The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount Gershom Gorenberg
Cain murdered Abel, says an ancient legend, in an argument over who would own the Temple Mount. That story summs up the passion aroused by the sacred real estate: the hilltop in Jerusalem where King David erected an alter, where Solomon and Herod built their temples, where the Dome of the Rock now stands, and where prominent leaders of America's Christian right insistently predict, the Third Temple will be built. The Temple Mount is a symbol, in the world of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, of the end of the world, and its fate is important to the preservation of peace in the volatile Middle East. This book explains the fascination, of fundamentalist, with the Mount and why it remains a catalyst for conflict. It also shows why the risks will increase after the year 2000, as prophesised dates for the End pass and believers look for a way to ensure that the End comes within the lifetime of those who saw the creation of the state of Israel.