"Has the struggle for occupied Jerusalem finally revealed its religious character? The recent claim by Israel's Attorney General, Yehuda Weinstein, that Al-Asqa Mosque is part of Israeli territory has drawn unprecedented condemnation from across the Islamic world. His assertion that Islam's third holiest mosque should be subject to Israeli law, including antiquities laws and laws regarding building and planning was seen as an obscene provocation. This twist marks a dangerous escalation by the Netanyahu government in an atmosphere already charged with rage and tension.
Surely, Weinstein's remarks did not emerge from a vacuum, nor were they coincidental. During the 2000 Camp David peace talks, Ehud Barak, the then Israeli Prime Minister and his Palestinian counterpart, Yasser Arafat, discussed for the first time the status of occupied east Jerusalem and its holy sites. Arafat famously rejected the Clinton proposal to divide the city so that Israel would have sovereignty in the area below the Aqsa sanctuary (Haram al Sharif) while the Muslims would have sovereignty over what is above. The talks collapsed and very soon after the Aqsa Intifada erupted.He suggests,
On the face of it, Weinstein's remarks betray an Israeli attempt to exploit regional uncertainties. The Israelis believe that the neighbouring Arab states - Egypt, Syria and Jordan - are so preoccupied with their domestic political challenges that they have no time for Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque."
"Israel's obvious aim is to test the waters to see the public reaction and then proceed in accord with its customary stealth approach in such matters. Palestinians have long maintained that Israel's ultimate objective is to demolish Al-Aqsa Mosque and build upon its ruins the so-called Third Temple. Everything they witness on the ground suggests that Israel is moving in this direction."Read the article here
This is what Christians United for Israel have done to the Dome of the Rock...
See also The Coming Last Day's Temple: Read to Rebuild?
The Jewish Temple in Contemporary Christian Zionism in Heaven on Earth: The Temple in Contemporary Biblical Theology by Desmond Alexander and Simon Gathercole
and Richard Bartholomew's CUFI Nights
