“THEY SAY Jerusalem can never be divided. But after a week there, it feels like the most divided city on earth. Barriers crop up everywhere: Gates that block ultra-orthodox neighborhoods from secular ones on the Sabbath, so no one can drive in. Boulders that seal off a Palestinian neighborhood, so that nothing — not even a school bus — can drive out. An enormous wall gerrymanders its way around the whole city, cutting off the finger of land that contains the Shu’afat refugee camp. Muslims pray at the golden Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest site in Islam. Although Jews revere the mosque’s compound as the site of two ancient temples, it’s widely considered too holy to enter. A sign from Israel’s Chief Rabbinate warns that Torah Law forbids it. But lately, settlers and activists have been entering anyway. They visit during tourist hours, flanked by security. Some say they merely want the freedom to pray. But others publicly fantasize about demolishing the Dome of the Rock so they can build the third temple. This used to be seen as a fringe idea, espoused by extremists. The third temple should be built when the Messiah comes. You can’t rush God. But the movement to take control of the site is becoming more mainstream, championed by Deputy Knesset Speaker Moshe Feiglin.”
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 01:48:34 +0000
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