Tensions mount
Nov 12th 2014, 13:47 by THE DATA TEAM- frame="top_timekeeper">
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a campaign by messianic activists and other Jewish hardliners to change the religious status quo on the Temple Mount, site of the Jewish temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. At the moment, Jews pray at its foot, by the Western (formerly Wailing) Wall. The esplanade above is the Haram al-Sharif (“Noble Sanctuary”), the third-holiest site in Islam, with the al-Aqsa mosque and the gold-capped Dome of the Rock. By long tradition Muslims have enjoyed the exclusive right to pray on the Haram, from where they believe the Prophet Muhammad made his night journey to heaven. When Israel retook the Western Wall in the war of 1967 and annexed East Jerusalem, it ensured that Muslims retained this exclusive right; Jews and others could visit as tourists; the Israeli police would enforce order. But this arrangement is fraying. More Jewish activists, among them politicians and ministers, are visiting the Haram to demand the right to pray. In turn, Palestinian rioters are vowing to “defend al-Aqsa”. As hostilities grow, Palestinians have killed several Israelis by stabbing them or running them over with cars. On October 29th a prominent temple activist, Yehuda Glick, was shot and wounded. The Israeli government blames incitement by Palestinian leaders and is threatening harsh measures against attackers. Amid talk of a new Palestinian uprising, it is also warning its own Arab citizens against joining the unrest.
