The Camp David Peace process has ended suddenly in what feels like war in Israel. The theological and historical debates over Jerusalem and sovereignty have turned into a dateline of provocation and police action, with nearly fifty civilian deaths in just a few days. It’s not like the Intifada a few years ago with Palestinian youths throwing rocks and Israeli soldiers firing rubber bullets. This time around, it’s Palestinian police armed with machine guns, and Israelis firing from heavily armed Apache helicopters.
The spark in this tinderbox was Ariel Sharon’s deliberately provocative visit to the contested shrines in Jerusalem’s Old City last week. Sharon hoped to shore up his right-wing credentials by trumpeting Israeli control over the whole of the Temple Mount. The violence he has unleashed my end up strengthening Palestinian claims in Jerusalem. War and Peace in the holy land, this hour on the Connection.
(Hosted by Christopher Lydon)
Guests:
Deborah Sontag, New York Times
Jennifer Ludden, National Public Radio
and Charles Sennott, Boston Globe.