The Temple Mount is the site that is at the heart and soul of the battle between Arabs and Jews in the Land of Israel. This is a concept that not all Jews would agree with, but Arabs most certainly understand to be the case. The heart of the debate over the Land of Israel is a religious one. It is not about real estate or human rights. Not at all. Every time the Arabs in Israel are given land in one way or another, they want more and more land until the ultimate goal is reached – the forced removal of all Jews from the Land of Israel.
In 2005, Israel forcibly removed its own Jewish residents from the entire area of the Gaza Strip. The land was handed to the Arabs to do as it wishes with the land. It was promptly turned into a launching pad for attacks towards the Land of Israel for nearly two decades. Moreover, an intricate terror tunnel network was built underneath the entire Gaza Strip in order to create a hellish situation for the Israel Armed Forces to remove the terrorists from their hiding places and launching pads.
But there were two things that 100% of the Israeli soldiers who fought in the homes of Gaza terrorists in order to fumigate the terrorists witnessed. They witnessed a tunnel under every single building they encountered. And they witnessed a picture of the Temple Mount in the living rooms of the Arab apartments. The Arabs in Gaza were driven and are still driven by a strong religious determination to be fully observant Muslims.
For the bulk of these Muslims, that includes killing Jews and fighting to the death against the forces of evil in the West. “Al-Aqsa is in danger.” This is a common refrain that nearly all Arabs feel strongly about the location that was once the site of the two Temples of the Jewish people.
The Arabs are correct in their concerns. Indeed, for 830 years, the Jewish Temples stood exactly on the spot that is where the Al Aqsa Mosque is located today and that is exactly where all religious Jews, throughout the entire world, direct their prayers.
Just as Arabs go on yearly pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia, hundreds of thousands of Israelis crowd the Western Wall Plaza and its surroundings to pray towards the location that the Jewish Temples stood and will stand in the future. Additionally, Jews all over the world pray or visit the same location and all attest to a special feeling of unity and religiosity at the hallowed location. According to Jewish tradition, much of the Holiness of the Temple continues to this very day, despite the destruction that took place there nearly 2,000 years ago.
Any small step, such as allowing prayer books or sheets to be used by Jews on the Temple Mount may seem trivial. But indeed, anything in the Temple Mount has enormous significance and will deeply impact the world. This minor step is indeed a giant step forward for all of humanity.