As the most recent events in Israel have illustrated, the Temple Mount possesses the potential of becoming a situation that could spin out of control. For many, this has come either as a surprise or, at the very least, quite unexpected.
The Temple Mount has been a "hidden agenda item" ever since Mandate days. The study that follows maintains that Israel has acted illogically previously and continues to do so in ignoring the "Jewishness" value-quotient of yielding up either the supervision or the administration of the Temple Mount. Israel has sought, mistakenly, to avoid a situation in which the Temple Mount assumes the stature of a major "public square" issue.
Israel's policies regarding the Temple Mount since 1967 have been self-defeating and now, following Ehud Barak's concessions at Camp David II, Israel has initiated a break with the status quo, a move that has been understood by Palestinians and the Americans to be to its own disadvantage. The issue of Jerusalem contains too many factors, too many cross-currents and too much meta-historical weight to allow for a pragmatic solution or resolution of the conflicting interests.
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