Why did violence between Israelis and Palestinians erupt once again on September 28, 2000?
On that day, politician Ariel Sharon (now the President of Israel) and 1,000 armed officers visited Jerusalem’s Temple Mount to assert Israel’s claim to the site. Along one side of the Temple Mount is the Western Wall, the most sacred place of worship for Jews. Sharon’s visit angered Arabs because the Temple Mount also contains two of Islam’s holiest sites, the Dome of the Rock and the al Aqsa Mosque. Muslims believe that the from the Dome of the Rock Muhammad, the founder of Islam, rose into heaven. Known as the second Intifada, the conflict is now in it’s second year.
