re: #756 iossarian

Well, my point of course was that there is no standard. You can’t say “it’s ours because we’ve been there for X years.” Statements like that are not logical arguments, they are just cheerleading.

This is why, in my opinion, it’s problematic to start out from a position of “this is ours and always shall be, God says so”.

Popping back in.

This isn’t the angle of discussion I would take. I’d take this angle:

Israel has been protecting the al-Aqsa mosque since 1967. When Ariel Sharon set foot on the Temple Mount, a whole intifada was sparked—and much of the political and chattering classes of the world accepted without debate that that was, indeed, sufficient cause to spark months of violence.

Joseph’s Tomb has been repeatedly damaged and vandalized while under the care of the Palestinian Authority. While pilgrims of all faiths are routinely allowed to worship in Jerusalem, those who wish to worship at the Tomb have had to sneak in and evade detection, risking, and in this latest case, losing, their lives. The political and chattering classes of the world could care less.

If we assume that mutual care of one another’s shrines is a prerequisite for peace and mutual security, as, I would argue, in such a region it must be, what would an improvement in this area look like?