Violence at the Temple Mount

JERUSALEM—Hundreds of Arab worshipers threw stones at Israeli police officers near the Western Wall of the Temple Mount this past Friday, marking an uptick in violence during the Jewish fall holy day festival. Just after Muslim prayers concluded Friday, swarms of Arabs on the Temple Mount began stoning the officers stationed below, prompting them to storm through the Mughrabi Gate and fire several stun grenades to disperse the violent crowd.

“Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites of Israel Shmuel Rabinovitch expressed shock following Friday’s violent demonstration, assessing that it was meant to prevent Jewish worshipers from praying in the area during Sukkot,” the Times of Israel reported.

One day prior, Israeli officers again dodged stones lobbed by Arab worshipers as the officers arrested a few activists who were trying to get onto the Mount after it was closed for the day. With chants of “Allahu Akbar,” dozens of Muslims attempted to attack the incoming visitors before the police intervened.

While minimal to no injuries occurred, the echoes of the stun grenades throughout the Old City on Friday were a chilling reminder of the current tension that still hangs over the city of peace.

The Temple Mount has long been a source of contention between Jews and Palestinians. Violent protests have broken out several times in previous years due to Palestinian resentment over “Jewish conquest” of the area. Three years ago, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said, “The Israelis want to divide al-Aqsa Mosque …. They want to hold their religious ceremonies in the mosque … in preparation for demolishing it and building their temple there.”

In 2000, what became known as the second intifada broke out after Ariel Sharon, then prime minister of Israel, visited the Temple Mount.

While the escalation of Jewish-Palestinian hostility can almost be expected during the Jewish holy days, the current state of these two camps fighting over Jerusalem cannot last for long. Zechariah 14 warns of a time when Jerusalem will be violently split in half, at which point half the city shall “go forth into captivity” by some violent struggle. All of this tension is building toward a confrontation that will result in a violent split of Jerusalem, with the Temple Mount at the center of controversy.

As Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote in 2006, Jerusalem can be used as “the thermometer” for end-time events. When Jerusalem falls, it will trigger a chain reaction of events that will violently affect the whole world, but will ultimately restore peace to the city.