What triggered the crisis?
Two Israeli policemen were killed in the attack perpetrated by three Israeli Arabs. In response, Israeli police closed Temple Mount for the traditional Friday prayers and before re-opening the complex, installed additional cameras and metal detectors at the entrances. The decision triggered a sharp outcry from Palestinians and the Waqf, an Islamic trust that manages Temple Mount. Waqf and Fatah (the Palestinian Authority ruling party) called for protests and demanded the removal of the new security measures. Five Palestinians were killed in subsequent clashes with police and more than 300 wounded, and three Israelis were killed in an attack in the West Bank. President Abbas announced the Palestinian Authority had frozen contact with Israel, including security cooperation.
What is the significance of Temple Mount?
Temple Mount, which contains the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, is one of Islam’s three holiest sites and where, according to Muslims, the Prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven. For Jews, it is where the Holy Temple was situated, although all that remains is the Western Wall, now the most sacred place of Judaism. Since the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel has controlled Temple Mount, but administrative management is maintained by the Waqf. This organisation is funded by Jordan and King Abdullah II is the official custodian of both Muslim shrines. Temple Mount has often been a source of Israeli-Palestinian crises in the past. The outbreak of the second intifada is attributed to Ariel Sharon's visit to Temple Mount in 2000.
Has Jordan played a key role in alleviating tensions?
The Temple Mount crisis sparked anti-Israel protests across the Middle East. Muslim states, including Jordan and Turkey, condemned Israel and called for a return to the pre-attack arrangements. In Jordan, an incident occurred in which two Jordanians were killed by an Israeli Embassy guard in Amman after one of them attacked him with a screwdriver. This triggered a diplomatic crisis between the states, with Jordan blocking the planned evacuation of Israeli embassy personnel and demanding to interrogate the guard. After U.S. mediation, the conflict was resolved. Part of the settlement was the dismantling of the metal detectors and cameras from Temple Mount, as demanded by the Jordanians.
Can the crisis deepen?
The crisis came amid an ongoing intensification of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that began around 2014. Despite the violence, it is unlikely to move to more widespread anti-Israel violence like a new intifada. The Temple Mount crisis is not fully resolved and further attacks related to it cannot be ruled out, but there are indications of de-escalation, including the change in Israel’s security measures. In this context, Abbas's decision to suspend cooperation with Israel should be seen as an attempt at damage control as well as appeasing the Palestinian public to regain its favour. Hamas, which controls Gaza, has limited its response mainly to rhetoric. In the short term, the crisis may delay the U.S.-sponsored reactivation of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
