The movement was founded by former Israel Defense Forces officer and Middle Eastern studies lecturer Gershon Salomon.
[4] After the riots, the police prohibited Salomon from entering the Temple Mount; his appeal of that decision was subsequently denied by Israel's High Court of Justice.
[7] Subsequently, the influence of the Temple Mount Faithful among the radical Jewish activists gradually waned, although the group still retains significant visibility.
[8] The Temple Mount Faithful functions as a protest movement, but, unlike some other radical Jewish groups, it attempts to operate within Israeli law.
[6][9] Typically, shortly before major Jewish religious festivals, the group requests a permit from the Israeli police to enter the Temple Mount compound and conduct prayer services there.