Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Here's a Test of Significant Proportions

According to Israel National News, a group of Jews have petitioned the Jerusalem District Police (again) to allow them to make the biblically proscribed Passover lamb sacrifice ON the Temple Mount.

In some sense this petition will once again be a test of Israel's sovereignty over the Temple Mount, but to what degree is unclear because of the issue of political expediency. I don't believe for a minute that the government of Israel is willing to face the wrath of the Islamic world in order to allow a minority Jewish group to practice a religious ceremony on the Temple Mount. They haven't in the past, and I don't expect that to change in  the near future.

Recent history (only the last few months is necessary) gives us a small example of what would happen if such a ceremony were to take place: Jews arrested for praying on Temple Mount, or declaration of Israeli heritage sites in Bethlehem and Hebron sparks clashes.

And it should be noted that if the ceremony is allowed to happen, the opposition will not be from the Islamic world alone.