One Simple Way Israel Can Avoid Sparking a Holy War
In the tumult surrounding the war in Gaza and Israel, it is easy to forget that Hamas code named its surprise attack “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.”
Yet this phrase provides the key for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his new war cabinet to prevent the conflict from engulfing the entire Middle East. By making a single simple statement that would give up nothing, Netanyahu could calm Arab fears and even bolster Israel’s delicate attempts to establish better relations with Saudi Arabia and other nations in the region. It would also undermine Hamas’ claims to speak for the wider Muslim world.
Al-Aqsa is the Arab term for what Jews call the Temple Mount, the sacred acropolis on the east side of Jerusalem’s Old City, fifty miles east of Gaza. A little history is vital to grasp what this hotly contested religious site means to Jews and Muslims alike, and why it is at the heart of today’s terrible violence and bloodshed.