ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the reasons for the exceptional situation of a relatively peaceful cohabitation. The analysis refers to the following parameters: the site's religious and historical importance; its past shared veneration and medieval frictions; its strategic location and importance in identity politics; its shared popular tradition by Jews and Muslims; its history of sharing and contesting. The site was entirely fenced in to prevent unnecessary friction between Jews and Muslims and to ensure that the sanctity of the place was not violated, particularly on sensitive dates of mass worship. Muslims share the belief in the biblical figures and almost the same biblical narrative of Jews and Christians. The Jewish tradition of visiting the site around the time of Shavu'ot appears to have continued into the sixteenth century under Ottoman rule. Muslims and Jews alike could easily tolerate the continued sharing of the site, despite Muslim exclusivity there during Jordanian rule.
