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Al Aqsa and the Temple Mount: The most contested real estate on earth?

What do you consider the most fiercely disputed real estate on the planet? It’s not the Trump Tower. It’s not Buckingham Palace. It’s arguably the Temple Mount in Jerusalem — or should we call it Haram al-Sharif (meaning “Noble Sanctuary” in Arabic)? Even its name sparks a fierce debate!

So why has this sacred ground, treasured by both Jews and Muslims, become a hotbed of conflict?

What is the Temple Mount or Al Aqsa?

Let’s start with the basics. The Temple Mount, or Haram al-Sharif (meaning “Noble Sanctuary” in Arabic), encompasses an expansive 35-acre compound, dotted with structures of religious significance:

First, there’s the Dome of the Rock — a distinctive Islamic shrine that’s become synonymous with the Jerusalem skyline. Despite being built in the seventh century, it only received its shimmering gold veneer in 1962. Muslims believe Mohammad ascended to heaven from here, during the Night Journey.

Dome of the Rock (Courtesy: Getty Images)

Nearby is the Al-Aqsa mosque — a significant place of worship in Islam, drawing large crowds for daily prayers and Friday sermons. Distinguished by its smaller structure and lead-colored dome, it marks the spot where the seventh-century Caliph Umar chose to pray, initiating the Islamic tradition at this location.

Al-Aqsa

For Muslims, Al Aqsa is the third-holiest shrine, believed to be the destination of Mohammad’s miraculous night journey from Mecca. 

Meanwhile, just below is the Western Wall, the last remaining remnant of the Second Temple from Herod. This site has deep significance for Jews as it is the closest accessible place they can pray to the Holy of Holies, the most sacred site within the ancient Temples.

People pray at the Western Wall (Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

What is the holiest site in Judaism?

Though many assume the Western Wall is Judaism’s holiest site, it’s really the Temple Mount that holds this title. It was the site of the two ancient Jewish Temples, the first of which was built by King Solomon himself!

According to Jewish tradition, the very world originated from a “Foundation Rock” located beneath the Temple, which is believed to be the location where Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac. The Dome of the Rock is said to be built directly on top of this sacred stone, making it the ultimate holy spot in Judaism.

So, there you have it — two deeply sacred sites for Jews and Muslims, coexisting within the same 35-acre compound.

Are Jews allowed to visit or pray on the Temple Mount?

This shared location is incredibly significant for both religions, making it a place of immense reverence. But this delicate balance also creates a great deal of friction, and here’s why.

First, under an agreement known as the “status quo,” Jewish prayer is forbidden on the Temple Mount. The rule extends to Christians as well — non-Muslims are allowed to visit the site but not pray there. 

Up until a few years ago, any suspicion of such a practice led to immediate detention and banning from the site. 

However, in recent years, the status quo appears to be shifting, with reports of Israeli police turning a blind eye to Jewish prayer at the site. 

Public opinion among Israeli Jews on the policy has also evolved. The ban on prayer was once a matter of consensus among religious and secular Israelis. Today, a larger proportion of Jewish Israelis now support allowing Jewish prayer at the site than those who oppose it.

Why are Jews not allowed to pray on the Temple Mount?

A Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem (Photo: Noam Chen via Twitter)

The answer to this question takes us on a journey back in time.

When Israel gained statehood in 1948, the Temple Mount and the Western Wall remained excluded. Can you imagine that? After tireless striving, the Jewish community fell short of regaining their ancestral land in its entirety.

For the initial 19 years of Israel’s existence, Jews were prohibited from visiting their sacred sites, with Jordan retaining control over these areas.

A seismic shift occurred in 1967 when Israel seized the Temple Mount from Jordan during the Six-Day War, and the situation began to get complicated. Here’s what happened:

At the onset of the war in 1967, Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol sent a message to King Hussein of Jordan: stay out of the war, and Israel won’t initiate any action against Jordan.

However, Jordan rejected this request and launched their offensive later that day, opening several fronts across the country. The conflict was intense, but it didn’t take long before Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan directed the iconic Israeli paratroopers to enter the Old City.

As Motta Gur navigated the winding alleyways, he broadcasted that momentous declaration: “Har Habayit biyadeinu! The Temple Mount is in our hands!” (Har Habayit, Mount of the House, referring to the ancient Temple, is yet another name for the compound.) You can watch footage of this extraordinary moment here.

The Jewish people’s holiest site, toward which they had directed their prayers during two millennia of exile, was finally, once again under Jewish control.

Moments later, the Israeli flag was hoisted atop the Dome of the Rock. However, the initial euphoria was swiftly tempered when Dayan exclaimed: “Are you out of your minds? You are going to plunge the entire Middle East into war!”

So, the Israeli flag was taken down, and what happened next was even more surprising.

Right after the war, as the Jewish people celebrated their reconnection with their holy sites, Dayan struck a deal with the Jordanian Muslim Waqf, the former administrators of the site.

Under this agreement, Jews were permitted access to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, which had been off-limits since 1948. The Temple Mount would be under Israeli sovereignty and security.

However, in a bid to defuse tensions and avert potential conflict, Israel relinquished its administrative control over the site to the Waqf, allowing them to decide who could pray there and who could not.

Ever since this moment over 50 years ago, Jews have been forbidden from praying at the Temple Mount. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summarized the enduring rule this way: “Muslims pray at the Temple Mount; non-Muslims visit the Temple Mount.”

Israelis still vehemently debate whether Dayan made the right decision and whether it was an act of wisdom or a sign of weakness.

How do Palestinians feel about Jews visiting the Temple Mount?

View of the Dome of the Rock and Western Wall in Jerusalem

Ali Awar, a researcher at the Hebrew University, voiced his perspective: 

“Palestinian people will never accept a foreign presence on the Al-Aqsa compound. It is not only a religious site — it is the sum of all of our national and religious aspirations.”

Awar added that the Palestinians “have already compromised” sufficiently, noting that Jews do pray at the Western Wall.

Meanwhile, some Palestinians have either downplayed or outright denied the Jewish people’s historical connection to the site, a topic that should not be a matter of debate, based on historical and archeological evidence.

A few years ago, Shaina Hirsch, a Jerusalem resident, experienced this denial firsthand during a visit to the Temple Mount. 

While recording a Facebook Live video discussing the history of the Temple, a Waqf security guard confronted Hirsch. He admonished her, stating that it was illegal to claim that a temple ever stood there. He told her to stop spreading “disrespectful Zionist lies,” asserting that the area had only ever been a mosque.

Hirsch, a scholar of the Second Temple era at the Hebrew University, defended her statements, citing historical facts and archaeological evidence of the ancient Jewish Temples at the site.

Despite the facts, she was subsequently detained by the Waqf. Reflecting on this incident, Hirsch underscored the importance of mutual recognition of each other’s historical ties to the site. She wrote:

“How can we talk about a shared future with partners who can’t acknowledge we have a history?…I am frustrated by how repeating archaeologically proven history can become politically charged — and how easy it is to rewrite. So: learn the history, have the facts, know the truth.”

Is it appropriate for Israeli political figures to visit the Temple Mount?

The controversy over whether Israeli leaders should visit the Temple Mount continues to stir debate.

To be clear, the status quo permits any Jewish person to visit the Temple Mount, provided they refrain from praying there. However, given the site’s contentious nature, visits from Israeli leaders can ignite tensions.

This was evident in 2000 when Ariel Sharon, then the opposition leader, visited the Temple Mount. Many argue that his visit either instigated or played a significant role in sparking the Second Intifada, in which over 1,000 Israelis were killed and 7,000 were injured.

Today, visits from Israeli leaders continue to court controversy. Far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, serving as Israel’s National Security Minister, has visited the site twice this year.

During his January visit, Ben-Gvir stated, “The Temple Mount is the most important place for the people of Israel. The Temple Mount is open to everybody — Muslims, Christians, and yes, Jews. In the government of which I’m a member, there will be no racist discrimination, and Jews will visit the Temple Mount.”

This stance was met with opposition from Yair Lapid, the former Israeli Prime Minister and current opposition leader, who said: “Itamar Ben-Gvir must not be allowed to visit the Temple Mount. Such a visit is a provocation that could incite violence and potentially cost lives.”

Escalating tensions at the Temple Mount

The concern is understandable, because when tempers flare unchecked, they can devolve into violent confrontations between Palestinian rioters and Israeli police.

Events like these often unfold into complex narratives that can be easily misinterpreted or distorted on social media.

Take the Passover events from last year as an example. False reports circulated within Palestinian media that Israel planned to permit Jewish sacrifices of Paschal lambs on the Temple Mount for Passover.

This misinformation prompted backlash from Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, and Jordan, all of whom issued statements against these alleged planned sacrifices.

Several days later, on the eve of Passover, hundreds of Palestinians started throwing rocks and fireworks inside the mosque, while others hurled down stones onto the Western Wall plaza from the top of the compound.

Israeli police refrained from intervening until morning prayers at the mosque concluded. As they entered the compound, rioters fought back by throwing stones and firing fireworks at the police, leading to the arrest of over 500 people and leaving 150 wounded in the ensuing clashes.

The controversy extended beyond the Temple Mount and the Middle East, rippling across the globe. 

On social media, images and videos of Israeli police entering the compound and confronting Palestinian protesters circulated. Meanwhile, the international headlines misleadlingly implied that Israel had instigated the violence.

Israeli police enter Jerusalem holy site sparking violent clashes,” a PBS headline declared. Similarly, the New York Times titled its coverage: “Israeli police fire tear gas at Palestinians in clashes at holy site.”

In the midst of this turmoil, then-Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett addressed these accusations during an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.

Amanpour asked Bennett: “When the world and Palestinians see Israeli soldiers inside that mosque, it creates a lot of tension, a lot of unease. Why do you allow Israeli soldiers to go into that mosque?”

Bennett replied: “Well Christiane, there you go again, starting the story in the middle. But the actual fact is that…roughly 300 Palestinian rioters entered Temple Mount mosque with explosives, with stones, they began desecrating their own mosque…My responsibility as prime minister of Israel is to provide freedom of prayer for everyone in Jerusalem, including Muslims, which is why I had to send in policemen to remove the rioters, and it worked. Indeed, 80,000 Muslims went on later to pray peacefully.”

Elevating the conversation: 3 key insights about the Temple Mount

There is a cacophony of noise surrounding the Temple Mount, making it arguably the most disputed real estate in the world. But behind this clamor lies a narrative far deeper and more complex. Remember, current events don’t spontaneously emerge — they’re deeply rooted in history and context. So, let’s rise above the noise with these three takeaways:

Embracing the shared histories of Jews and Muslims

Each group can honor and take pride in their own connection while also acknowledging the other’s. 

Denying the Jewish people’s inherent connection to this area, effectively erasing history, doesn’t pave the way toward peace. As Jews, it’s crucial for us to understand our own history and refute misinformation — the link between the Jewish people and their most sacred site isn’t up for debate.

Dayan’s decision: Was it the right call?

The decision by Moshe Dayan to cede Israeli sovereignty over the Temple Mount remains a subject of intense debate within Israel. Was it an act of wisdom and foresight or a sign of weakness at a time when the Jewish state was at its strongest? And was it Dayan’s place to make such a decision?

The implications of this choice continue to reverberate today — would Jews have had the freedom to pray at their holiest site had he chosen differently, or would that have sent the region spiraling into chaos?

Author Yossi Klein Halevi noted: “In ceding the right of Jews to pray on the Mount, Dayan’s intention was to minimize bloodshed and prevent the Palestinian-Israeli conflict from becoming a holy war.”

Arik Achmon, one of the first Israeli paratroopers to enter the Old City in 1967, concurred with Dayan’s decision. Reflecting on the past he said:

“We were all in euphoria and only Dayan was thinking with a clear head and understood the wider consequences. Can you imagine what the reaction would have been in the Muslim world if a photograph of that had been published? I’m proud that we raised the flag, and I’m relieved that we took it down.”

Yet, many argue that Dayan’s decision yielded an unfair reality, a sentiment cutting across party lines. Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, while supporting the status quo, confessed his discomfort, stating:

“I don’t feel comfortable with the idea that Jews do not have freedom of religion in the State of Israel and that Jews are banned from the site.” So, was Dayan’s decision a prudent act of restraint or a misguided concession?

A shared spiritual legacy: The heart of the Temple Mount

Despite the conflicts and tensions, we must never lose sight of the Temple Mount’s unifying potential. This site holds immense spiritual significance for both Jews and Muslims, underscoring that the struggle isn’t merely territorial but about shared spiritual ties. 

By fostering respect, mutual recognition, and dialogue, it’s conceivable to find a balance that upholds the Temple Mount’s sanctity and respects its profound meaning to both faiths. Recognizing this shared spiritual legacy could be the first genuine step toward peaceful coexistence.

You can find this video on our YouTube channel Today Unpacked.

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