Issues Under Fire: 24/7 Surveillance of the al-Aqsa Mosque is Too Little Too Late

Issues Under Fire: 24/7 Surveillance of the al-Aqsa Mosque is Too Little Too Late 

As U.S. media outlets inundated viewers with Donald Trump reassigning blame for the 911 attacks, and the congressional witch hunt of Hillary Clinton for the Benghazi debacle, the world had to move on with the hottest issues du jour. With madness on the rise globally, few amongst us have the luxury to linger in the past. So in the interest of understanding and documenting the hottest crisis of the moment, this blog will stick with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. When it comes to unmitigated madness, few issues can compete with Israel.

Of all the issues plaguing the world today, currently the al-Aqsa Mosque actually trumps the Syrian civil war, even with the European refugee catastrophe it triggered. Arab Israelis are literally trying to slaughter Israeli Jews in the streets of Jerusalem with knives, meat cleavers and any other sharp, blunt object they can commit mayhem with. Jewish Israelis are arming themselves, forming gangs and hunting down anyone that looks suspicious or just looks Arab. And neither the Israeli government nor its regional partners have a clue as to how to stop the violence. 

In a shamelessly weak proposal to address this al-Aqsa Mosque flashpoint, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, King Abdullah of Jordan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to place the holy site under 24/7 surveillance. In the remote hope of monitoring visitors, these so-called top officials are betting adding cameras will dissuade those who'd willfully violate the terms of the status quo.  

While the Band-Aide solution may have resonated with those taking part in talks at the 30 thousand foot level, Palestinians and Arab Israelis on the ground floor are moving beyond the al-Aqsa Mosque issue. They want a state of their own and they want it now. At this point, the perceived threat to the al-Aqsa Mosque might have started this latest uprising, but the only thing that'll stop it now is to address the occupation itself.

Perhaps if Benjamin Netanyahu supported his assurances of enforcing the holy site's status quo with severe consequences for anyone violating the terms of the current agreement, more moderate Arab and Palestinian voices could have eased tensions before the violence escalated beyond control. Perhaps if Arab Israelis were promised that Jews insisting on encroaching upon Muslim designated spaces would face ten years in prison (minimum) and have their homes bulldozed, they might have reconsidered their actions. If Arab Israelis were assured an Israeli Jew would be held as accountable for his/her actions as Arabs are, this hotly contested issue may have fizzled by now. 

Unfortunately, it's too late to quell the violence. It's too late to turn the clock back. It's too late for people to forgive and forget. Too much blood has been spilled and too many lives have been lost. Even if the killing stopped tomorrow, the hate and distrust will remain in the hearts of thousands for a thousand lifetimes. Stories of what has been allowed to occur in Israel and the occupied territories will be shared for generations to come.  

Bottom line: Because the Netanyahu government decided to appease right wing extremist instead of taking a very public and unambiguous stand against forces determined to change the sensitive status quo, decades from now, the Arab and Palestinian kids throwing rocks today will be telling their grandchildren never to trust the Jews. Decades from now, young Israeli soldiers will be telling their grandchildren never trust an Arab or the Palestinians. If Benjamin Netanyahu is not replaced, decades from now this place called Israel will still be conflicted.  Podcast below!