In the name of religion

The annual entrenchment of Palestinians on the Temple Mount is an obvious move to turn their fight against Israel into a religious confrontation. They have done it in the past and will continue to do so, rallying Muslims in support of their terror against Israel.

What puzzles me is Israel’s actions against the Palestinians which enables them to do just that. I must say that Israel is playing with fire any time it uses force on the Temple Mount. Especially now, with Ben Gvir running the fight against terrorism, it is easy for the Arabs to rally their troops in the name of a justified religious confrontation.

Meanwhile, terror is at hand. Whether in the Jordan Valley, West Bank, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, or anywhere inside Israel, Palestinians are roaming free and have killed Israelis at will. As I wrote before, there is no way for Israel to stop every Palestinian terror attack. Young Palestinians line up to commit these attacks, knowing full well what lies before them. Looking inside a car at two young sisters, then shooting at them, is the lowest possible human act. Yet, this was seen as an act of glory by many Palestinians.

While I fully support freedom of movement by all on the Temple Mount, some discretion should be put in place to avoid the recurring confrontations on the sight. We cannot let the Arabs pull us into their orbit and Ben Gvir seems to be the wrong person to be in charge of this delicate confrontation. And let’s not forget that international media consistently blames Israel for provoking the confrontation with the Palestinians. By continuing to deal with age-old issues in the same age-old ways, Israel will remain stuck in a lose-lose situation.

Jack Molad