Israel's Likud Lawmaker's Propose to Divide the Temple Mount in Jerusalem
Photo credit: Sott=net
Earlier this week, the Likud party lawmakers proposed to divide the Temple Mount between Jews and Muslims. However, dividing the al-Aqsa Mosque compound (Temple Mount) between Muslims and Jews would cause “overwhelming anger,” the results of which cannot be expected, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh warned on Monday. The Likud Party in Israel is both conservative and nationalist.
PA Prime Minister Shtayyeh recently called on Arabs, Muslims, and the rest of the international community to “move from issuing condemnations to imposing sanctions on Israel to prevent any change at al-Aqsa Mosque and halt any violation of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.”
It seems that ANY change in the status quo in Israel becomes an ignition for political dispute.
Earlier this week Likud MK Amit Halevi recently told the Zman Israel news website that he was preparing a plan to divide the Temple Mount between Jews and Muslims. According to the plan, Muslims would be given al-Aqsa Mosque in the southern section of the compound. The Jews would receive the central and northern parts, including the Dome of the Rock. The plan also calls for ending Jordan’s control of the holy site through the Wakf Department in east Jerusalem.
Israel is already facing many issues from within and this proposal has now triggered another wave of condemnation by many Palestinians. Some Palestinians have warned that this could lead to a religious war. They are not alone. These are sediments shared by the Jordanians (neighboring Israel and have been on relatively friendly terms), Egyptian politicians, and Muslim clerics.
The Supreme Muslim Council is vehemently opposed to ending Jordan’s role as a custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem. Jewish people are not allowed to enter the Aqsa Mosque which is considered a redline. Muslims agree that this proposal is a flagrant assault on the feelings of all Muslims.
Several Palestinian armed factions in the Gaza Strip also warned against any attempt to divide the Temple Mount in time and space between Muslims and Jews and that such a move would be considered a declaration of war.
This issue coming up at this time is quite a surprise and could trigger a war—or least of all sanctions on Israel. As Christians, we know that eventually there will be a temple built on the Temple Mount which will be desecrated by the antichrist. No one can imagine how this will come about nor when.
All of this is a reminder that we are to be praying for the peace of Jerusalem on a regular basis! The Bible says: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you” Psalm 122:6. Scripture also gives believers an active role of being watchmen: “On your walls, Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; All day and all night they will never keep silent. You who profess the LORD, take no rest for yourselves” Isaiah 62:6. Will you commit to praying for Israel right now? Will you pray that God will handle this situation in His ways and in His timing? When we pray for Israel, we are blessing them. Genesis 12:3 says: “And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you, all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
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