Post by Watchman on Mar 30, 2007 13:42:40 GMT -5
The clash between Israel and the Islamic world, between the Bible and the Koran, has a cosmic focal point— the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. As the site of the two biblical Temples, it is the holiest place in Judaism.
But today it is home to the Mosque of Al Aksa and golden Dome of the Rock, ostensibly the place where Mohammed ascended to heaven, though the Koran never mentions Jerusalem by name. It is the third holiest place in Islam.
Unlike any place on earth, the mount has the potential to stir up Arab and Moslem passions for jihad. When Ariel Sharon visited the site in 2000, the second intifada (Palestinian uprising) erupted, leading to years of violence and bloodshed. If the mosques ever collapse in an earthquake or from sheer old age, it seems inevitable that all the Arab and Islamic nations would come up against Jerusalem for holy war (see Zechariah 12).
So when Israel began a simple renovation outside the site near the Western Wall, the Moslem world was up in arms. The project is aimed at repairing an ancient walkway leading to the Temple Mount that was damaged three years ago in a snowstorm. In the first stage, archaeologists are excavating to make sure that precious artifacts will not be damaged.
“All the work we are conducting here is absolutely outside the limits of the Temple Mount,” said archaeologist Gideon Avni of the Israel Antiquities Authority. “Nothing will be conducted within the area of the compound.”
Nevertheless, the Arabs immediately accused Israel of deliberately trying to undermine the foundations of the Mosque of Al Aksa. Raed Salah, the fiery leader of the radical Islamic Movement in Israel, accused the government of, “the crime of demolishing a part of the blessed Al Aksa compound…[and] pushing the entire region toward a religious war.” Some Palestinian offcials urged their people to rise up in a third intifada.
The Wakf, or Islamic Trust, that administers the site, said it was caught completely off guard. “We warned them not to do it, but there was no coordination,” said Wakf chairman Adnan Husseini. “they did not tell us.”
Israel said the Wakf was informed about the project, but it was not coordinated— a signal from Israel that it will not allow the Moslems to extend their authority beyond the Temple Mount, and especially, to the plaza of the Western Wall.
Riots erupted a few days after the project began, despite the deployment of 3,000 police in and around the Old City, and restrictions barring all Arab men under the age of 45 from entering the grounds of the Al Aksa Mosque. Police stormed onto the Temple Mount to confront Arab stone throwers and quickly restored order. And drawing lessons from the deadly riots after Sharon’s visit in 2000, this time the police used non-lethal force.
Copyright 2006 israel today Magazine. All rights reserved
But today it is home to the Mosque of Al Aksa and golden Dome of the Rock, ostensibly the place where Mohammed ascended to heaven, though the Koran never mentions Jerusalem by name. It is the third holiest place in Islam.
Unlike any place on earth, the mount has the potential to stir up Arab and Moslem passions for jihad. When Ariel Sharon visited the site in 2000, the second intifada (Palestinian uprising) erupted, leading to years of violence and bloodshed. If the mosques ever collapse in an earthquake or from sheer old age, it seems inevitable that all the Arab and Islamic nations would come up against Jerusalem for holy war (see Zechariah 12).
So when Israel began a simple renovation outside the site near the Western Wall, the Moslem world was up in arms. The project is aimed at repairing an ancient walkway leading to the Temple Mount that was damaged three years ago in a snowstorm. In the first stage, archaeologists are excavating to make sure that precious artifacts will not be damaged.
“All the work we are conducting here is absolutely outside the limits of the Temple Mount,” said archaeologist Gideon Avni of the Israel Antiquities Authority. “Nothing will be conducted within the area of the compound.”
Nevertheless, the Arabs immediately accused Israel of deliberately trying to undermine the foundations of the Mosque of Al Aksa. Raed Salah, the fiery leader of the radical Islamic Movement in Israel, accused the government of, “the crime of demolishing a part of the blessed Al Aksa compound…[and] pushing the entire region toward a religious war.” Some Palestinian offcials urged their people to rise up in a third intifada.
The Wakf, or Islamic Trust, that administers the site, said it was caught completely off guard. “We warned them not to do it, but there was no coordination,” said Wakf chairman Adnan Husseini. “they did not tell us.”
Israel said the Wakf was informed about the project, but it was not coordinated— a signal from Israel that it will not allow the Moslems to extend their authority beyond the Temple Mount, and especially, to the plaza of the Western Wall.
Riots erupted a few days after the project began, despite the deployment of 3,000 police in and around the Old City, and restrictions barring all Arab men under the age of 45 from entering the grounds of the Al Aksa Mosque. Police stormed onto the Temple Mount to confront Arab stone throwers and quickly restored order. And drawing lessons from the deadly riots after Sharon’s visit in 2000, this time the police used non-lethal force.
Copyright 2006 israel today Magazine. All rights reserved