With Temple Mount as flashpoint, violence rises in Jerusalem
In the midst of increasing violence and harassment against Arabs in Jerusalem and tensions over the Temple Mount, the Jerusalem Municipality announced encouraging news about two building plans in East Jerusalem Arab neighborhoods.
Hatred and nationalism have been seething in Jerusalem since three Israeli teens were slain on the outskirts of Hebron, and even more so during their funeral procession and following the killing of Palestinian youth Mohammed Abu Khdeir in East Jerusalem's Shuafat neighborhood.
Even as the United States mobilizes a broad Shiite-Sunni coalition against the fanatical Islamic State, the third most important city to Muslims has become a playing field for religious extremists and nationalists from both sides. One side — with the encouragement of government and right-wing legislators — aspires to deepen Jewish hegemony over the city, while the other responds with fire bombs, fueled by growing despair and distress.
