No one noted, however, the fact that only the English and Arabic terms are used. Why does Ms. Psaki not call it the “Har HaBayit/Temple Mount/Haram Al-Sharif”? Har HaBayit is the Hebrew term for the holy site, and it means “Mountain of the House” – a reference to the Jewish Temples that stood there for a total of some 950 years. It is, after all, historical fact that the Dome of the Rock was built where it is only because it was the center of Jewish sanctity.
To be clear: Islam’s connection with Jerusalem is based solely on the city’s having been the “place chosen by God” in the Torah, the site of the Holy of Holies, the seat of the first national Jewish government, and the object of Jewish longing. The first time Islam ever enhanced Jerusalem was when Muhammad wished to win over the Jews living near his hometown of Medina. He thereupon announced that, from then on, prayers would be directed towards Jerusalem. However, once he saw the Jews were not interested in his advances, he turned against them – and against Jerusalem – slaughtering many and directing prayers elsewhere, toward Mecca. Later, when Islam conquered the Holy Land, it made its capital in Ramle, of all places, not in Jerusalem.
Another question is what exactly the “status quo” does and does not include. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the ban on Jewish prayer is relatively new – and therefore should not be perpetuated. We hope to explore this issue more in depth in an upcoming column.
Please visit our website, www.keepjerusalem.org, to keep apprised of developments in Jerusalem and to see how you can help preserve a united Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty forever.