Israelis claim to work hard to resolve their differences with Palestinians to establish a lasting peace. However, the Israeli government allowed hard-line opposition Likud Party leader Ariel Sharon to visit with an armed escort what is known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif. This is the same Ariel Sharon infamous among Palestinians for leading the bloody campaign against Palestinian Liberation Organization forces in southern Lebanon 18 years ago.

The Haram al-Sharif is the third-holiest shrine in Islam. The site has been under Muslim custodianship since the seventh century. Located in Muslim-populated East Jerusalem, historically the Haram al-Sharif has also been important for Jews, being the site of two great Jewish temples.

Sharon’s brief visit to the most contested land in the Middle East is simply another show of Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem – a city home to Jews, Muslims and Christians. By allowing a man so reviled by Palestinians to visit the holy site, either the Israeli government made a shortsighted mistake or has no intention of establishing peace with the Palestinians. While I would like to believe the current turmoil is the result of a simple mistake, recent events seem to prove otherwise.

Palestinian leaders warned Sharon and the Israeli government that a visit to Islamic holy sites on the Temple Mount could spark riots. The Palestinian Information Ministry called upon the Israeli government to prevent this provocative visit, to avoid a new massacre of Palestinians.

Even Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak condemned the visit as nothing but a pointless provocation, which could even be dangerous.

Sharon, however, did not listen; the result has been over 100 civilians killed and over 2,000 more injured – many of them children.

A man wanting peace with Palestinians would not act in such a stupid and imprudent way. Sharon’s motives were obviously political. His actions strengthen his position within the Likud Party ensuring the support of fundamentalist and extreme factions of Israeli society, a politically powerful and vocal group. The ensuing riots also certainly delay any peace process.

Having historical, cultural and religious roots in the same land, the Israelis and the Arabs must work out their differences. However, cooperation may not be feasible when the Israeli government refuses to compromise on important issues such as Jerusalem.

Can one blame the Palestinians for their reaction? After all, they are the ones constantly having their homes bulldozed by Israelis. They are the ones living in refugee camps and treated like second-class citizens. They are the ones killed in the streets by Israeli security forces. If the Israeli government wants peace, it must treat Palestinians like human beings with the same dignity and rights accorded to all people by God.

-The writer is a senior majoring in information systems.