Equal Access to the Temple Mount

Because of possible damage to an archeological garden, Israel has scrapped its plan for a new bridge to the Mugrabi Gate, which provides access to the Temple Mount from the Kotel. New plans for a bridge will have to be made.

Unmentioned in the entire discussion has been the fact that Jews have been denied routine access to their most holy spot, the Temple Mount, for most of the last two decades.

Imagine the worldwide outcry if Muslims had similarly been denied access to Mecca or Medina, or even a shrine whose importance to them pales in comparison to Meccca and Medina - the Temple Mount.

To even consider the outcry that would ensue is to recognize how unacceptable the current situation is.

It's long past time - two decades past time - for Israel to stop caving in to Arab and Muslim extremism when it comes to the Temple Mount. The principle of equal access should prevail and if Jews cannot routinely and safely visit the Temple Mount, neither should anyone else.