ABSTRACT
Many indications in the latest round of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians suggest that the Israeli—Palestinian conflict reflects, if not a civilizational fault line between Jewish Zionism and Islam, at the very least the Islamization of the conflict from a Palestinian perspective. First, its Islamization is suggested by the very title or name Palestinians and other analysts have given the present outbreak of hostilities that began at the end of September 2000: “the al-Aqsa intifada.” 1 Al-Aqsa is the name of the mosque situated on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, holy both to Jews and Muslims, where the first acts of violence took place. Most Palestinians claim that the visit by then Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon to the Temple Mount (al-Harm al-Sharif) provoked the violence. However, Israel and some Palestinians, including some who were close to Arafat, claim that the violence was preplanned. 2 Second, in the negotiations between Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian chairman Yasser Arafat at the Camp David summit in July 2000, sovereignty over the Temple Mount issue was purportedly one of the key bones of contention between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators. 3 Third, the violence on the Temple Mount led to the most widespread demonstrations and riots among Israel's Arab citizens since the establishment of the state. In the course of four days of violence, twelve Arab citizens were killed. 4 Even the Arab Palestinian “nationalist” press within Israel, which usually downplays the religious overtones of the conflict, had to report that the chants heard during the riots and demonstrations were mostly religious in nature. One of the most popular slogans was: “Haibar, Haibar, Ya Yahud, Jaish MuhammadsaYaud,” (“Haibar, Haibar, oh Jews recall, the army of Muhammad will return”). 5 The chant refers to a battle in 628 C.E. between Muhammad and the Jewish tribe of Haibar, in which the Muslim army utterly defeated the tribe. In addition, few can deny the importance of the suicide bombers in the current wave of violence and, initially at least, the religious sentiments motivating them. 6
