Jerusalem Seethes

It was not my plan to post anymore about the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, but I am sure many of you are watching the news and seeing that there has been a great deal of unrest in Jerusalem.  Here is a brief (or not so brief) explanation about what exactly has been happening over the few weeks, as well as the preceding months, that has led us to this point.  Bear with me for this...as you should know by now, what goes on here is complicated. I apologize for any repetition from my last post but it is important to have a full picture of this conflict.

Sign at Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif

For decades, Jewish religious authorities have forbidden Jews from going onto the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  This is the holiest site in Judaism and they believe the Holy of Holies was located there somewhere.  They do not want any Jews to accidentally step on the Holy of Holies since no one knows exactly where on the Temple Mount it was located.  This edict has largely been followed by the Jewish community. They can pray at the Western Wall but not on the Temple Mount.

The Temple Mount is known as the Haram al-Sharif to Muslims and is the third holiest site in Islam. The Muslim holy sites on the Temple Mount (Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque) are administered by an Islamic religious trust under Jordanian authority. This arrangement has also been in place for decades.

In more recent years, Jews have been visiting the Temple Mount in small numbers, but have been forbidden from praying, as are any visitors who aren't Muslim including tourists and pilgrims like me. Over the past year, and increasingly in recent months, Jewish religious extremists have insisted on visiting the Temple Mount more regularly, entering Al-Aqsa Mosque (where they believe the Holy of Holies was located) and even praying in the Mosque. These Jewish religious extremists are always accompanied by a significant force of Israeli police who allow them to go and keep the Muslim clerics in charge of this area from preventing their entry. 

This has angered Palestinians, especially since there are great restrictions on Palestinians going to the Temple Mount/ Haram al-Sharif to worship in their own holy sites.  Palestinian men under 50 are often forbidden access as are Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza since they need to have a permit to go to Jerusalem and permits are rarely granted. There is also fear among Palestinians that as Jewish religious extremists are given more and more access to the Al Aqsa Mosque, it becomes more likely that Israeli authorities will take it over and divide part of it into a temple for the Jewish community (which has already happened at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron).

Palestinians express their frustration in protests, which most often involves young men throwing stones, the only “weapon” readily available to them, at Israeli security forces.  However, over the last two weeks, in three separate incidents, Palestinian men have used their cars as weapon, driving them into crowds. Four Israelis were killed and many others injured.  All three Palestinian men have been killed by the police. Another Palestinian man shot and seriously wounded Yehuda Glick who is one of the Jewish religious extremists leading the move to force their way into Al Aqsa Mosque.  

The family homes of each of these Palestinian men will be demolished and their families will be left homeless. Other men in their families will very possibly be jailed, whether or not they had anything to do with the attack.

Also this week, Israeli police forced their way into As-Aqsa Mosque. When Muslim worshippers tried to block their access to the Mosque, the Israeli police assaulted them, firing tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets. In their holy place of worship.  And of course, the police stormed in carrying weapons and wearing shoes which is also a great affront to Muslim worshippers.

So, Palestinians continue to protest.  Israeli security forces continue to try to stop them with tear gas and rubber bullets.  Jewish religious extremists continue to force their own agenda on the Temple Mount/Haram Al-Sharif . Not surprisingly, Jerusalem is seething.  Add to that decades of neglect and abuse of the Palestinian community in East Jerusalem by the Israeli government and the continuous building of Jewish-only settlements in East Jerusalem, is it any wonder that Palestinians lash out?  

Israel publicly blames all this on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, but he has virtually no power or authority over Palestinians in East Jerusalem so this is absolute hogwash, to quote my daddy.  In short, Israel knows what buttons to push and they are pushing them.  It is tragic and unacceptable that these Palestinian men have attacked innocent civilians.  They have certainly paid for it, as they are dead, and their families will pay for it for years to come.  But it is also tragic and unacceptable for Israeli authorities to allow extremists in the Jewish community to force their way in Muslim holy sites at gunpoint, which is what has incited the unrest in the last three weeks.  There are many more layers to and reasons for these most recent events than this short explanation allows.  That is for another day.

Protests do spill over into the West Bank and Gaza with, yes, young Palestinian men throwing stones and Israeli security forces responding with tear gas and rubber bullets.  There have been some protests in and around Bethlehem but I am fine and safe and well.  My friends and colleagues at Bethlehem Bible College are used to it as part of life here.  That is the most tragic part of all.