By Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D
JERUSALEM — The Temple Mount is an area a bit less than 40 acres and seen as holy by Muslims, Jews, and Christians. With the confluence this year of Ramadan, Passover, and Easter, it’s the focus of active conflict, especially between extremist Muslims and Jews.
Recently there has been conflict, with so far six Muslim deaths, many injuries and arrests. And Jews have sought, without success, to get onto the Mount with a young goat to be sacrificed there.
Muslims rioting on the Temple Mount have thrown stones over the Western Wall, threatening Jews praying there.
Both Muslims and Jews are accusing one another of provoking conflict, and the issue is likely to remain hot.
Politicians have spoken forcefully, but have so far restrained themselves from heating things up further with rockets from Gaza and more widespread conflict on the West Bank.
Along with dire threats from Muslim leaders, to raise hell about restraints imposed by Israeli officials on the Temple Mount, the second Friday of Ramadan passed more or less smoothly, with some 50,000 Muslims participating in prayers on the Mount.
Jewish authorities closed the area during the celebration of Passover, but timed their closing to allow Muslims their Friday noon prayers.
The effort is to allow crucial freedom, but to prevent growing commotion.
Tension continues. Resolutions by a number of Jordanian parliamentarians to cut diplomatic relations and return ambassadors. Also from Morocco. Commotion continues on the Temple Mount, despite efforts of security personnel to allow access to the Old City, and to Israel from the West Bank, and to allow Jews to reach the Temple Mount. Lots of security personnel, and some activity against stone throwers and others. A West Bank father reported that his daughter was intent on killing Jews, and she was apprehended after an attack that caused a slight injury. One can imagine the difficult decisions within families. It reflects the general degree of dispute, along with a concern to keep things at a manageable level. Egypt helps to keep tensions down in Gaza. As does Jordan and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. But all are within the range of those wanting to promote violence.
For a number of years, Israel overlooked many informal openings in the fence meant to close the West Bank. Thousands of Palestinians entered and left, more or less on a daily basis, in order to work in Israel. With the recent spurt of deadly violence, Israel woke up, and stationed soldiers at each of the illegal openings. It also debated what to do? A substantial barrier, or fixes in the fence? That dispute continues, along with other problems. In general the effort is to allow Palestinians to enter, hopefully through the organized gates, but to look the other way, as long as peace and quiet generally prevail.
It’s all a part of getting along, more or less peacefully, and accepting risk and occasional violence. It ain’t neat, and it doesn’t solve anything. But it’s part of the no solution to the issue of Israel and Palestinians.
Israel settles, and limits settlement. Palestinians object, and some Palestinians take up weapons, or sticks and stones that they throw at Israeli security personnel, buses, and over the Temple Mount and onto the Western Wall. Palestinian officials rant, but work to keep the peace, more or less.
Where are we going? Two state solution? Where will the borders be? Or less than Palestinian statehood? Officials of several countries proclaim, but seem content to less things ramble on.
We’ll see.
Chag Pesach Sameach to you all!
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Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D., is professor emeritus of political science at Hebrew University. He may be contacted via ira.sharkansky@sdjewishworld.com