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 emple
Mount, the ruins of the ancient Jewish Temple, known to Muslims
as the Noble Sanctuary, is the holiest site of the Jews and the
third holiest site of Islam. Unsurprisingly, Temple Mount has been
a central issue in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Events at Temple Mount
have sparked violence that has shaken the region and another explosion
may be looming.
The Islamic
religious authority, or Waqf, administers the Muslim holy sites
on top of Temple Mount (the best known are the Dome of the Rock
and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.) Since its administration began, the Waqf
has been building and renovating the sites on the Temple Mount without
cooperating with the Israeli Antiquities Authority and in violation
of Israeli law. The extent of this construction has increased since
the 1993 establishment of the Palestinian Authority, and has reached
a massive scale. For example, in 1996 6,000 tons of earth was removed
from Temple Mount, creating a 75 by 200 foot hole. The unsupervised
Waqf construction is destroying invaluable archaeological material
and evidence that there was a Jewish temple on the site of Temple
Mount.
But there is
a more immediate possible consequence to the Waqf's unsupervised
building. The southern wall has developed an ominous bulge and parts
of it may be in danger of collapse. The Waqf's construction work,
which has not been coordinated with Israel or examined by Israeli
engineers, may have caused or exacerbated the structural weakness.
Even a minor collapse of a small part of the wall could have enormous
and violent political implications.
Rumors of Jewish
plots against Muslim holy sites on Temple Mount have been used several
times to incite violence. Arafat's use of Ariel Sharon's September
2000 visit to Temple Mount as an excuse to launch the present Intifada
is only the most recent example.
In 1996 Israel
opened the Hasmonean Tunnel under Temple Mount. Arafat claimed Israel
was undermining the foundations of the mosques and launched a mini-Intifada.
In a grim prequel to the present turmoil Israeli soldiers and Palestinian
security forces fought throughout Gaza and the West Bank. Eighty-five
Palestinians and 16 Israelis were killed. More than 1,200 Palestinians
and 87 Israelis wounded. After the 1996 riots, Israel's presence
on Temple Mount was virtually eliminated, allowing the Waqf to proceed
in its construction unimpeded.
During Mandatory
Palestine, in the 1920s and 30s, the Hitler-sympathizing Palestinian
Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini engineered bloody riots against the Jews
based on rumors that the Jews had plans to seize Muslim holy sites.
Currently rumors
of Jewish plots against Muslim holy sites are frequent in the Palestinian
media. A typical example is a recent interview in the Palestinian
Authority controlled magazine Al-Awda with Najeh Afana, president
of the Al-Aqsa Heritage Committee. Afana claimed that the Israelis
are digging tunnels under the Old City. He stated, "The digging
will… cause [the Muslim holy sites] to collapse in anticipation
of the greater cause… building a Jewish temple." Afana
states that Al-Aqsa, the mosque on Temple Mount, is in great danger
and that the Israelis could force their presence onto Temple Mount
"under scientific or archaeological pretenses [and] then wait
for or cause a collapse or structural damage…"
These claims
are echoed by other Palestinian organizations and officials associated
with Temple Mount. Sheikh Ikrimi Sabri, the Arafat appointed Mufti
of Jerusalem, insists that there is no evidence that the Jewish
Temple was ever present at Temple Mount and claims that Israel is
interfering with Waqf efforts to repair and renovate Temple Mount
in order to undermine it.
Against the
backdrop of such statements, a physical collapse of even a small
part of Temple Mount's walls could lead to intensified violence
against Israel. This violence would not be limited to the Palestinian
Authority. The Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque are important
symbols to Muslims throughout the Middle East, and the stories of
Jewish plots against them are widespread through the region. Between
the continuing Intifada, the American campaign in Afghanistan, and
the continuing economic and social problems throughout the region,
the Middle East is at a boiling point. A physical collapse, with
footage of the damaged holy sites broadcast continuously by Al
Jazeera and blamed on Israel could trigger a region-wide Arab-Israeli
war and have a profound effect on the United States' standing in
the region.
This combination
of events is unlikely. There may not be a structural collapse at
the Temple Mount. If there is, Arab governments, cautious of confronting
Israel and afraid of unleashing passions in their own people, may
be able to navigate the crisis and evade a war. But an incident
at Temple Mount occurring and sparking a major war is a real possibility
and the enduring lesson of September 11 is that nothing is unthinkable.
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