On the recent Israeli-Palestinian situation

On October 7, an intense assault named “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm” was orchestrated by Hamas militants against Israel, with grim occurrences of abductions, shootings, and gruesome mutilations. While Western media and certain online platforms missed delving into the timing of this invasion, it’s often perceived as either unprovoked aggression or a reaction to the Israeli state’s policies. However, the underlying cause, a concealed battle, might offer a startling perspective.

The title of the Hamas offensive, “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm,” hints at the deeper significance. The Al-Aqsa mosque complex is situated on the renowned hill, Temple Mount, a pivotal religious site for both Jews and Muslims. For Jews, it’s the world’s holiest site, housing the historical First and Second Temples, and the prophesied Third Temple. Conversely, for Muslims, it ranks as the third holiest site, encompassing the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the ancient Islamic edifice, the Dome of the Rock, constructed between 688-692 AD.

Despite Israel’s control over Jerusalem since 1967, Temple Mount’s administration falls under the Jordanian-designated Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, with Israel overseeing the entry gates. The Waqf allows Jewish visitors for tourism, not worship, as it’s seen as blasphemous in Islam. However, Israel’s Chief Rabbinate restricts all visits to Temple Mount due to its “impure” status, a stance largely upheld by Israelis.

Over recent years, the existing accord has crumbled into chaos. Extremist, ultra-religious Jewish factions have urged their adherents to publicly pray at Temple Mount. In 2019, as Ramadan concluded, numerous Jewish ultra-nationalists accessed the Al-Aqsa mosque area to observe Jerusalem Day, marking the first permission granted by Israeli officials in three decades. The mosque’s director expressed strong resentment, accusing Israeli authorities of reneging on their pledge to avoid entry during Ramadan’s final days.

In April 2022, six individuals from a Jewish radical group were apprehended for plotting a goat sacrifice on the Temple Mount during Passover. Come April 2023, amid online whispers of a similar act, Palestinian protestors unlawfully sealed themselves in the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Israeli forces retaliated, storming the mosque, deploying rubber bullets and stun grenades, detaining those present. Recurring episodes of clashes involving Palestinians, Jewish radicals, and Israeli law enforcement have become common at the Al-Aqsa site, with each incident provoking rocket attacks from Hamas and chants from Palestinians vowing to reclaim Al-Aqsa.

In the days leading to recent assaults, tensions sharply rose. On October 1, numerous ultra-devout Jews started engaging in perceived provocative mosque complex tours. On October 4, some forcefully entered the compound for Sukkot celebrations, escorted by Israeli police, who temporarily restricted entry for many Muslims and mosque staff. This access denial to Al-Aqsa irked some Muslims; Egypt allegedly alerted Israel of potential backlash. A mere three days afterward, Hamas commenced “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.”

Several inquiries emerge: Why, after years of Muslim domain, is there a sudden zeal among numerous ultra-religious Israeli Jews to reestablish Temple Mount as a worship venue? And why did Hamas designate Al-Aqsa as their casus belli, overlooking their citizens’ safety while inciting a severe confrontation with Israel?

The answer is covert yet clear. It all traces back to a red heifer.

Red Heifer, a forgotten variable of the conflict

In September, the influential Temple Institute revealed the birth of the “first red heifer in 2,000 years” in Israel. This wasn’t their initial endeavor; previously in September 2022, it was reported that they spent over $250,000 to transport five immaculate red heifers from a Texas-based Christian rancher to Israel, as per The Jerusalem Post.

Why is the red heifer significant? The Temple Institute posits this rare, humble animal as crucial for the envisioned Third Temple. Post the Roman destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, Jews dispersed globally but held onto the memory of Zion and their sacred temple. While praying thrice daily for its restoration, most Jews await divine or Messianic intervention for the Third Temple’s re-establishment, rather than endeavoring to build it themselves.

Certain Israeli hardliner factions, like the Temple Institute and Temple Mount Faithful, are actively pursuing the reconstruction of the Third Temple in Jerusalem. These extremist ultra-Orthodox groups, aided financially by US-based Christian fundamentalists, share a mutual belief that a Third Jewish Temple would precede Jesus’ return and the ensuing Rapture. This under-the-radar belief, to some extent, elucidates the cordial US-Israel relationship. Today, the prerequisites for erecting the Third Temple are mostly fulfilled. Post Israel’s 1948 prophetic revival and Jerusalem’s 1967 reclamation, the Temple Institute has rigorously prepared over 500 Levi-descended young Jewish men as Temple Priests, even readying their priestly attire and sacred vessels. The institute claims to have devised a “Temple-in-waiting,” complete with modern architectural plans. Yet, the culmination awaits one final element: the ashes of a red heifer.

The ashes are vital for purifying Temple Priests post contact with corpses. The divine directive for a flawless, unyoked red heifer (Numbers 19:1—2) is mystifying. Some link it to the Golden Calf sin, while others see a divine enigma. The heifer’s criteria are exact, as per the Jewish Mishnah, even two black hairs disqualify it. It must be blemish-free, unworked, and aged three to four years. Such rarity makes its ceremonial incineration scarce, occurring only nine times historically. Maimonides envisaged the tenth heifer coinciding with the Messiah’s readiness to emerge.

The disclosure last month of a pristine red heifer’s birth in Israel stirred enthusiasm among ultra-religious groups. The intrigue extended to academia—Professor Zohar Amar from Bar Ilan University, in 2019, devised computational models estimating a single burnt red heifer could purify 660 billion Jews.

By next year, the Texan red heifers will be mature enough for sacrifice. Boneh Israel, the Biblical nonprofit instrumental in their acquisition, anticipates their sacrifice by Passover 2024, fulfilling the final requisite for Temple worship.

However, there’s a glaring issue at hand.

Al-Aqsa Mosque needs to be destroyed

Third Temple necessitates the removal of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock.

Before jumping to conclusions about projecting fears, it’s crucial to note the significance the Third Temple holds for Hamas. The phrase “Al-Aqsa is in danger” (Arabic: الأقصى في خطر) is a rallying cry against Jewish hardliner activities on Temple Mount. The annual “Al-Aqsa in Danger Festival” drew large crowds from 1996 to 2015. Hamas reacted to the arrival of red heifers in Israel with a warning of upcoming sacrifices on Temple Mount. A recent Islamic Middle East Monitor article cautioned that a blemish-free red heifer might shift the dynamics in occupied Jerusalem, potentially escalating regional tensions.

A May 2022 video from ultra-religious group Shalom Jerusalem’s Facebook page, captured as they readied to enter the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Jerusalem Day, proclaimed: “Nothing exemplifies Jewish sovereignty…better than the Temple Mount.”

The dire humanitarian scenarios in Gaza and the West Bank partly drove Hamas’ war rationale. Yet, actions like repurposing water pipes for rocket construction against Israel, boldly reflect Hamas’ priority of penalizing Israel over safeguarding and governing its populace. To extremists like Hamas, Jews and Zionism embody a threat akin to the Dajjal, a figure paralleled to Christianity’s Antichrist.

Could Hamas fighters truly perceive their battle as a means to shield the Dome of the Rock from a figure akin to their version of the Antichrist? Likewise, could a radical Israeli minority be striving to dismantle Islam’s third-holiest site to establish the Holy of Holies? Substantial evidence, starting with the invasion’s title “The Storm of Al-Aqsa,” supports both notions.

The Prophetic Aspect

While Temple Mount incidents may not be the exclusive war catalyst, they undoubtedly ignite the fire. Rising tensions at Temple Mount, coupled with the red heifers’ arrival in Israel, have led religious factions from both sides to perceive this as a do-or-die scenario.

This conflict transcends geopolitical bounds seen in cases like Russia and Ukraine. It’s a holy war, waged by fiercely militant factions within two ethno-religious groups, each aiming to either trigger or thwart an apocalyptic finale. It’s not a war desired by most Israelis or Palestinians. A vast majority of Israelis view the Temple Institute as extreme and don’t align with its actions. Similarly, most Israelis don’t partake in Temple Mount activities, which can incite hardline factions, particularly Palestinian Muslims, leading to terror acts and rocket fire. The conflict intensifies among the extremely devout, radical groups from both sides, leaving innocent civilians, including women and children, caught in the crossfire.

Grasping this conflict’s religious underpinnings is crucial for understanding it. Military or political resolutions—like fragmenting Hamas or a two-state solution—prove futile when faced with deep-seated religious animosities, such as Hamas’ charter advocating Israel’s obliteration. The eventual resolution, be it now or later, hinges on religious avenues, which hold the potential to profoundly reshape global civilization.

Does the Temple Mount, and by extension Israel, belong to its original holders (Jews)? Or does it belong to its current controllers (Muslims)? Alternatively, does it fall to whoever seizes it forcibly (as history often demonstrates)? Most crucially, to whom will divine favor grant it?

The near future will reveal the answer.