Israel 'to open up Temple Mount'

Ariel Sharon's visit to Temple Mount caused outrage

Israel is planning to reopen to non-Muslims the most sensitive religious area in Jerusalem, the Temple Mount or Haram al-Sharif, the BBC has been told.

Israeli Internal security ministry spokesman Nati Goldfinger said that the site could be reopened to Jews and other religious groups some time in the next two weeks.

You might see this as part of Mr Sharon's panoply of pressures that he is applying to the Palestinian leadership

Commentator David Landau

Only Muslims have been allowed to visit the site since the Palestinian uprising started 16 months ago.

Palestinians blame a visit there by the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, for provoking the conflict in September 2000.

The site is sacred to both religions.

To Muslims, it is where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven and is home to the al-Aqsa mosque.

Courting right-wingers

To Jews, it is where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son and where Judaism's first and second temples once stood.

	The al-Aqsa mosque is Islam's third holiest shrine The Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif also houses the Dome of the Rock Palestinians refer to the current intifada as the 'al-Aqsa intifada' The Temple Mount is Judaism's holiest site, where the first and second temples stood in ancient times Ariel Sharon's visit to the mount in Septemeber 2000 was in part an assertion of Israeli sovereignty over the area Guide to Jerusalem's holy sites

There have been warnings that reopening the site to non-Muslims could bring new violence and some Israeli commentators are sceptical that the government will go through with its plan.

David Landau, of the Israeli liberal daily newspaper Ha'aretz, told the BBC that with feelings already running high it seemed "a crazy idea" and he believed the threat could simply be posturing by the Israelis.

"The Israeli Government has a strong rightist religious component which the prime minister needs to pander to," he said.

"Even though he is perhaps not all that enthusiastic about running the risk of yet more bloodbaths on Temple Mount, he is at least purporting to be in favour of this and thereby courting his right-wing.

"The spokesman said that it is going to happen in two weeks but two weeks is a very long time in Israel, certainly in Jerusalem, and I would put no money at all on it taking place."

Mr Landau said that many on the nationalist right felt that the longer the site stayed closed to non-Muslims, the harder it would be to re-open it.

Debate delayed

He added: "You might see this as part of Mr Sharon's panoply of pressures that he is applying to the Palestinian leadership."

It is reported that Israeli Public Security Minister Uzi Landau asked the cabinet several weeks ago to consider allowing Jews to resume visits to the Temple Mount.

But the debate had been delayed by a surge of violence.

The site is sacred to Jews and Muslims

Government spokesman Avi Pazner said: "There is a principle which says Jews have the right to visit the Temple Mount.

"We have maintained that there is an absolute right on this... The intention is only to restore the status quo."

The visit by Mr Sharon - who was the leader of what was then the right-wing Likud opposition party - incensed Muslims.

Fights broke out during his visit and there were clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians the next day.

The Islamic Waqf, the religious trust which administers the site, later decided to bar non-Muslim visitors.

But Israeli police have occasionally entered the area for security reasons.

Waqf director Adnan Husseini said that Jews could only enter the Mount with Waqf permission and suggested there should be no change while the current violence continues.