Exclusive: “Third World War Could Erupt From Temple Mount,” Warns Jerusalem Expert

“I would like to believe that the Third Temple will be built in the end times with the coming of the Messiah.”

By Israel Today Staff | | Topics: Temple Mount, Jerusalem
Mount Moriah, the Temple Mount, God's Holy Hill in Jerusalem is the focal point of local conflict and global consternation, just as the Bible said it would be.
Mount Moriah, the Temple Mount, God's Holy Hill in Jerusalem is the focal point of local conflict and global consternation, just as the Bible said it would be. Photo: Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90

Noted Jerusalem expert Dr. Samuel Berkowitz reminds Israel Today Editor-in-Chief Aviel Schneider that 40 years ago renowned academics at Harvard University actually presented a possible scenario for a third world war that would be sparked by conflict over the Temple Mount. “I take this very seriously,” he warns. “The Muslims are experts at instigating uprisings.” Berkowitz has written several books on the topic, among them How Terrible Is this Place (Carta, 2006). The title is an echo of Genesis 28:17 – מה נורא המקום הזה – “Mah norah ha-makom ha-zeh!” – which could also be translated: “How awesome is this place.”

 

Israel Today: Is Jerusalem united as Israel’s capital?

Dr. Berkowitz: No. Technically, it may be united, but in practice it is not. Israeli law is valid on both sides of the city, but in terms of every day life, things are not equal. On the eastern side of the city there are clear signs of neglect, affecting the infrastructure, education, welfare and social services.

 

Let’s assume that Israel had done things differently over the last 50 years and this neglect had not occurred. Would that have satisfied the Arabs?

No, it is impossible to buy off the nationalist Arab movement with money. And yet, the violence in Jerusalem is more subdued because the Arabs here have something to lose. They receive financial subsidies from the state, just like all citizens of Jerusalem. For this reason, the Arabs of Jerusalem are more cautious than their brothers in other areas. But they have the same goal, and are striving for a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

 

Let’s be realistic. No Israeli government will surrender the Western Wall, and the Islamic world will never allow a Palestinian leader to give up the mosques on the Temple Mount for the sake of peace.

It is quite possible that we have a problem here that we cannot solve. But what we know is that this conflict will claim thousands of victims on both sides. And we don’t want to live with a sword in our hands forever. So we must test the Arabs, once and for all, to see whether they really want to live with us in peace. We must be prudent about our security today, and not make everything about the rights of our ancestors. What use are those rights if we don’t have security? If we make a deal and the Arabs break it, Israel can always retake the Palestinian state.

Look, I realize this is not simple. We don’t have a genuine partner for peace. Still, one negotiates peace with one’s enemies, not with one’s friends, right? Is there a real chance for peace? No. But should we try anyway? Yes!

 

But, again, Jerusalem is a sticking point. We must first theoretically have a solution for this city. But how can we when the Palestinians deny and rewrite Jewish and biblical history to fit their agenda?

This is a problem. Jerusalem is not mentioned even once in the Koran. All the European experts on the Middle East know that Mohammad was never in Jerusalem. The whole basis for the Palestinians viewing the Temple Mount as sacred is a minor story that even the Muslims originally considered to be myth. According to this story, Allah is said to have brought Mohammad on a flying horse from Mecca to a place called Al-Aqsa.

But the Koran was written in the year 652, and Mohammad had died in 632. What is now called the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem was built only 55 years later. We are dealing here with mere matters of faith, whereas I can prove historically and archaeologically that the Jewish Temple stood in Jerusalem. I can accept their belief, and, as far as I am concerned, the Muslims should continue to pray there, but the Jews must also be allowed to go onto the Temple Mount and pray.

 

Do you have concrete examples of this proof?

Until well into the 11th century, the Muslims themselves called Jerusalem “City of the Temple.” In 1924 and 1929, the Supreme Council for the Muslims in the Middle East published a tourism and travel guide for the holy sites in the region. There it states in black and white that on the site of the two mosques there once stood the Temple of Solomon.

Palestinian historian Aref el-Aref, a colleague of the Jerusalem mufti Mohammed Amin al Husseini, wrote: “The Wailing Wall is the Temple wall that King Herod built. The Jews pray by this wall, and on Tisha B’Av they weep because of the destruction of the Temple. Haram el Sharif lies on Mount Moria, which is mentioned in the Book of Genesis in the Bible; David bought this mount for the building of a temple, which was built by King Solomon in the year 1007.”

The New Testament also describes the Jerusalem Temple in detail.

 

The Palestinians describe themselves as the descendants of the Canaanites, the Philistines and the Jebusites. They understand that they need to be connected to one of the biblical nations who were here before Israel in order to have a real claim to the land.

First of all, the Palestinians need to decide whose descendants they want to be. Any sensible person who knows anything about history knows that this is absolute nonsense. The Muslims claim that Abraham was their ancestor. How can this be true historically if Islam only arose centuries later, in the 7th century, through Mohammad? Where were all the Muslims in the period between Abraham and Mohammad?

My students at Hebrew University hear from me over and over again that the Palestinians are a new nation. Before the 20th century there were no Palestinian people! Just as there were no Muslims 2,000 years ago. A Palestinian student once told me that they are the descendants of the Jebusites. I asked her to write an essay with historical facts and evidence for what she was claiming. She didn’t succeed in doing so.

I respect the Muslims, and I do not want to tear down their mosques, nor do I want to build a temple. I simply demand that they respect our Jewish history and the Temple in Jerusalem. I do not really favor the building of a Third Temple. I would like to believe that this will happen in the end times with the coming of the Messiah.

 

What role does the Christian world play in the conflict over Jerusalem?

Under Israeli rule, the Christian world is enjoying religious freedom in Jerusalem as never before. Things were very different under the Ottomans and the Jordanians. But there are two disturbing issues.

The first is the classic Christian theology that accuses us Jews of having killed Jesus, which leads to antisemitism. In this view, the Jewish people are an accursed people who should not be permitted to exist. The Church regards itself as the new Israel. They are the spiritual Israel, and we are Israel in the flesh. These Christians have a fundamental problem with the return of the Jews to Eretz Israel (the Land of Israel) and the founding of our state.

The second issue is that many Church leaders are concerned for fellow Christians in the Palestinian areas and in the Arab countries in the Middle East. During the intifada, Palestinian Muslims told their Christian brothers and sisters that after the Shabbat (Sabbath) comes Sunday–after we have finished with the Jews, it will be the turn of the Christians. I am aware of countless attacks by Palestinian Muslims on Christians who refused to take part in Palestinian uprisings against Israel. Global Christian leaders are concerned for the safety of the Christians in the Arab world, and therefore will not take Israel’s side.

 

Would this conflict even exist without Jerusalem as a catalyst?

Of course. Our conflict with the Palestinians has to do with the entire Land of Israel, not just with Jerusalem. Jerusalem has become the focus because of the sanctity of the Temple. A national and religious conflict is raging between us and the Palestinians over who is permitted to rule this land.

 

So, there is no chance of finding a solution?

That may well be true, but I want to keep believing nevertheless in the possibility of peace.

You Might Also Like
Load more
Members

Israel Today Membership

Read all member content. Access exclusive, in-depth reports from Israel! Free Zoom events. Connect with Israel right from your home! Raise a voice of truth and hope. Support Faith-based journalism in Jerusalem!

Monthly
Membership

$5
/ month
Full access to Israel Today's Member-only content on all Digital Platforms.
Become a Member

Yearly
Membership

$46
/ year
Full access to Israel Today's Member-only content on all Digital Platforms.
Save 18% Per Month.
Become a Member

Six Months
Membership

$28
every 6 months
Full access to Israel Today's Member-only content on all Digital Platforms.
Save 9% Per Month.
Become a Member
Israel Today comments guidelines Kommentar-Regeln

11 responses to “Exclusive: “Third World War Could Erupt From Temple Mount,” Warns Jerusalem Expert”

  1. Robert's World says:
    January 5, 2023 at 3:32 pm

    Sadly, many Muslims, never mind other Gentiles, whether believers or not, swallow the Palestinian line without a second thought. I know one Muslim very well and he considers himself well educated on world events/ issues. However, when it comes to Israel I am shocked how he views this country and the Jews, even when I present other perspectives. (And Jesus was a Palestinian!)

    Good interview and short history lesson in this interview!

  2. Masami Cobley says:
    January 5, 2023 at 4:27 pm

    It seems a big piece missing in this conversation – that is the sovereign authority of the Lord Jesus over the nation of Israel, who is in the process of fulfilling Isaiah 49:6. 1(aleph) 9(teth) 4(daleth) in this order make up a word that means “thorn-bush (Christ’s thorn)”. So, I believe that the Lord’s punishment for the Jews who had demanded His death went on and on, but in the 1940s, their debts were fully paid up, and the time for the Lord Jesus to gather the remnant of Israel began in 1948. Hence, I see the changing of the hearts of some Orthodox rabbis towards Him, and the new government’s pledge to bring the Hebrew Bible Studies back into the secularised high school curriculum as the works of the Lord Jesus. In thinking about this predominantly anti-Jewish world, we mustn’t forget about His authority in heaven and on earth (Mt 28:18).

  3. Todd Sumrall says:
    January 5, 2023 at 8:23 pm

    The real issue is not over who rules the land. It is over the fact that God created the covenant with Abraham then Isaac and not Ishmael and then Jacob and not Esau. The hatred towards Israel among the enemies of Israel is because of that irrevocable covenant. Until Messiah comes, Yeshua, and destroys once and for all the enemies of God, the hatred will remain. There is no chance of real peace until then. However, there will be an attempt, that will be a lie, by the one known as the antichrist. I suspect the next Jewish war will result in this character to become known to the world, just as Paul foretold in 2Thessalonians chapter 2.

  4. LarryFreeman says:
    January 5, 2023 at 10:35 pm

    There will never be constructive dialog with any goy. Not till the mountain is split. The whole world is anti semite save a few enlightened believers in messiah. Why are they A-S? Becuase the world and its satanic leader hate God. No point even wasting breath on this point.

  5. Mark Watkins says:
    January 5, 2023 at 10:38 pm

    Shalom,

    The Third World war has already begun, it is currently taking place inside Ukraine & Russia.

    Does Yisrael seriously think by being Geo-politicaly correct that somehow Putin will deny Iran their insane ideas they will eliminate Yisrael off the face of the planet? Just look at how their alliance is already firmly cemented, Turkey is also on board, as well as Syria…. Etc…

    The Presaged Yehez’qel 38-39 has already resolved this issue, as well as Yesha’ayhu 17…. If anyone doubts this, do the research, don’t take my word for it, everything is falling into place, as the world the world views it, everything is falling apart…

  6. Richard Dunn says:
    January 6, 2023 at 3:10 am

    Shalom, Bible believing Christians do not hate the Jews. When you say “Church” I can only assume from your comments that you refer to the Roman Catholics, et. al. As a KJV Bible believing Christian I know that noone killed the Savior. He freely offered Himself on our behalf.

  7. Jürgen Buschhardt says:
    January 6, 2023 at 3:13 am

    Leider hat Israel immer Kompromisse gemacht, sie hätten längst den Tempelberg abriegeln sollen nachdem so viele Unruhen und unschuldige Menschen ihr Leben verloren haben. Wie kann man da noch seinen Feinden den Tempelberg verwalten lassen??? Wo doch ganz offensichtlich ist das sie nie zulassen werden oder wollen das Juden dort beten.Die Regierung muss jetzt hart durchgreifen und dieses Terrorregime der Hamas und der PLO ein Ende setzen.Das Westjordanland und Samaria muss einverleibt werden und der Tempelberg muss von Israel verwaltet werden. Dazu müssen Juden das Recht bekommen zu jederzeit auf dem Tempelberg zu beten und die Muslime bei Aufstände und Terror sofort den Tempelberg sperren lassen, damit sie wissen wer Herr ist nicht sie sondern Gottes volk die Israeliten

  8. Esther Wischer says:
    January 6, 2023 at 4:39 am

    Yes, Richard, true Christians do not hate the Jews! They love them and pray for them. Only a deceived minority believe the replacement theology.
    Israel belongs to the Lord. The Bible cannot be changed. See Jeremiah 31;37, Romans 11, God’s promises to Abraham etc etc. Yeshua gave himself as a sacrifice for our sins. That was His reason for coming to this earth – He says that no one takes His life from Him – He laid it down Himself. If we want to be technical, the Jews didn’t crucify Yeshua, the Romans did! That means we are all guilty of rejecting Him.
    God also tells us that whoever blesses Israel will be blessed, and whoever curses Israel will be cursed.
    We Gentiles are grafted into the vine in the infinite mercy of our God.
    Yeshua is coming very soon – to Israel!

Leave a Reply

Israel Today Newsletter

Daily news

FREE to your inbox

Israel Heute Newsletter

Tägliche Nachrichten

KOSTENLOS in Ihrer Inbox

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter