Geostrategic Importance of the Temple Mount in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Abstract

The following article analyzes the geostrategic importance of the Temple Mount in one of the longest-lasting conflicts in the modern world, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Attention was drawn to the paramount importance of the Temple Mount in the policies of both sides, with both sides emphasizing their ‘eternal’ right to this site due to historical, cultural, political, and religious ties. Taking into account the specific ‘sacred’ character of the Temple Mount and the fundamental sites for Judaism and Islam present there, the special nature of symbolic institutionalization used in the political narratives of both sides was emphasized, especially the ‘messianic’ aspects of the Israeli narrative of the current political elites. Both sides use various means to achieve their goals, including violent solutions and acts of discrimination, which generate negative social and political consequences, fueling a spiral of violence. The conflict-generating nature of the Temple Mount is one of the aspects that contribute to the impossibility of resolving the conflict. In accordance with the formulated research problem, research methods commonly used in social sciences were used to solve it: critical and comparative analysis of source materials (legal acts and documents, press materials taking into account the positions of both sides, websites of organizations, profiles on social media, films) and literature on the subject. Where necessary, a historical narrative was also used to show the nature of the conflict in a diachronic perspective.