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Al-Boraq Wall: It is part of the exterior facade of the western wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque. Al-Boraq, a creature which carried Mohammad during his ascension to heaven, was tied to this wall. Some Orthodox religious Jews consider it as a holy place for them, and claim that the wall is part of their temple, [but] all historic studies and archeological excavations have failed to find any proof for such a claim. In order to undermine the foundations of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Israeli government has converted it into a religious shrine for Jews, prohibiting non-Jews to enter it, except for a limited number of tourists.

This revisionist description not only flies in the face of history and archaeology, but also has the more sinister motive of eradicating the biblical history of the area, which undermines the validity of Judaism and Christianity.

The PNA has dubbed the current disturbances the "Intifada of Al-Aqsa." Intifada is the Arabic word for "uprising," and Al-Aqsa is the mosque in Jerusalem that observant Muslims regard as their third-holiest site, after Mecca and Medina.

The current intifada should be distinguished from the one that began in December 1987 and ended by the time the Oslo peace process commenced in mid-1993. The PNA's sentiments in regard to Al-Aqsa are so strong that it has appealed to the Muslim world to declare a jihad (holy war) against Israel and to help defend the mosque, which, to my knowledge, has never been threatened.

It seems obvious to my Jewish friends and me that the PNA cannot protect the sites sacred to Jews and Christians, or guarantee safe and free access to the sites. These most recent incidents require us as Christians and Jews to call on international authorities to protect our biblical sites and places of worship before they are lost forever.

Copyright © 2001 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Bridges for Peace's homepage offers news from Jerusalem and a description of the ministry from director Clarence J. Wagner.

Visit the official homepage of the Palestinian National Authority.

Read more about Ariel Sharon and his role in the current conflict at CNN.com. You can also learn more about Yassar Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin.

Previous Christianity Today stories about conflict in Israel and Palestine include:

Christmas in Palestine: Hunger and War | Starvation threatens Palestinian villages if U.N. aid continues to be delayed, Vatican official warns. (Dec. 13, 2000)

Between the Temple Mount and a Hard Place | Palestinian Christians want both peace in their villages and justice for their Muslim brothers. (Dec. 5, 2000)

Lutheran Bishop's Appeal from Jerusalem | Religious leader's letter requests prayer for Christians, Jews, and Palestinians in troubled region. (Nov. 10, 2000)

Latin Patriarch tells Israel to Surrender Lands to Palestinians | Catholic leader says Israel will never have peace unless it "converts all of its neighbors to friends." (Nov. 1, 2000)

Fighting Engulfs a Christian Hospital in Jerusalem | Lutherans call conflict on their hospital grounds "an affront" to humanitarian purposes. (Oct. 16, 2000)

Preparing for Pilgrims | Religious rivalry complicates millennial planning. (June 14, 1999)

How Evangelicals Became Israel's Best Friend | (October 5, 1998)

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February 5 2001, Vol. 45, No. 2