According to Alexander Loengarov
Less than a week after Israel's new government was sworn in, Itamar Ben-Gvir, now Minister of National Security, made a controversial visit to the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem. While still a permanent member of the Knesset, Ben-Gvir periodically visited the sacred place for Jews and Muslims, as well as other controversial places. Ben-Gvir's visit on January 3 immediately sparked controversy in Israel and prompted open condemnation and warnings. At the request of the United Arab Emirates, a recent ally of Israel, the issue was referred to a separate meeting of the UN Security Council.
As for the holiest site itself, the current "status quo" implies, in a nutshell, that while Israel considers itself sovereign over all of Jerusalem, the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif is governed through the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, or foundation, appointed and financed by Jordan. Muslims have unrestricted access - although Palestinians from the West Bank or Gaza require Israeli permission to enter Jerusalem - while non-Muslims are allowed to visit at certain times without the right to pray at the site.
Ben-Gvir defends his visit, which was short and did not include public prayers, as an action to counter "Jewish discrimination on the Temple Mount", viewing the debate as a religious freedom issue. Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, was also quick to point out that Jewish visits to the site are not a violation of the status quo.
The non-overlapping, even mutually exclusive, narratives of Israelis and Palestinians go so far as to ignore or outright deny the other group's historical, cultural, and religious ties to the Holy Land and its sites. This phenomenon affects not only the city of Jerusalem, but also Israeli areas where the pre-1948 Arab presence was erased, as well as places in the West Bank where the significance of Jewish historical and religious sites is either ignored or extolled.
It is clear that any path towards a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue must include agreements on Jerusalem, including places of worship. However, the misconception associated with the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif is that this particular site is considered to be the main issue, or that it can be treated as a separate issue. While the holy site is certainly important to many, the opposite is actually true. If Israelis and Palestinians can make progress on opposing security, economic, and political issues, a compromise on this symbolic spot will be far more likely.
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