Like so much in the Middle East, the current violence in Israel goes back centuries

The World
A Palestinian youth (L) yells at right-wing Jewish activists (not pictured) as they visit the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City July 28, 2015.

At the core of the current violence engulfing Israel and the Palestinian Territories is one hilltop compound sacred to Jews and Muslims both

Why is this holy site so explosive? Here's a brief explainer.

1. Why is this site sacred to Jews?

Jews call it the Temple Mount — the site of the ancient Jewish Temple. It was the center of ancient Israelite worship, the place where tradition says the tablets of the Ten Commandments were stored inside the Ark of the Covenant, that golden box featured in the classic film Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC and then rebuilt and then destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

2. Why is it sacred to Muslims?

Muslims call it the Noble Sanctuary — the site of the Prophet Mohammed's night journey to heaven. After the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem in the 7th century, the Dome of the Rock was built to house a large bedrock slab where tradition says Mohammed ascended to heaven. The golden-topped shrine is the Holy Land's most famous landmark.

3. Who controls the site?

When Israel captured the site from the Jordanians in the 1967 Mideast War, it quickly laid down a set of rules known as the Status Quo. According to that arrangement, Muslim religious authorities administer the site, but Israel controls security at the site. Non-Muslims — including Jews — may ascend the compound as tourists and visitors, but they are not allowed to pray there.

4. How is all of this connected to the currect violence? 

A growing movement of Jewish activists is trying to change the status quo at the site. They say the Western Wall — a mere retaining wall of the ancient Temple complex — is not where Jews should be praying, but atop the Temple Mount itself.

In recent years, thousands of Jews have been making visits at the site. Last year, 12,000 Jews visited the site. Palestinians see this as Israel trying to take over their holy site. Israel denies it seeks to change the status quo arrangement at the site, and accuses Palestinians of spreading lies that are instigating violence.

On the eve of the Jewish New Year last month, Jewish activists organized a mass visit to the site. Palestinians demonstrated at the site, clashing with Israeli forces, for a few days straight. In recent days, tensions have boiled over from the hilltop compound into the rest of Jerusalem's walled Old City, and in different parts of the West Bank and Israel.

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.