An Unholy Mess

Palestinians clash with Israeli security forces on Temple Mount aka the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, May 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

I have visited Israel on three occasions, all of them during my 30's -- so a million years ago. During our second visit our excellent guide, Miriam, was taking us through the old city of Jerusalem and as we headed toward the Temple Mount she took a call and moved us deftly in another direction, saying that we would return later. She explained to me as the group leader that there had been a confrontation near the Al Aksa Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam, and authorities were clearing the area. 

Those few hectares of the old city are significant for Muslims, Jews, and Christians and sadly this has led to strife rather than harmony through the centuries. There is a constant dance between the secular Israeli government and the Muslim authorities which have oversight of the Mount itself, and at times this becomes the nexus of confrontation and even violence. 

In the past few days there have been protests by Muslims in this area related to evictions of Palestinians to allow Jewish settlers to build homes nearby. The confrontations between youths and police have resulted injuries and escalation of violence, the worst in years. Muslim officials have called for calm, but the militant group, Hamas, a terrorist organization, fired rockets from Gaza into Jewish neighbourhoods. The Israeli military launched airstrikes in retaliation, resulted in the deaths of civilians, including a number of children.

Once again the situation is a mess, all this coming at the conclusion of Ramadan, the holiest season in Islam. The United Nations and the United States have called for restraint.

These are disheartening developments and there are injustices. Sadly, every time conflicts arise the preponderance of injuries and deaths are on the Palestinian side. Rather than attempting to unfold the intricacies of this situation I would suggest that we pray for calm so that innocent lives will not be squandered.