by David Harris
JERUSALEM, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Violence continues in the Jerusalem holy site, known as al-Haram al-Sharif to Palestinians or Temple Mount to Jews.
Several people were arrested a week ago when clashes erupted on the mount and in the surrounding Old City after a group of visitors entered the compound. Palestinians objected, claiming the group comprised far-right Jews, while Israeli media reports said they were French tourists.
Since then, tension has been high, with the Western Wall that lays alongside the mount the focus of Jewish prayers for this week's religious holiday, Sukkot (Tabernacles).
On Sunday, Israeli police force decided to restrict the male Muslim worshippers allowed to enter the area to those over 50. During the day, Arabs clashed with the police and the area remained tense on Monday.
At the end of last week, Palestinian leaders warned that the current impasse in the peace process is leaving Palestinians feeling frustrated and violence may spread as a result.
The violence recently and in the past reminds the politicians and analysts that the fate of the holy site will be one of the toughest issues on the negotiating table for the Israelis and Palestinians.
HALT VIOLENCE
It is arguably the most fought-after piece of real estate on earth. Even its name evokes passionate reactions -- Jews call it Har Habayit, or the Temple Mount, while Muslims name it al-Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary.
Both the Israelis and Palestinians see the flattened hilltop as the very center of their world and both lay claim to it as the heart of their capital.
In Israel, most Jews see the mount as part and parcel of a unified Israeli capital. However, the Palestinians, backed by the Muslim world and the United Nations, see the area as an occupied territory, which they say is destined to be a part of the capital of a future Palestinian state.
The site in East Jerusalem has been the scene of innumerable battles in the name of religion and paganism for some 2,500 years. And this week, violence sparked again.
Yitzhak Reiter, a senior researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, believes that if the two sides do not restrain their own people, in the near future there could soon be a repeat of the violence that rocked the Old City in 1996 when Israel opened a tunnel near the Western Wall. Some 90 Palestinians and 20 Israeli soldiers were killed in the violence that ensued.
"It could bring about a long period of disquiet in which East Jerusalem and perhaps all the surrounding areas will see disturbances, including bloodshed," said Reiter.
Mahdi Abdul Hadi, chairman of the Palestinian Academics Society in Jerusalem, believes there will be violence, even bloodshed, but it will not escalate to a full-blown Intifada -- the Arabic word for an uprising.
However, "I see the culture of revenge and hate prevailing. I see people who will look on Israelis as enemies more than before. The gap is widening and I see this as affecting the relationship on other agendas," he said, indicating that violence may directly impact efforts to reboot the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.
As is often the case, the Palestinians and Israelis are embroiled in a series of accusations and counter-accusations. For Abdul Hadi, it is abundantly clear who is to blame. It is a case of "innocent, unarmed Palestinian worshippers and the Israeli military establishment," he said.
Reiter sees extreme groups on the Israeli political right as visiting the site more frequently than ever, but at the same time believes that it is currently in Palestinian Hamas movement's interests to ignite the mount as part of Hamas' ongoing political battle with its main Palestinian rival, Fatah.
He said both sides must try now to calm the situation before it runs out of control.
"The police can restrain this by placing more restrictions on Jewish groups (visiting the mount) such as limiting their numbers and by supervising them more closely," he said. The problem is that in Israeli law there is "freedom of access" to the holy place.
The Palestinians should also try to stop the rumor mill, which is responsible for much of the tension on the mount, Reiter added.
SEEKING LASTING SOLUTIONS
The entire site of al-Haram al-Sharif or Har Habayit is just around 35 acres. Physically it is not as appealing as many of the world's great religious sites, and yet every stone is cherished by two faiths, the members of which believe with all their hearts that this tiny piece of real estate is theirs.
Many on both sides fear that the intensity of feeling about the place makes it a virtual impossibility for the politicians to announce agreement on its future without setting off a potentially calamitous series of events.
Reiter believes there are two options currently on the table --a physical splitting of the Old City in which the Palestinians would receive full control of the mount and the Arab sectors of the Old City, or, more likely, an internationalization of the city with the Muslims controlling the mount but allowing Jews visitation rights.
Abdul Hadi says the parties already know what the outcome will be, but for the politicians, to actually shake on a deal is extremely difficult.
Given the political sensitivity of the issue, the fate of this holy site will most likely be the last topic to be agreed on in any final-status agreements between Israelis and Palestinians.
