Use and Abuse of the Temple Mount | Israel Policy Forum

The confluence of Passover and Ramadan that had American, Israeli, and Palestinian government and security officials so worried in the lead-up to this week has so far been less harrying than it could have been. Yet there has still been violence and tension surrounding the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, the most sensitive spot in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and one of the most sensitive spots anywhere in the world. Unsurprisingly to anyone who is familiar with how this sequence of events always plays out, varied governments and international bodies such as the U.N. and the Arab League are gearing up to blame Israel for violating the sanctity of the site and being insufficiently sensitive to Muslim rights in al-Aqsa Mosque. And it is precisely that reaction that has not only led to the current situation on the Temple Mount, but that guarantees that a spot that should be a model of sharing and coexistence in overcoming difference will instead continue to be dangerously volatile and the likeliest spark for future fighting.