The Mughrabi bridge walkway, a tinderbox of wood
that might ignite the war over the Temple Mount.
Monday: "The Jerusalem municipality is fuming (the mayor) over the prime minister's decision to repair walkway instead of building new one. 'Government's helplessness in dealing with this hazardous, dilapidated nuisance is regrettable,' read a statement issued by mayor Nir Barkat. 'Officials at the Jerusalem Municipality, who were in favor of demolishing the bridge and building a new one in its place, were not happy with Netanyahu's decision'...."
Tourists voiced their frustrations:
"The bridge should be open to everyone, not just Muslims," ... a German tourist who is visiting Israel for the fourth time, told Ynet.
"This is an unfortunate decision. It's a lovely place to visit but unfortunately we can't go there. There's much to see in Israel, but Temple Mount is one of our favorite places."
"Another tourist, a South African who is visiting Jerusalem for the first time, told Ynet he was disappointed by the decision: 'It was supposed to be one of the highlights of our trip. It's a shame we can't go there'."
The Arabs have threatened "a war" over any tampering with the Mughrabi, the only access for non-Muslims. With all the existing gates giving access to the Temple Mount, why is there only ONE for everyone else, including the Jews?
Tuesday: "unwillingness to exacerbate tensions with the Palestinians, Jordan and the Arab World as a whole, the bridge would not be destroyed at this stage, eight senior cabinet ministers decided Tuesday."
While this seems an isolated worry, I see the recent actions of a few Zealots possibly leading the way for a larger scorching confrontation. That may be why PM Netanyahu has ordered the walkway to be coated with fire-proofing material. If the Mughrabi bridge, which is wooden, goes up in flames it may well incite the insane fury of the Arabs over the Temple Mount. If such an occurrence would erupt, the police AND army might need to take control of the area and once that happens this just might be the match to ignite the flame.
The house of Yaakov will be fire, the house of Yosef will be the flame, the house of Eisav will be straw and the flame will go out from the fire and consume the straw" From the Haftora of the Navi Ovadia (1:18) from this past Shabbos of Vayishlach!
Today's zealotry involves the "torching of Arab property, Mosques" and other so-called "price tag" attacks, plus attacks on IDF soldiers. Are these Jewish extremists losing patience over the "land for peace" farce? Is this a re-enactment of the 1st Century Zealotry of the Sicarii?
The modern Sicarii: The Palestinians have reported that in another incident Tuesday night, two vehicles were set on fire near the village of Duma east of Nablus and in Hebrew "camaraderie Mitzpe Yitzhar" was spray painted.
Jewish terror in Jerusalem? Vandals attempted to set an abandoned mosque on fire. ... Once the fire was out, firefighters inspected the building and found that slogans defaming Islam, Muslims and the Prophet Muhammad had been sprayed on the walls.
The Prime Minister approved a series of steps to crack down on right-wing extremists that recently attacked IDF soldiers and carried out 'price tag' attacks. They are being called "Jewish extremists" and not labeled as a "terror group".
I suggest a read of Settler Violence; Wrong, Damaging and Depressing at the Muqata. He has a very good analysis of the situation with some of the background to it.
These events are troubling, alarming
and puzzling at the same time.
But there may be a hidden purpose yet to be discovered.
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