Although the first Fridays of the month of Ramadan passed relatively quietly, that does not mean anything about the rest of the holiday. Israel is now focused on the return of the hostages, but this tension may return as early as this Friday, and may also increase in the coming weeks. It doesn't seem like Hamas has abandoned its plan to set the entire Middle East on fire on the pretext of saving al-Aqsa.
The use of religious symbols is not new in the Jewish-Arab conflict. In the 1920s, Mohammed Amin al-Husseini used the incident at the Western Wall to claim that the Jews wanted to take over the Temple Mount and build their own temple. Its purpose was to mobilize the entire Muslim world for the struggle of the Palestinians in the name of religious values. Nothing has changed in 100 years.
The popular Muslim judge, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who was a source of inspiration for the Muslim Brotherhood and the Hamas movement, wrote in several of his rulings that the Jews are waging a Jewish religious war against the Muslims and therefore the Muslims should respond to them with a Muslim religious war. On this, al-Qaradawi has previously stated, "They fight us in the name of the Torah, therefore, we must fight in the name of the Koran."
An IDF reservist officer who served in Gaza returned at the end of this service to his role as a shepherd at Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavne. A bulletin shared insights from this reservist's military service in Gaza.
He wrote: "In almost every house we entered we discovered a picture of the Temple Mount, the Dome of the Rock, or the Al-Aqsa Mosque. They fight in the name of their religion whereas on the other hand, the Jews are sometimes ashamed of our religion. We will work with all our might for the building of the temple."
After the Six Day War, the Israeli government was careful not to turn the Temple Mount into a focus of conflict and therefore a new mandate was created. According to the mandate, the Wakf manages the complexities of the site, and the Jews are allowed to visit as tourists, not as worshipers.
This arrangement, of which the Jordanian Wakf was a full partner, has been eroded to a particularly thin level in recent years, and the police have become an active partner in the management of the holy site.
The Muslims believe that the Jews are working to divide the Temple Mount and take over it completely to build the long-awaited temple. A handful of religious Jewish movements (mostly nationalist) endanger all Israelis in a religious war that also affects the security of Jews all over the world.
Israel pushing political limits with its religious goals
The Hamas movement called the October 7 attack the "Al-Aqsa flood," The goal of Hamas is to mobilize the entire Muslim world to fight against Israel under the claim that Israel is damaging the third most important holy site in Islam.
On the other hand, the Jewish Temple Mount organizations are increasing their efforts not only to enter the Temple Mount in large numbers but also to pray under the auspices of the police while keeping the Wakf guards away from accompanying the religious groups. In the name of national pride, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir demanded to dramatically limit the entry of Muslims to worship at al-Aqsa during the month of Ramadan.
Irresponsible policies of the Israeli government, motivations, and uncontrolled statements by Ben-Gvir in fact help Hamas. The Israeli government would do well to represent the interests of all Israelis in the coming weeks and not just of a handful of messiah hopefuls. This means returning to the status quo of full coordination with the Wakf and ceasing to allow the Temple Mount movement and politicians to agitate the area. In addition, maximum caution is required in all police operations on the Temple Mount and its surroundings. An unusual action by one police officer is enough to set the whole area on fire.
Yitzhak Reiter is a professor of Islam, Middle East history and politics, and Israel Studies at Reichman University and Al-Qasemi College. Reiter is also the president of MEISAI, The Middle East and Islamic Studies Association of Israel. The article reflects his opinion only.