While campaigning, Itamar Ben-Gvir vowed to "protect the house," a.k.a. Israel. He got right to it – having been sworn in as national security minister – this week by visiting the Temple Mount, a move that prompted hysteria at home and abroad.
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He was afterward subjected to unprecedented criticism – especially by the Israeli Left – to which he responded sarcastically, saying he and his wife Ayala were used to "weekly death threats."
Ironically, it was the opposition that catapulted Ben-Gvir to an international level. The storm it fabricated spread the news about the lawmaker throughout the Arab world and his political views throughout Europe.
In reality, the Temple Mount is of little interest to anyone in Israel, except a handful of religious people. Not even the ultra-orthodox population cares about it that much. The holy site is mostly used as an instrument in political games.
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid hysterically claimed that Ben-Gvir committed the most explosive act there was, claiming the move would lead to bloodshed. He must have been so disappointed.
Israel has been traumatized by the premiership of Ariel Sharon, but we can no longer continue with these patterns. Had Ben-Gvir pilgrimaged to Mecca, now that would have been explosive. But there is and should not be anything controversial about his ascent to the most sacred Jewish holy site. Jews are afraid of themselves, like an ostrich that hides in the sand after years of living in the background.
I was amazed to hear Labor's Gilad Kariv, a reform rabbi and head of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, praise Ben-Gvir for his decision. Freedom of religion is freedom of religion, sanctity is sanctity, and the sanctity of the Temple Mount precedes even that of the Western Wall.
And Lapid, ironically, has succeeded in creating the Ben-Gvir storm that has spread throughout the globe: his gambit was reported by news outlets worldwide and was condemned by Jordan, China, and the United Arab Emirates. The United Nations even convened an emergency session on the matter.
But underneath it all, Dubai is also unlikely to care about the Temple Mount, for what it truly values is economic stability and protection from the Iran threat.
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