Temple Mount Crisis

Last month an armed gunman killed two Israeli police officers at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. As a result, Israeli security forces installed metal detectors and cameras around the Temple Mount, kicking off violent clashes with Muslims. These devices were subsequently removed, but Israel then banned Arab men under age 50 from praying on the Temple Mount (Deutsche Welle, July 28, 2017). Sympathetic protests also erupted in Turkey (AFP, July 30, 2017). Violent clashes and arrests continue in this ethnic and religious “hot spot” (Haaretz, July 31, 2017). A Vatican representative recently told the UN Security Council that the Catholic Church would like to see a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, and that Jerusalem should become an international city “with guaranteed access to the holy shrines of all the major religions” (Catholic Culture, July 26, 2017).

Jerusalem has long been prophesied to be “a very heavy stone for all peoples,” and it is certainly fulfilling that role today (Zechariah 12:1–3). Jerusalem’s future will be troubled, but it will eventually become a model city of peace. For more about Jerusalem’s sobering and exciting future, be sure to view “Jerusalem: City of Peace.”