Israel moves to maintain relevance

Tel Aviv is playing a dangerous game at Al Aqsa mosque and it could backfire

Israeli border police officers detain a Palestinian protester in Jerusalem's Old City. Ammar Awad / Reuters

Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa mosque is one of the holiest places in Islam and, due to Israel’s control of the city, remains a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Since 1967, jurisdiction of the mosque compound has been central to the fight over who controls Jerusalem and, by extension, a sticking point in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a whole. As a result, the gold plates of the Dome of the Rock, adjacent to Al Aqsa mosque, are part of the most recognisable monuments in the city.

Hundreds of Israeli Jews entered the compound last week in an act of provocation threatening the uneasy status quo that hangs over Jerusalem. The visit set off a dangerous cycle of violence between Israeli security forces and Palestinians worshippers inside the mosque itself, as has happened countless times before. After all, it was Israeli politician Ariel Sharon’s visit to Al Aqsa mosque that is widely cited as the trigger for the Second Intifada in September 2000. As such, Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi said that Israel was “playing with fire” with these recent provocations.

Why is Israel engaged in such risky provocation? For one, fighting near the mosque reminds the international community of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict’s existence. At a time when the global news cycle is dominated by the Syrian civil war, the European refugee crisis, the rise of ISIL and the Yemen conflict, Israel finds itself confined to the back of people’s minds. Coupled with Israel’s defeat in blocking the US-Iran nuclear deal, in which US pro-Israel lobby AIPAC spent upwards of $20 million (Dh73m) trying and failing to make Israel’s case, it seems that Israel’s PR efforts have taken a serious bruising. Indeed, the recent raising of Palestine’s flag at the United Nations, ahead of the General Assembly, is a poignant metaphor for Palestine’s rising visibility and Israel’s sinking image.

As the United States begins to pivot towards Iran with the nuclear deal, Tel Aviv believes that it must demonstrate Israel’s relevance to American foreign policy. Traditionally Israel has accomplished this not with diplomacy but by highlighting its vulnerability through violent conflicts with the Palestinians and neighbouring countries. Israel’s leadership has made its unwillingness to make peace clear by entrenching its West Bank occupation, so we can only expect more provocation in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. These cynical attempts to highlight the conflict could easily succeed in fomenting a real outbreak of violence.