Temple Mount: Too Late to Act?

UNESCO’s vote this week is a direct consequence of Dayan’s and Meir’s terrible mistake in 1967 to permit the Wakf to control religious expression on the Temple Mount. It was seen as crazy at the time by at least myself, a then 37-year-old in the United States. The recent call by Abbas for the Arab populace to demonstrate against a Jewish presence on the Mount and Arafat’s use of the Mount to start the intifada in 1999 are also consequences.

Is there anything Israel can do? It can do, for Israel, the extraordinary thing, that is: assert sovereignty. Israelis are smart enough to figure out a sovereignty action. I have written previously in these blog columns (9-18-15) that Israel’s historic right and contemporary claim to the Temple Mount would be well served by a time-out to all visitors; only maintenance being allowed.

Would the expected subsequent demonstrations be worse than the foreseen consequences of this UNESCO act?  And yes, the usual Jewish thing could be added to that: sue someone. In this case UNESCO and the signer-Nations could, should, be sued for Libel.

And meanwhile, Israel should consider barring UNESCO from its land.