I Wonder Why?

Once again, Israel has restricted access to the Temple Mount in anticipation of violence during Ramadan. The Palestinians are, to be expected, upset about this. So why would Israel feel a need to do this? What justification might they have?

Well, how about:

Al-Qaida plans to launch massive attacks on U.S. and allied interests throughout the Mideast during the Islamic fast month of Ramadan.

Or:

For its part, the Islamic Jihad movement stressed in a festival held in Beit Lahia town to the north of Gaza on the 8th assassination anniversary of its founder and secretary general Fatehi al-Shiqaqi, its persistence to continue resistance and rejection of any truce with Israel.

I've been to the Temple Mount. If the Israelis are voicing concerns about the potential for violence, I can agree that they are well founded.

This is a case of the Palestinians reaping a little of what they have sown. They used the Mount as a platform for violence in the past and as a result they've lost any real credibility in claiming it won't be the same this time. They made a choice to lash out against the Jews in Jerusalem, using the Mount for cover; they also made a choice to accept whatever reasonable punishment the Israelis might impose because of that action.

It is my belief that the Palestinian right to pray on the Temple Mount is greatly outweighed by the Israeli right to security and self-defense. If the Israelis feel it is necessary to restrict access to a known flashpoint for violence, well, you won't hear any complaints from my little corner of the world.