple Mount; Al-Modon says 'hundreds of settlers stormed' al-Aqsa
Two reports on the first weekday of Sukkot disagree on the count, on who the people were, on the verb and on the name of the site. Only one gives a source for its number, and that source organises the visits.
The event. On Sunday 27 September, the first day of Chol Hamoed Sukkot, Jewish groups went into the hilltop compound in Jerusalem's Old City. We hold two reports on it, and they describe it in different words.
Where they differ.
| The Jerusalem Post | Al-Modon | |
|---|---|---|
| Name of the site | Temple Mount | al-Aqsa |
| Who went in | "Jewish visitors" | "settlers" (مستوطنين) |
| Verb | visited | stormed (اقتحم) |
| How many | "over 1,000" | "hundreds" |
| Source for the count | Beyadenu, a group that organises the visits | none named |
What only one report carries. The Jerusalem Post cites Beyadenu as saying visitors went in groups of 90-100. It names MK Yitzhak Kreuzer of Otzma Yehudit as visiting with his family. Al-Modon's headline puts the entry beside a West Bank closure and a call by Bezalel Smotrich for a wide war.
Whose voice is missing. Neither report quotes the Islamic Waqf, which runs the site, or any Palestinian worshipper. We hold no report from a Palestinian outlet on the day.
What is not settled. - How many people went in. The only number comes from the group that organises the visits. - Whether anyone prayed, and how police handled entry. Neither report says. - What the rest of Al-Modon's account says. We hold only its opening words.
What this is about. Who may enter and pray at the most contested holy site in Jerusalem, and what to call the people who do.
How it got here. The compound is in the Old City of East Jerusalem. Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war and later annexed it. Most of the world does not recognise that annexation. Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.
Muslims call the site al-Haram al-Sharif, or al-Aqsa. It holds the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, and it is the third-holiest site in Islam. Jews call it the Temple Mount. It is where the two ancient temples stood, and it is the holiest place in Judaism.
Since 1967 an arrangement known as the status quo has applied. The Islamic Waqf, backed by Jordan, runs the site. Non-Muslims may visit at set hours but may not pray. Israeli police control who gets in. Palestinian groups say the arrangement is being worn away. Israeli governments have said they keep it. That dispute is not settled.
The biggest visits come on Jewish holidays. Sukkot is one of the three pilgrimage festivals. The visits have long been a flashpoint. Since the war that followed the attacks of 7 October 2023, Jerusalem and the West Bank have been under heavy security.
The actors. Beyadenu is an Israeli group that campaigns for Jewish visits to the site and organises them. Otzma Yehudit is a far-right Israeli party led by Itamar Ben-Gvir. Bezalel Smotrich, named in Al-Modon's headline, is a far-right Israeli minister.
What is at stake. Neither set of words is neutral. "Visitors" presents a lawful entry. "Settlers stormed" presents an incursion into occupied land. Each shapes how readers judge the next clash at the site.
Where it stands. The holiday goes on this week. How many went in, and what happened inside, rests on one activist group's figure.
What is being argued about
- 'Over 1,000 Jewish visitors' against 'hundreds of settlers stormed'
- The only count comes from the group that organises the visits
- An Otzma Yehudit MK named among the visitors
- No Waqf official or Palestinian worshipper quoted in either report
One entry, two sets of wordsSide by side
| Outlet | Site | People | Verb | Count | Source for the count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Jerusalem Post | Temple Mount | Jewish visitors | visited | over 1,000 | Beyadenu, which organises the visits |
| Al-Modon | al-Aqsa | settlers | stormed | hundreds | none named |
The words are quoted from each report. Al-Modon's are translated from Arabic.
Sources
The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post
🇮🇱IL ·
newspaper · independent
First day of Chol Hamoed Sukkot sees over 1,000 Jewish visitors to Temple Mount, NGO says
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Jerusalem Post →
What we have measured
A count the body does not carry the headline says eight countries; the sentence names seven foreign ministers ×1Actor framing The Gulf ministers are the ones acting. Iran is the party they meet. ×1Actor generalised The headline has 'Baghdad' celebrating. The photo caption says the crowd is supporters of one armed group. ×1Actor named names the militias and calls the act 'desecration', in its own voice ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
A
Al-Modon
اقتحام الأقصى وإغلاق الضفة.. وسموتريتش يدعو إلى حرب واسعة
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Al-Modon →
What we have measured
Actor left unnamed a man is killed by an air strike in the headline with nobody named as striking; shelling and demolitions simply "continue" ×1Actor named The Israeli army is named as the shooter. ×1Actor named, action nominalised Israeli escalation is named but arrives as a wave, not as a doer ×1Affected people The only report that looks at people in the south: the explosions, the fear and the displacement. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
The Jerusalem Post
Centre-right
estimate · not a score
The Jerusalem Post
🇮🇱IL ·
newspaper · independent
First day of Chol Hamoed Sukkot sees over 1,000 Jewish visitors to Temple Mount, NGO says
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Jerusalem Post →
What we have measured
A count the body does not carry the headline says eight countries; the sentence names seven foreign ministers ×1Actor framing The Gulf ministers are the ones acting. Iran is the party they meet. ×1Actor generalised The headline has 'Baghdad' celebrating. The photo caption says the crowd is supporters of one armed group. ×1Actor named names the militias and calls the act 'desecration', in its own voice ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
A
Al-Modon
Centre-left
estimate · not a score
Al-Modon
🇱🇧LB ·
digital ·
اقتحام الأقصى وإغلاق الضفة.. وسموتريتش يدعو إلى حرب واسعة
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Al-Modon →
What we have measured
Actor left unnamed a man is killed by an air strike in the headline with nobody named as striking; shelling and demolitions simply "continue" ×1Actor named The Israeli army is named as the shooter. ×1Actor named, action nominalised Israeli escalation is named but arrives as a wave, not as a doer ×1Affected people The only report that looks at people in the south: the explosions, the fear and the displacement. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
The bias in this coverageBias
Two words for one entry to one compound
One report says 'visitors' and attributes its figure of over 1,000 to the group that organises the visits. The other says 'settlers stormed' and gives 'hundreds' with no source for the count. Neither report quotes a Palestinian worshipper or the Waqf that administers the site.
1 reports calling the entrants visitors
1 reports calling them settlers who stormed
1 reports naming a source for their count
0 reports quoting the site's Muslim administrators
Scored without the mastheads. Where the two passes differ, both are kept.
Sources
The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post
🇮🇱IL ·
newspaper · independent
First day of Chol Hamoed Sukkot sees over 1,000 Jewish visitors to Temple Mount, NGO says
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Jerusalem Post →
What we have measured
A count the body does not carry the headline says eight countries; the sentence names seven foreign ministers ×1Actor framing The Gulf ministers are the ones acting. Iran is the party they meet. ×1Actor generalised The headline has 'Baghdad' celebrating. The photo caption says the crowd is supporters of one armed group. ×1Actor named names the militias and calls the act 'desecration', in its own voice ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
A
Al-Modon
اقتحام الأقصى وإغلاق الضفة.. وسموتريتش يدعو إلى حرب واسعة
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Al-Modon →
What we have measured
Actor left unnamed a man is killed by an air strike in the headline with nobody named as striking; shelling and demolitions simply "continue" ×1Actor named The Israeli army is named as the shooter. ×1Actor named, action nominalised Israeli escalation is named but arrives as a wave, not as a doer ×1Affected people The only report that looks at people in the south: the explosions, the fear and the displacement. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
The Jerusalem Post
Centre-right
estimate · not a score
The Jerusalem Post
🇮🇱IL ·
newspaper · independent
First day of Chol Hamoed Sukkot sees over 1,000 Jewish visitors to Temple Mount, NGO says
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Jerusalem Post →
What we have measured
A count the body does not carry the headline says eight countries; the sentence names seven foreign ministers ×1Actor framing The Gulf ministers are the ones acting. Iran is the party they meet. ×1Actor generalised The headline has 'Baghdad' celebrating. The photo caption says the crowd is supporters of one armed group. ×1Actor named names the militias and calls the act 'desecration', in its own voice ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
A
Al-Modon
Centre-left
estimate · not a score
Al-Modon
🇱🇧LB ·
digital ·
اقتحام الأقصى وإغلاق الضفة.. وسموتريتش يدعو إلى حرب واسعة
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Al-Modon →
What we have measured
Actor left unnamed a man is killed by an air strike in the headline with nobody named as striking; shelling and demolitions simply "continue" ×1Actor named The Israeli army is named as the shooter. ×1Actor named, action nominalised Israeli escalation is named but arrives as a wave, not as a doer ×1Affected people The only report that looks at people in the south: the explosions, the fear and the displacement. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Claims and verdicts
No claims registered.
Who wrote it
M
Miriam Sela-Eitam
The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post
What the bias passes found in their reporting
Asserted not attributed
the motorist's intent stated flat in the headline, no source×1
Asserted not attributed
the headline states flat that Mamdani supports Hamas×1
Assertion vs attribution
the headline states flat, in the outlet's voice, that Mamdani supports Hamas×1
Context carried
the only report that says the warrant exists and who issued it×1
Claims we checked that rest on their reporting
2 unverified4 true
From 85 reports we hold under this byline, at
The Jerusalem Post. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating.
Their full record →
ا
المدن - عرب وعالم
Al-Modon
What the bias passes found in their reporting
Actor named
The Israeli army is named as the shooter.×1
Army wording attributed
The report attributes the description of the soldiers' deaths as an 'operational incident' to the army.×1
Asserted not attributed
pressure on Abu Dhabi presented as revealed, not claimed×1
Asserted, not attributed
the US block is stated as fact with no source named×1
Claims we checked that rest on their reporting
2 misleading7 disputed18 unverified15 true
From 801 reports we hold under this byline, at
Al-Modon. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating.
Their full record →
The bylines on the reports this story is built from. Hover one for what our passes have measured on their reporting.
Coverage, outlet by outlet
The Jerusalem Post
Centre-right
estimate · not a score
The Jerusalem Post
🇮🇱IL ·
newspaper · independent
First day of Chol Hamoed Sukkot sees over 1,000 Jewish visitors to Temple Mount, NGO says
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Jerusalem Post →
What we have measured
A count the body does not carry the headline says eight countries; the sentence names seven foreign ministers ×1Actor framing The Gulf ministers are the ones acting. Iran is the party they meet. ×1Actor generalised The headline has 'Baghdad' celebrating. The photo caption says the crowd is supporters of one armed group. ×1Actor named names the militias and calls the act 'desecration', in its own voice ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
— independentGives the only number, 'over 1,000', from Beyadenu. Says groups were limited to 90-100. Names MK Yitzhak Kreuzer (Otzma Yehudit) as visiting with his family.
Visitors to the Temple Mount are limited to 90-100 people, Beyadenu explained in a separate post. Among them was MK Yitzhak Kreuzer (Otzma Yehudit), who visited the site with his family.
Word for the people entering: 'visitors' — a neutral word, with the count attributed to an NGO in the headline — “First day of Chol Hamoed Sukkot sees over 1,000 Jewish visitors to Temple Mount, NGO says”
Whose voice carries the figure: the only source is the activist group that organises the visits — “Beyadenu explained in a separate post”
Named actor: a sitting lawmaker is named, with his party, as taking part — “Among them was MK Yitzhak Kreuzer (Otzma Yehudit), who visited the site with his family.”
Word for the people at the site: visitors — “over 1,000 Jewish visitors to Temple Mount”
Source of the figure: figure attributed to an NGO — “NGO says”
Who is named: one Israeli lawmaker named among the visitors; no Palestinian or site official quoted — “Among them was MK Yitzhak Kreuzer (Otzma Yehudit), who visited the site with his family.”
Read it at The Jerusalem Post →
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-909852
A
Al-Modon
اقتحام الأقصى وإغلاق الضفة.. وسموتريتش يدعو إلى حرب واسعة
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Al-Modon →
What we have measured
Actor left unnamed a man is killed by an air strike in the headline with nobody named as striking; shelling and demolitions simply "continue" ×1Actor named The Israeli army is named as the shooter. ×1Actor named, action nominalised Israeli escalation is named but arrives as a wave, not as a doer ×1Affected people The only report that looks at people in the south: the explosions, the fear and the displacement. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
—
Centre-left
estimate · not a score
Al-Modon
🇱🇧LB ·
digital ·
اقتحام الأقصى وإغلاق الضفة.. وسموتريتش يدعو إلى حرب واسعة
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at Al-Modon →
What we have measured
Actor left unnamed a man is killed by an air strike in the headline with nobody named as striking; shelling and demolitions simply "continue" ×1Actor named The Israeli army is named as the shooter. ×1Actor named, action nominalised Israeli escalation is named but arrives as a wave, not as a doer ×1Affected people The only report that looks at people in the south: the explosions, the fear and the displacement. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
— Says 'hundreds of settlers stormed' the courtyards of al-Aqsa, with no source for the count. Its headline sets the entry beside a West Bank closure and Smotrich's call for a wide war.
حجم الخط مشاركة عبر اقتحم مئات المستوطنين، اليوم الأحد، باحات المسجد الأقصى في القدس المحتلة، تحت حماية مشددة من شرطة الاحتلال الإسرائيلي، بالتزامن مع فرض إغلاق شامل على الضفة الغربية ورفع الجيش الإسرائيلي حالة التأهب فيها بمناسبة الأعياد اليهودية، فيما دعا وزير المالية الإسرائيلي بتسلئيل سموتريتش إلى شن حرب واسعة في الضفة وتفكيك السلطة الفلسطينية. ونقلت وكالة الأنباء الفلسطينية "وفا" عن مصادر محلية أن مئات المستوطنين اقتحموا المسجد الأقصى وأدوا طقوساً دينية تحت حماية الشرطة الإسرائيلية، ونُفذت الاقتحامات من جهة باب المغاربة، وشملت جولات في باحات المسجد وأداء طقوس تلمودية. وتزامنت الاقتحامات م
Word for the people entering: 'settlers' who 'stormed' — a loaded verb and label, stated in the outlet's own voice — “اقتحم مئات المستوطنين”
Figure stated flat: 'hundreds' with no source named for the count — “اقتحم مئات المستوطنين، اليوم الأحد، باحات ال”
Name of the site: 'al-Aqsa', where the other report says 'Temple Mount' — “اقتحام الأقصى”
Word for the people at the site: settlers — “مئات المستوطنين”
Verb for the entry: stormed, stated flat in the headline — “اقتحام الأقصى”
Source of the figure: 'hundreds' stated flat, no source given — “اقتحم مئات المستوطنين”
Read it at Al-Modon →
https://www.almodon.com/arabworld/2026/09/27/%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%AA%D8%AD%D…
Checked, didn’t cover
Haaretz
Centre-left
estimate · not a score
Haaretz
🇮🇱IL ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
A previous framing corrected the twelve-country statement described as ambiguously worded ×1Asserted flat The report states as fact that barring Arab parties is a standing ritual. ×1Asserted flat The report says ethnicity explains the different outcomes, in its own voice. ×1Asserted in the report's own voice Parties are characterised by what they are said to promise, unattributed, and the headline calls the result frightening. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Palestine TV · Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation
State / loyalist
estimate · not a score
Palestine TV · Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation
🇵🇸PS ·
TV/radio · state-controlled
What we have measured
Asserted versus attributed recognition itself stated as fact ×1Attribution 'historic' attributed to the Palestinian ambassador ×1Dead counted, not named two dead are counted as 'citizens' and none are named; the wounded are not counted ×1Dead named Gives the dead man's full name and age. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
State / loyalist
estimate · not a score
Ynet
Centre
estimate · not a score
Ynet
🇮🇱IL ·
digital · independent
What we have measured
A claim in the headline that the other reports very close to deciding the regime appears in one report only ×1Active voice The killers are the subject of the verbs 'beat' and 'burned'. ×1Active voice The killers are named as acting ×1Army's term, attributed the army names the target of its strikes, and no one on the other side is quoted ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
North Press Agency
Centre
estimate · not a score
North Press Agency
🇸🇾SY ·
wire · independent
What we have measured
Attribution the damage list is carried in full, attributed to the side claiming it ×1Single official source Uses the Saudi Press Agency's account: 'bilateral relations', with no mention of reconstruction or money. ×1What is at stake presents the stakes as trade and energy security; no ship, crew or price is counted ×1Which line is led with led by the legal instrument, naming the Security Council resolution by number ×1
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Shargh
Centre-left
estimate · not a score
Shargh
🇮🇷IR ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
A count with its base both days given, and the data called preliminary ×1Actor named as a state the attack is Yemen's, not the Houthis' ×1A different actor does the asking Pakistan's army chief, not Beijing, is the one asking Tehran to use its influence, on the word of unnamed Pakistani government sources. ×1'aggression' in the narration The US campaign is called aggression in the report's own narration, which it credits to Al-Ahram's account of the call. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Al-Monitor
Centre
estimate · not a score
Al-Monitor
🇺🇸US/ME ·
digital · independent
What we have measured
Actor from anonymous officials Puts the IRGC at the trigger in a sentence sourc ×1Actor named Names the Director-General as the one who requested the dismissal ×1Actor named names Trump as the one who began the war, with Israel ×1Actor named names Israel as the actor in its military actions against the Palestinians ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Tehran Times
State / loyalist
estimate · not a score
Tehran Times
🇮🇷IR ·
newspaper · state-controlled
What we have measured
Asserted vs attributed headline states the seizure flat; the body attributes it to the claimant ×1Attribution the toll is attributed to a body that is described but not named ×1Headline against body headline states the seizure flat; the body attributes it to the IRGC ×1How the objectors are framed opposition is described as protesters speaking for civilians ×1
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Al Jazeera English
Centre
estimate · not a score
Al Jazeera English
🇶🇦QA ·
TV/radio · state-funded international
What we have measured
Accusation attributed Cuba's charge is attributed to its foreign minister, not stated as fact ×1Actor named The headline names Israel as the actor and gives a count of three that includes a child. ×1Agency No actor is named for the detentions. The raids, not the soldiers, 'left' the town in lockdown ×1Agency Names Israel as the actor in the headline, in active voice ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
An-Nahar
Centre
estimate · not a score
An-Nahar
🇱🇧LB ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Accused named the accused is named and his age is given ×1Accused named names the accused and gives his age ×1A contested finding relayed with the case still the prime minister's claim carried, with the court proceedings noted in the same sentence ×1Active voice and a toll in the background paragraph, the July strikes get named actors and counted dead — the only counted dead in this story ×1
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LBCI (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International)
Centre
estimate · not a score
LBCI (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International)
🇱🇧LB ·
TV/radio · independent
What we have measured
Active voice, actor named the Israeli army carried out the detonation ×1Actor framing Tehran calls the meeting. Iraq is the only other state named. ×1Actor left unnamed the strike in Iraqi waters has no one named as firing it — the source is "unknown" ×1Actor named names Israel as the one striking ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Silence is recorded, not inferred — each of these was read when we built this story
and carried nothing on this event.
We could not read these
K
Kan · Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation
Centre
estimate · not a score
Kan · Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation
🇮🇱IL ·
public broadcaster · public-service
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
The Times of Israel
Centre
estimate · not a score
The Times of Israel
🇮🇱IL ·
digital · independent
What we have measured
Actorless in own voice The killing is passive with no shooter in the se ×1Headline carries the purpose The livestock and the army's reason are in the h ×1Headline frame The headline carries the military's word for the ×1Military words carried whole Both the label for the dead and the phrase for t ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
A
Al-Sabaah
State / loyalist
estimate · not a score
Al-Sabaah
🇮🇶IQ ·
newspaper · state-controlled
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Ma'an News Agency
Centre
estimate · not a score
Ma'an News Agency
🇵🇸PS ·
digital · independent
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Al Rai
State / loyalist
estimate · not a score
Al Rai
🇯🇴JO ·
newspaper · state-controlled
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Al-Mada
Centre-left
estimate · not a score
Al-Mada
🇮🇶IQ ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
WAFA · Palestinian News & Information Agency
State / loyalist
estimate · not a score
WAFA · Palestinian News & Information Agency
🇵🇸PS ·
state agency · state-controlled
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
SANA (Syrian Arab News Agency)
State / loyalist
estimate · not a score
SANA (Syrian Arab News Agency)
🇸🇾SY ·
state agency · state-controlled
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Al-Manar
State-owned, sometimes critical
estimate · not a score
Al-Manar
🇱🇧LB ·
TV/radio · independent
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
State / loyalist
estimate · not a score
Middle East Eye
Centre-left
estimate · not a score
Middle East Eye
🇬🇧UK ·
digital · independent
What we have measured
How hard the claim is stated Its own body says the investigators did not attribute the network to the Emirati state — the qualification its headline drops. ×1How hard the claim is stated The body withdraws in one line the attribution its own headline makes ×1How deeply it is sourced Cites its own past reporting as the evidence for the claim in its own headline, and calls the evidence widespread in its own voice ×1How deeply it is sourced Offers its own past reporting as the evidence supporting the claim in its headline, inside the same sentence that carries the denial. ×1
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Ammon News
Centre
estimate · not a score
Ammon News
🇯🇴JO ·
digital · independent
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
These are must-cite outlets for this desk that we did not manage to read
when we built this story. That is a gap in our reach, not a silence on their part, and
it is not evidence of anything about this story.