The common ground between ISIS and the Palestinians

The most recent spasm of violence in Jerusalem is frustrating. Keeping in mind that prior to Israel liberating Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967, Christians and Jews were not allowed to even be in Jerusalem, much less pray there. In fact, ancient Jewish synagogues were used to barn donkeys, and cemetery headstones were used to pave the streets.  The point I am making is that there was NEVER tolerance of other religions in Jerusalem under Muslim control. With that said, ever since Israel won the 1967 war, Israel has made a point of making sure that all the religions represented in Jerusalem – Jewish, Christian and Muslim all had access to, and are protected at their places of worship.

As a sign of reconciliation to the Muslims after their 1967 defeat, the Israeli government allowed the Jordanian Islamic Waif - an Islamic trust that had historically been in control of the the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Jerusalem - to continue their duties as long as they respected the integrity of Israeli law and allowed all faiths to worship at the site.The ground beneath the Al-Aqsa Mosque is the exact spot of the first Jewish Temple and the holiest site among Jews. Previous Israeli governments have sporadically exercised the right for Jews to ascend the site and to worship.

What caused the most recent spasm of violence cannot be debated; Hundreds of Muslim youths were allowed to throw rock and firebombs down of Jewish worshippers while the Israeli police stood by and pleaded with the Jordanians to control the situation. Muslim anger boiled over when some religious Jews exercised their right to worship atop the Temple Mount. The Muslim youth doubled down on their violence and it appeared that the Islamic Waif, who was responsible for security atop the Temple Mount, was complicate in assisting the rioters to use the Al Aqsa Mosque as a safe haven - thinking the Israeli police would not enter the Mosque. The police chased the rioters into the Mosque and found piles of rocks, Molotov firebombs, and other evidence of complicity by the Jordanian Trust.

This, in turn, was used as an excuse by those who wish to incite the Palestinians - to claim the Israelis were attacking the Al Aqsa Mosque. Apologists for the Palestinians say they are “hopeless and have no other means to resist the occupation” other than to literally “slash out” at innocent civilian worshippers with butcher knives, or run over 3 year old babies with their cars. There is no answer to those who think that way other than leave them with this thought: There is obvious common ground in the logic between ISIS slitting the throats of innocent civilians and Palestinians hacking innocent Jews at prayer to death. They both feel a grievance and victimhood that justifies their acts of barbarity, as well as an intolerance of other religions and a perception of Muslim superiority.  This type of extreme logic is deep rooted among a growing minority of the Islamic faith, and should not be appeased, or excused.  The only hope to defeat this thinking is for the good-minded Muslims to raise their voice AND their swords and defeat this extremist thinking within their own religion. Unfortunately, those voices are barely audible over the multitude of apologists - so until then, the Israelis must – and will - resist and fight against this enemy in every corner where it lurks.