<< > And what about the big question: Who gets Jerusalem and the Temple
> Mount, which the hard-liners on both sides insist only they should have > exclusive possession of? <<Deny both sides the exclusive possession. If they cannot manage to share those places, place both places under permanent UN control. >> They share it *now*. Israel is not the side demanding exclusive possession. Israel has administered the Temple Mount fairly, allowing all religions access. From 1948 to 1967, when Jordan administered it, they refused to permit Jews access, even though they were required to by the armistice that ended the 1948 war of Israeli independence. And nobody, including the United Nations or Europe (or, alas, the United States), did a thing about. And you want Israel to trust the United Nations now? Even ultra-Orthodox Jewish "hardliners" do not deny the religious significance of the Temple Mount to Muslims. Muslim hardliners, however, *do* deny the religious significance of the Wailing Wall to Jews. There simply is no equivalence here at all. One side has opened it to everyone; the other side, given a chance, closed it off to one of the claimants. Why exactly should Israel - and the world's Jews - trust them now? What evidence can you point to that would indicate Jews should have any expectation of better treatment now than in the pre-1967 era? And I'm not talking about platitudes or promises. Promises can be - and have been - broken. Given our history, why exactly should Jews trust anyone but ourselves? The Temple Mount is *already* open to everyone. It may offend some Muslims that it is controlled by Israel; but it offended Jews when it was controlled by Jordan. At least now, it *is* open to everyone. Can you offer ironclad guarantees that this situation would continue under UN auspices? No you can't. Tom Beck "I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I didn't realize I'd also see the last." - Jerry Pournelle
