JERUSALEM – In another dramatic and what could be traumatic move, the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement, led by researcher and lecturer, Gershon Salomon, will attempt to move a 4.5 ton cornerstone into place for a planned Third Temple on Monday at 9 a.m. Jerusalem time. It would coincide with the third day of the Feast of Tabernacles in which thousands of Christians are in the city for the Feast.
In previous years, including last Oct. 6, the group was prevented from nearing the Temple Mount, presently under Islamic control, by Israeli security forces. The Temple Mount Faithful believes the cornerstone laying would initiate the rebuilding of the Temple, now occupied by Dome of the Rock shrine and Al-Aqsa mosque.
Will this year be any different? Probably not, for success would lead to huge riots between Jews and Muslims, who both consider the area sacred to their faiths.
In October 1990, 17 Palestinians were killed when it was rumored throughout the Islamic quarters that the Israeli “infidels” were taking over the Temple Mount. Even a month later, Muslim youth were still throwing rocks at anyone who approached the area.
Salomon and his supporters are zealous in their efforts, however, few believe they will have any success and as author David Dolan has stated: “There’s not a chance in the world that the cornerstone will be laid. It’s a publicity thing. There would be huge riots if this happened.”
In August, Prime Minister Ehud Barak sent Israeli police to the Temple Mount to seal an opening in the southern wall near the Dome of the Rock. The Muslim Waqf religious authority had widened a window, which Israeli Public Security Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami called “a flagrant violation, not only of the law, but also of the (religious) status quo.”
After Israeli police sealed the opening, Barak ordered reinforcements to the highly volatile area to ensure there wouldn’t be any Palestinian backlash. There were no reported incidents.
In a press release, Salomon said: “The Israeli authorities will only allow the cornerstone to be brought close to the Eastern Gate of the Temple Mount and to the City of David. However, we will do our best to convince the Israeli authorities to open the gates of the Temple Mount for the cornerstone.”
He added that the rebuilding of the Temple, which was the biggest dream over the last 1,900 years since the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, “will completely change the status quo in Israel, the Middle East and all over the world.”
Most dismiss Salomon’s scheme as a “publicity stunt.”
Meanwhile, Arutz-7 reported that Israeli Attorney-General Elyakim Rubinstein had asked the Supreme Court to turn down a petition from the Faithful that demanded the government halt Muslim construction at Al-Aqsa mosque to build an additional mosque. Rubinstein cited the site’s “extreme sensitivity” and also the works were almost completed.
Kaye Corbett is a WorldNetDaily columnist and Middle East bureau chief based in Jerusalem.
