National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir declared that Israel had “restored sovereignty” on the Temple Mount during a Jerusalem Day visit to the holy site Thursday, ahead of the annual Flag March through Jerusalem’s Old City.

Ben-Gvir ascended the Temple Mount in the Old City and said the site was now “in our hands,” linking what he described as increased Israeli control to security policies implemented during his tenure.

Prior to the Flag March, Ben-Gvir declared that he had “restored sovereignty on the Temple Mount thanks to determination and deterrence.”