There was fear of an escalation of violence in the holy places of Jerusalem during the month of Ramadan and in fact all efforts to prevent any violence have failed. The level of violence is increasing day by day so much so that it is now perceived as part of the daily life of the city. While diplomatic efforts have tried to contain the situation, the reality of the territory is worsening, even assuming a new tone approaching a religious war with radical declarations and growing aggressiveness. Pessimistically, it is difficult to see a solution from the outside that have a real impact. Promises, pressures and diplomatic engagements are active abroad, but not on the scene of the conflict.
Considering the situation the Arab countries that have initiated a peace process with Israel they could consider the tool of diplomatic pressure on the Israeli government to act and prevent l’escalation, and the UAE is working in this direction. However, realpolitik limits the effectiveness of these efforts as a change in diplomatic tone, threats to limit security cooperation, and condemnations of the Israeli response by countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Morocco lead to serious actions such as breaking off relations or ending cooperation. Israel is aware of this, so initiatives within the conflict are more likely to pave the way for truly effective results at this stage.
As it stands, the conflict today seems to be led by religious tensions, and unfortunately this element is bound to amplify the conflict, so it is important to eliminate religion as an instrument of hostility. This requires a process of parallel diplomacy and religious tools to be used to contain the situation.
The real risk of a religious war should motivate all concerned religious powers to take courageous action in playing a role in preventing religion from being exploited and ensuring that it instead plays a role for end the conflict. This religious diplomacy is the only way that could drive change from within and use the source of the conflict to become the engine of peace.
For years there have been many attempts at interreligious dialogue and engagement, so the question today is whether this heritage of dialogue can play a role at such a critical time. This is the moment for all those who oppose violence and are concerned about the risks that escalation could pose to the future of the region intervene. There is a real need for an international initiative bringing together all religious leaders who can play a role in containing the worsening situation. Political initiatives and diplomatic efforts should support these diplomatic initiatives, as they remove the role of religion in the escalation of the conflict and ensure that it does not erupt a religious waris not an easy goal to achieve. It is time for religion to serve good politics and principled diplomacy.
Political and diplomatic procedures could be very helpful in allowing for moderate religious views, as they can exercise real pressure about the source of the problem. This current stage is critical and needs bold and clear steps, creating a basis for new reconciling narratives, as this is the only way to end the instrumental use of religion for political ends.