There are two ways to open a pressure cooker. The first is to turn the handle of the lid all at once, all but guaranteeing that the lid will go flying off. The second is to let the steam out slowly and gradually, enabling the lid to come off with ease and without causing damage. In the reality that has existed in the Middle East as a whole and in Judea and Samaria in particular over the last few decades, and which has been artificially "fueled" over the past 25 years, using the first approach to reduce tensions and violence unilaterally is not something that can possibly work. While history is full of challenges that were met with swift responses, like the cutting of the Gordian knot or Moses breaking the tablets of stone, the current reality on the Temple Mount is irreversible, and this particular pressure cooker needs to be opened slowly and carefully. Contrary to the opinions of so-called experts, we should refrain from bombastic headlines warning that World War III is imminent. The process cannot be accompanied by headlines anticipating riots, or self-fulfilling doomsday prophecies. The decision to install metal detectors at the entrance of the Temple Mount compound was made before the loathsome murders in Halamish. The false link between security measures and the Halamish terrorist attack distorts reality and diminishes the chance for de-escalation. There are plenty of people who have an interest in perpetuating a war, even if it serves no purpose in the long term or even the near term. Opening a pressure cooker correctly requires knowledge of the truth and a willingness to tell it. Linking the Halamish murders to the metal detectors only strengthens the conviction that Jews have no rights to the Temple Mount or any right to live without fearing bullets, knives, or missiles. The tailwind some Israeli opinion leaders give terrorism is so bad that it cannot be described in words other than the epithet given to Jewish historian Josephus Flavius during the Great Revolt against the Romans. It is not easy to say this, but if we're all in the same boat, weathering the same frequent storms, there is no room to intentionally rile up terrorists and terror masterminds. This has nothing to do with political views. The pressure cooker is scalding hot at the moment, and we need to let it cool down and open the lid patiently. The police have what they need to take the requisite steps. The security checks have turned into the main issue, without reason. Preventing terrorism is the goal, not the method. The debate was shoved aside to obfuscate the fact that if the Border Police had not acted with determination in the Temple Mount attack, it could have been much worse. Terrorists hiding in mosques with guns can be a recipe for endless volatility. Sometimes, we need to insist in order to prevent the next terrorist attack from taking place. This is part of the path toward finally reducing the pressure.
The right way to reduce the pressure
מערכת ישראל היום
מערכת "ישראל היום“ מפיקה ומעדכנת תכנים חדשותיים, מבזקים ופרשנויות לאורך כל שעות היממה. התוכן נערך בקפדנות, נבדק עובדתית ומוגש לציבור מתוך האמונה שהקוראים ראויים לעיתונות טובה יותר - אמינה, אובייקטיבית ועניינית.
