Peace once again at risk

The Israeli right-wing Temple Mount activists’ plan to change the status quo in East Jerusalem is a perfect recipe for another bloody confrontation between Israelis and the Palestinians. If this continues unchecked, then the holy land will see nothing but doom and gloom.
It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the Israeli government is complicit with this plan. It has never adopted such a plan officially, the implementation of which would provoke the Arab and the Muslim world. It is not to say that the Israeli government is oblivious of the dangers inherent in allowing the right-wing extremists to try to change the status quo in occupied East Jerusalem. Indeed, Israeli security agencies such as the Shin Bet have repeatedly warned about the consequences of such actions. On the contrary, some elected officials and even Cabinet members support changing the delicate balance.
The group behind this new escalation is the “Temple Mount Faithful.” It would be not wise to assume that this group is nothing but a tiny and radical fringe outfit. In fact, their discourse about the Temple Mount has become a mainstream issue within the national-religious discourse in Israel over the last decade. Israeli experts on religion and politics argue that a growing number of rabbis support the idea of ascending the Temple Mount.
Perhaps, the international community should send unequivocal message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning him of the grave consequences of messing with the delicate balance in East Jerusalem. In response to the right-wing activists’ harassment and attempt to ascend to the site, there was an attempt on the life of Yehuda Glick, an activist who belongs to the Temple Mount Faithful group. Although Glick survived the assassination attempt, the Israeli government decided to respond in kind. A Palestinian young man — who was suspected of having attempted to kill Glick — was shot dead.
Since the end of the latest round of war in Gaza, tensions between the Palestinians and the Israelis have been brewing. Now the attempted assassination and the killing of a Palestinians could push the tensions to a new level.
Perhaps, Netanyahu should make efforts in clipping the wings of this group whose agenda is risky for both the Palestinians and the Israelis.
Unfortunately, thus far, Netanyahu is not in touch with reality. He thinks too much about next elections and therefore he is reluctant on checking this movement. Instead of criticizing those who try to set Jerusalem alight, he ordered on Thursday the first full closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in a decade and a half, a move that President Abbas denounced as an act of war.
For Arabs and Muslims, the Israeli decision to close the compound was a further provocation that reflects Netanyahu’s insensitivity to the feelings of not only Palestinians but also the Arabs and the Muslims all over the world. Israelis argue that the closure was just for a day and meant to defuse the growing tensions. Yet, the decision sent a different annoying message: Israelis can close the Al-Aqsa compound! Not surprisingly, the Israeli government has used various pretexts to take unilateral moves in Jerusalem.
Once again, an Israeli prime minister subordinates the need to create peaceful climate to his quest for political survival. As happened with Shamir in the past, the radical political and religious forces force Netanyahu to take them seriously. If Netanyahu turns against them, he will run the risk of undermining his chances for making a coalition with right-wing forces. In other words, Netanyahu is concentrating on the next elections and the need to win the support of this right- wing constituency. What Netanyahu does not want to see is that the hesitancy of dealing with this movement and the collusion with this segment of the Israeli society may trigger another unnecessary clash with the Palestinians.
—
Email: hbarari@gmail.com