Beyond the Cusp

May 27, 2017

Time to Climb the Temple Mount for All People


Over the past twenty-five years, working hand-in-hand with the Palestinian Authority, the Jordanian Waqf has taken the open Temple Mount where all people could visit and marvel or even, dare we say, pray quietly and turned it into a combat zone in order to establish an Islamic only zone. The Jordanian Waqf had only to declare that the violence which was incited regularly by the leaders of the Palestinian Authority television and radio broadcasts was caused by the Jews insulting Islam with their actions on the Temple Mount and demand that Israel ban Jews, and later Christians and then later all non-Muslims, from entering onto the Temple Mount. One of the incitement television broadcasts is viewable below where Mahmoud Abbas rouses the rioting youth ranging in age from twelve to forty to rush the Temple Mount and attack any Jews or others who are not Muslim and throw stones, Molotov cocktails and attack with steel rods and knives by simply announcing, “We bless you, we bless the Murabitin (those carrying out Ribat, religious conflict/war to protect land claimed to be Islamic), we bless every drop of blood that has been spilled for Jerusalem, which is clean and pure blood, blood spilled for Allah, Allah willing. Every Martyr (Shahids) will reach Paradise, and everyone wounded will be rewarded by Allah. The Al-Aqsa (Mosque) is ours, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is ours, and they have no right to defile them with their filthy feet. We will not allow them to, and we will do everything in our power to protect Jerusalem.” There were also numerous others of a similar content, which would allow for a mix to be broadcast. These particular broadcasts were used sometimes for weeks at a time with it being broadcast as much as four or five times an hour.



Using this technique the Palestinian Authority in coordination with the Jordanian Waqf reestablished new so-called status-quo after status-quo, each one further restricting the ability for Jews and other non-Muslims from being permitted to visit the Temple Mount. Today a Jew is only permitted to enter the Temple Mount through a single minor and small gate accessed by crossing a temporary and barely stable bridge, which the Jordanian Waqf refuses to permit repair, where they are checked and rechecked for any religious items, dress, appearance and then reminded of the rules which forbid any appearance of prayer which include any whispering, moving the lips without speaking, speaking to oneself, clasping hands together and so forth. This is useful as it takes up and makes time pass as one waits often more than four and even beyond six hours until the Waqf decided to permit Jewish access. Often weeks can pass with no more than two or three Jews permitted to visit the Temple Mount each day and as soon as one Jew is perceived of breaking one of the rules, all access is terminated for that day and often for the next few days or even weeks depending on the level of tension which is usually set through the incited rioting. This new so-called status-quo is quite intolerable and it has worked exactly as planned on the Arab side as they are hoping to spread their grip over every piece of Israel they are able to reach. The Temple Mount was their first experiment and it proved wildly and exceptionally successful and one can only wonder where this will go next. There have been signs of increasing violence in Judea and Samaria in Arab villages as well as some Arab neighborhoods in eastern parts of Jerusalem, especially along the light rail line. These have established other zones where it can be dangerous for strangers to enter, especially if one does not speak Arabic. One can only wonder if those leading the Israeli responses have studied Islamic history at all and even if they have read the Quran. Also, with their lack of correct response to Arab violence and declaration of changing rules of access to increase and soon declare absolute dominion further proves their lack of understanding of Islamic, and particularly Arab, tactics. President Trump can be excused simply because his advisors are entering this arena for their first time and when initially entering into new areas, it often will take some time to study and learn the rules and tactics of the other side. So, what do both the Israeli leadership and President Trump need to do to properly address the situation and gain equality if not the advantage?


President Trump, possibly on the advice of his closest advisors or on advice from the Netanyahu administration advisors, has already made two purely awful mistakes. The first likely has the Palestinian Authority licking their lips and rubbing their hands greedily believing they have another ignorant American President locked within their sights and all primed for the kill. With Mahmoud Abbas declaring that rage would erupt in the streets along with Arab leaders claiming they would not be responsible for any violence should President Donald Trump move the American Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, President Trump declined to move the Embassy. This we know that Netanyahu’s advice was likely not to move the Embassy at this time as that can be done later and there was no reason to anger the Arabs and incite a response which would make reengaging the peace process more difficult. This was a grave error as it sent the message that President Trump could be cowed just as the Israelis have consistently been backed down over the years. Then an even larger mistake was committed when President Trump insisted that the Israelis allow Arab construction in any area that can be construed to be within the area of any existing Arab city or town that will permit the Arabs to extend their cities taking more and more land with new facts on the ground. Now the Arabs will start building as if there is no tomorrow as soon as they are cleared by Israel, which could become a demand with an immediate timetable put in place by Trump when he will be pressed by Abbas to show his promises are valid or forget any negotiations. Of course, Abbas still will not intend to negotiate until he has pocketed every last morsel he can squeeze from Trump forcing Netanyahu. All of this will result in a photo op, followed by more Abbas demands, which when denied, the meetings are done.


Hopefully, the lessons needed to be learned will be grasped before irreparable damage to the Israeli positions on the ground. The lesson is that the Arab and Islamic tactic is to threaten disruptions and rioting or other violence in order to gain advantages without making any concessions themselves. Trump should make up for his mistake, when he realizes that he had been played by Abbas and the Arab leaders, he should immediately start building the new American Embassy in Jerusalem. The next thing President Trump should consider is calling Prime Minister Netanyahu to Washington D.C. and together they should plan an aggressive confrontational style approach where Abbas is faced with negotiate or lose ground. They should take a strong track by sending the Jordanian Waqf back to Amman, Jordan and the Temple Mount completely opened up for universal access for all, ending the Islamic takeover of this almost universal holy site. President Trump taking the lead by moving the embassy to Jerusalem and having Netanyahu actually take the initiative and control over the Temple Mount should leave Mahmoud Abbas in shock and the Arab world reeling as their bluff has been called. From this point, President Trump will have more respect and room as he will have proven to be a worthy adversary, and do not get this wrong, in the Middle East you even need to act as if your allies are adversaries otherwise they will take advantage at every opportunity themselves. Once you prove your mettle and gain respect, as long as you retain that advantage the Arabs will behave predictably. The trick is keeping your advantage as any sign of weakness or loss of resolve will result in their pressing their newfound advantage whether it be real or imaginary as otherwise they would lose the respect of their fellow Arabs. President Trump need remember one more item; the Arabs are playing against one another just as much as they are looking to find any weakness in him. The secret is to keep the pressure on and never look back.


Once the Jordanian Waqf has been sent packing, the Temple Mount opened to the world with all having equal rights, the American Embassy being built in Jerusalem and Abbas being requested to enter into honest negotiations and without any further incentives except that all the items promised him will only be delivered upon his reaching, signing and enacting a real and final peace agreement with the Israelis which includes and complete end to incitement and all violence. Of course, the chance that Abbas would, or even could, ever promise and deliver on an end to incitement and violence is probably the greatest joke of the entire peace process. The sooner that President Trump realizes that Mahmoud Abbas is incapable of speaking the truth and equally incapable of making anything resembling peace, the sooner that plans can be made to forge a real peace, without Abbas and the Palestinian authority, if that proves necessary. Our opinion is that in the time it will take for Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump to come around to the reality that Abbas cannot make peace, simply because he has based his entire existence on his ability to destroy all of Israel, will likely be longer than President Trump has in office.


Temple Institute concept for what building the Third Temple in modern day Jerusalem would appear like from a distance with modern buildings of Jerusalem in the background. May their vision and this concept figure become fact and fulfill our desires for unity and a single Temple and House for Hashem in our midst. May this dream be fulfilled before the next Ninth of Av so our lament will be lessened.



Israel had an opportunity for real advances and real peace if our leadership had pressed from the start with the truth and reality instead of giving up any hope for an end of the confrontation with the Palestinians and the Arab world in general. Instead of telling Trump that Iran had to be settled and nothing else should interfere, he should have been told the only hope for peace was to confront Abbas and give him a choice of peace or the end of his rule. Then follow through and force peace on the Palestinian Arabs and allow them a semiautonomous region, which would remain under Israeli control though they would rule their own with elections overseen by Israel every five years starting in 2020. If Abbas declined and demanded things must be his way, then the time would have come for the complete liberation of the Palestinian Arabs by removing Fatah and the entirety of the Palestinian Authority and allow the Palestinian Arabs to have honest governance for the first time. All this was possible and is now dependent upon President Trump coming to his senses and realizing the reality, which might be made possible when Abbas oversteps his demands. Then all President Trump will need to accomplish is to drag Prime Minister Netanyahu kicking and screaming to actually take the path required and the bold steps required for peace. Please may all this come to fruition, if only it could be soon and the Temple rebuilt in our time. The truth President Trump, Americans, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Knesset Ministers, and Israelis Must Heed is One Surrender Equals a Thousand Victories.


Beyond the Cusp


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