THE LATEST FROM JERUSALEM

The increasing unrest in Jerusalem where Palestinians rioted yesterday on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem were met with Israeli stun grenades and rubber bullets. Conflict often accompanies Ramadan at what Muslims consider to be their third most holiest site.

Jews also consider it to be sacred, believing it to be the location of Solomon’s Temple. In 2018, during our visit, my wife and I experienced lockdown in the Old City, when a Palestinian murdered two Israeli police.

Palestinians blame the current riots on what they believe are plans to reclaim parts of East Jerusalem. The festivities of Jerusalem Day last Monday, when Israel celebrates the reunification of Jerusalem at the end of the Six Day War in 1967, added another ingredient to the explosive cocktail.

The 160 rockets fired from Gaza by Hamas were met with Israeli rockets, killing at least eight Hamas militants. And so the conflict continues - a never-ending story.

My attempt to put human faces on the ongoing struggle and provide the historical context is found in my novel, ‘Wall of Tears’, available on my website.

(Photo:Jerusalem Post)