The Saudis may be preparing for “an eventual deal with Israel” following the normalization of the UAE and Bahraini with Israel.  As early as March 2002, the “Crown Prince Abdullah Peace Plan” held out an olive branch to Israel, which was endorsed by the Arab League.  The plan was reaffirmed in 2007 and 2017.  More recently Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan Al-Saud, who has been a longtime critic of the Palestinian Authorities’ failure to reconcile with Israel, has again been critical of the Palestinian leadership for its rejection of the UAE-Israel peace agreement.  There is a longing among many for Israelis and Palestinians to live peaceful and godly lives.  However, for various reasons, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has not been able to move forward and the situation is complicated because Hamas has become separated and at odds with the PA.  Can the Saudis help?        

A Recent Call for Prayer and Shofar on the Temple Mount

Yehudah Glick, who is an American born Israeli and heads the Shalom Jerusalem Foundation, is another voice that has been calling for prayer on the Temple Mount.  Glick is a controversial figure who is loved by some and despised by others.  He is a strong advocate for building the Third Temple on the Temple Mount.  He survived an assassination attempt in 2014 and later became a member of the Israeli Knesset.  This year he approached the Jerusalem police to allow the Shofar (trumpet) to be blown on Zion.  His argument for the redemption of Mount Zion was based on the Prophet Joel (2:1-32).  However, his request was denied because the Israeli political body was not agreeable to such actions.  Glick also provides an account of a person who attempted to blow the trumpet on the Temple Mount this week but was arrested by police.

 

Gesture of Good Faith on the Temple Mount?

Josiah Rotenberg, who is on the Board of Governors of the Middle East Forum, argues that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and the United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed should meet on the Temple Mount and pray, each according to their own faith, for reconciliation and peace in the region.  It appears bin Zayed would like to visit Jerusalem to seek peace and fulfill the recent agreements between the two countries.  Rotenberg also suggests that they could make a gesture of good faith and invite Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas to join in the prayer for a period of peace.  In doing so they would extend an olive branch in hand to Abbas and see if he is “really ready for true peace.”  Rotenberg’s call for reconciliation now joins others such as Nave Dromi who advocated normalizing Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount.    

TEMPLE MOUNT CLOSES FOR THREE WEEKS

The Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif will be closed for three weeks because of the soaring number of the coronavirus.  The decision was made by the Islamic Waqf earlier this week and will go into effect this Friday.  The closure will coincide with Israel’s three-week national lockdown.  The Israeli quarantine will go into effect on the eve of the Feast of Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year).  Rumor has it that if Israelis are allowed up to tour the site during this time the Waqf will reopen the mount. 

  

Normalizing the Temple Mount

 As the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and now Bahrain, has decided to normalize relationships with Israel, other Gulf countries could follow suit such as Qatar and perhaps Saudi Arabia.  I came across a remarkable opinion piece by Nave Dromi who argues it is time to “normalize” the Temple Mount.  Based on Isaiah the prophet who called for a house of prayer for all nations, she argued,   

Perhaps it would be prudent to finally realize this prophecy by allowing Jews and Muslims to pray on the Temple Mount in harmony and accord, without one trampling on the rights and liberties of the other.

After discussing some of the current difficulties and history following the Israeli capture of the Temple Mount in 1967, she then finishes saying,

It is time to return Jewish prayer to the Temple Mount.

It is time to normalize the Temple Mount.

Nave Dromi 

The Abrahamic Accord 30 Days Later: Reflections on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif

 

On August 13, 2020, US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed mutually signed a peace agreement (The Abraham Accord) for full normalization of relationships between Israel and the UAE (United Arab Emirates).  This is a significant historical development.  The UAE now joins Egypt and Jordan who previously made peace with Israel in 1979 and 1994 respectively.  This will open a bundle of opportunities for Israel and the UAE such as “diplomatic engagement, increased economic integration,” “security coordination,” and other cooperation.  The parties involved will also work for a just, comprehensive, and lasting resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Following President Trump’s Vision for Peace, all Muslims who come in peace may visit and pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and Jerusalem’s other holy sites are to remain open for peaceful worshippers of all faiths.    

The agreement gets its name from Abraham who some consider the father of the three great faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  There is an apparent omission in the Abraham Accord from the earlier Peace to Prosperity document that was released in January of this year by the United States.  The document stated that “people of every faith should be permitted to pray on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, in a manner that is fully respectful to their religion.”  The Abraham Accord makes no mention of this argument, yet, it does not revoke the concept either.  Perhaps, time will reveal if there is a consensus on allowing people of faith to pray on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif.  Certainly, there have been Christians and Jews who have prayed at the location in the quietness of their own heart.  Could there be more public prayer and worship allowed?

Update on the Temple Mount

The Temple Mount/Al Aqsa Mosque has reopened, but not without its controversy.  The latest news out of Turkey is that President Erdogan has converted the Church of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) from a museum into a mosque.  He did so in order to free Turkey from its growing secularism and to foster a call to prayer and an Islamic awakening.  Erdogan has proclaimed that the conversion of Hagia Sophia church into a mosque was the “harbinger of the liberation” for the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.  Hagia Sophia was built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the 6^th century.  In 1453 the church was converted into a mosque following the Ottoman invasion that same year.  After the fall of the Ottoman Empire in the 1920’s the church was turned into a museum.  Erdogon has been planning to turn it into a mosque since about 2013.