Daniel Katz's First Post: The Temple Mount and Competing Historical Narratives

It is my first time being in Jerusalem in 7 or so years and I have felt the tensions pervading this area. Yesterday going up to the Temple Mount, I sense a lot of distrust between Muslim and Jews in the area, seeing the Israeli police stand by while the Muslim religious authority made sure our group was modestly dressed.

According to our guide, many Palestinians deny that there was ever a Jewish temple on the Temple Mount. Even Mahmoud Abbas, a Palestinian leader in the West Bank supporting a 2-state solution, does not believe this. While I presume most people would not see this as problematic when it comes to peace negotiations, I do. I see such denial as a dangerous sort of historical revisionism. It is a revisionism that not only denies what is regarded as historical fact, but also deliberately strips Israel and to an extent the Jewish people in general of their historical narrative. By stripping Israel of its narrative, Palestinians who deny the existence of the temples are undermining Israel by delegitimizing their history. Thus, while many Palestinians and Israelis maybe amicable to peace, such revisionism will only strain tensions because Palestinians will see no legitimate reasons for Israel having (partial) control of Jerusalem.

Without realizing the importance of this history to Jews and Israelis, many Palestinians will view Israeli Jews as invaders, having no ancient connection to the lands they control and govern. This, in my opinion, is not a recipe for peace and stability in the region. Assuming Palestinians have such a perception, even if peace where to come about, it would not be long lived.

Historical narratives and legitimacy in places such as Israel and Palestine are controversial. Both sides feel they have a more legitimate claim than the other to the land. These historical claims largely play into both Zionist/Israeli and Palestinian aspirations and will continue to affect the perceptions and attitudes between the two groups, especially so when the opposing sides have competing historical narratives for control of the Temple Mount.