Resource: Undermining the status quo at the Temple Mount

+972 Resources By +972 Resources April 5, 2014 | Edit

The Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif is one of the most complicated and sensitive issues on Israel’s agenda, activating friction points between Israel and the Palestinian population, and the Arab world at large. Over the past several hundred years, a status quo has been maintained according to which the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif area is an area reserved for Muslim prayer and the Western Wall is a prayer area reserved for Jews.

Over the last decade, the status of these areas has gradually shifted, driven by a revival of activity by Jews determined to strengthen the status of the Temple Mount complex as a Jewish religious center and to marginalize the claims of Muslims to the Mount. The following report by Israeli NGOs Ir Amim and Keshev aims to present information about the growing activity of organizations working to change the status quo on the Temple Mount and, in some cases, to actually erect the Third Jewish Temple upon it.

Ir Amim is an Israeli NGO that focuses on Jerusalem within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Ir Amim seeks to render Jerusalem a more equitable and sustainable city for the Israelis and Palestinians who share it. Keshev is a research and information center that focuses on exposing biased coverage patterns in the Israeli media, teaching critical media consumption and encouraging fair media. 

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