Okay, it’s that time of year again when things seem to heat up in Jerusalem. You can bank on disturbances of some sort in the city and on the Temple Mount on any number of specific days from around March to October. Why?
Sign in Jerusalem
That’s when all the annual Sabbaths introduced in the scriptures occur. Additionally, Jews observe a partial fast day, commemorating the loss of the first and second temples and other key historical events, in July or August.
The Muslims know full well that a segment of Jews and mainstream Christians are dedicated to “liberating” the temple mount and building a third Temple. And the fast and holy days are when a greater numbers of non-Moslems, including the 3rd temple advocates, want to visit the mount. As a result, even though riots occur on other days, at these times everyone in the city is especially on edge.
Peace in Pieces
Last week while much of the world was preoccupied with other newer issues, predictably, a scuffle broke out again in connection with Rosh Hashanah or the Feast of Trumpets. The City of Peace once more failed to live up to its name.
Other significant dates are just around the corner. On September 18, 2015, AFP’s Business Insider reported,
“Israeli authorities fear further trouble ahead when the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha coincides on Wednesday with the solemn Jewish fast of Yom Kippur.
And Jews begin their seven-day Sukkot festival the following week, one of the holidays when more Israelis than usual are likely to visit the compound.”
UPDATE – October 13, 2015:
A week after the Feast of Tabernacles ended, news site DW reported,
“The month of October continues to see an escalation of violent attacks in Israel, with multiple stabbing incidents taking place on Tuesday that left several people injured in the worst day yet of the most recent violence.”
And DW closed with,
“An increase of Jewish visitors – including members of parliament – to the site” (the Temple Mount) “during the recent three-week Jewish holiday season caused concern among Muslims ….”
The Israeli Prime Minister is also concerned. According to the DW News TV program, he has called for “an emergency security meeting” because of the rising violence.
Photo Credit: James Emery, License: CC BY 4.0
Read AFP’s Business Insider article here
Read the DW article here
