The imminent coincidence of Yom Kippur and the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha is expected to exacerbate the situation on the Temple Mount, where there have been multiple riots in recent weeks and spreading violence elsewhere in Jerusalem. Kobi Michael and Oded Eran suggest what Israel might do to prevent a major outbreak of violence:
The crisis, [which has been going on] for several months already, . . . requires the design of an overall strategy, not merely putting out fires as they occur. . . . The stabilization efforts should include stepped-up police presence and law enforcement, and legislative changes to enact more severe punishment [for rioters]. These should be combined with efforts to temper the behavior of Jewish provocateurs, and diplomatic and public-relations efforts to expose the true nature of the events on the Temple Mount to the international community, with an emphasis on the riots and violent confrontations [orchestrated] by Palestinian groups.
Concurrently, Israel should try to refashion the existing situation on the Temple Mount with a focus on excluding inciters, headed by Hamas and the northern faction of the Islamic Movement, while reinforcing the presence and influence of the Jordanian Waqf on the site. This would help preempt a possible maneuver in Abbas’s expected appearance before the UN General Assembly in late September that harps on the issue of Jerusalem as a convenient tool for the purpose of delegitimizing Israel in the international community.
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