For millennia, it was a scene that would have been unimaginable. Soldiers of the Jewish state, under the banner of the Star of David, crying exultantly, victoriously, “The Temple Mount is in our hands!” It has been 50 years since Israel captured the Temple Mount and Old Jerusalem after brutal house-to-house fighting during the 1967 Six-Day War. Five decades later, the sacred site remains politically explosive, with even the simple act of prayer generating huge conflict.

Yet, the biggest battles undoubtedly lay ahead. Competing claims to sovereignty are always at the center of any negotiations between Israel and its Arab neighbors. More importantly, there is a steady progression of signs indicating Jews are making real progress towards actually building the Third Temple, an act that would have profound geopolitical and spiritual ramifications. READ MORE