Experts Highlight the Intensifying Religious Nature of the Conflict
Religious experts emphasize: “The war of the past year has sharpened the religious dimension of the struggle and underscored the need to define the spiritual goals of this war. In every home in Gaza, there is a photograph of Al-Aqsa; they know exactly what they are fighting for.” Radical religious leaders go even further, calling for the complete liberation of the Temple Mount and the rebuilding of the Temple as the sole path to true peace.
Secular activists express grave concern. “The religious radicalization of the conflict is a direct path to regional catastrophe. Turning a territorial dispute into a religious war makes it fundamentally unsolvable,” warns a leader of the leftist movement. A sociologist adds a biblical perspective: “The Bible makes it clear that the Temple is a direct and natural continuation of the establishment of the State of Israel.” However, modern religious thinkers propose a phased approach to resolving the issue of the Temple Mount, considering the interests of all Abrahamic faiths.
A critical element is the juxtaposition of renewed global focus on the “Two States for Two Peoples” initiative by world leaders and the UN, against Israel’s annexation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. As an expert notes, “Israel no longer has room for diplomatic negotiations with the Palestinians. Now, only the ‘right of the victor’ can resolve this problem. And this is no longer a war of interests but a war of values—essentially, a war for survival.”
An international relations expert analyzes the response of Israel’s religious leaders to remarks by new U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth: “Statements about building the Third Temple have heightened expectations among ultra-religious Jews. Yet, in the Muslim world, this is perceived as a direct threat to Al-Aqsa’s status and could provoke jihad.”
Historians warn of the dangers of apocalyptic sentiments across all three Abrahamic religions: “Trump’s messianic administration is amplifying apocalyptic narratives.” Other historians draw parallels to the catastrophic consequences of religious fanaticism in the past, particularly during the Crusades.
Pragmatists propose the depoliticization of religious sites through the establishment of international governance under the UN. Meanwhile, radical secularists advocate for a complete separation of religion and state as the only way to prevent religious conflicts.
A national security expert underscores the practical risks: “The Jewish apocalyptic scenario is unclear, but Islamic and Christian apocalyptic narratives could become self-fulfilling prophecies. In such conditions, the political leadership’s ability to curb religious radicalism on both sides becomes critically important.”
Conclusions
Unlike Biden’s Democrats, who sought to exploit conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, and Ukraine for their own murky agendas, Trump appears to aim for a lasting peace deal with guarantees for years to come. What could contradict Israel’s interests here? Religious wars, unlike wars for material interests, are not easily resolved. Trump’s messianic appointments contribute to making the religious-messianic “Judeo-Protestant” component a dominant pretext for war, annexation, the disruption of the Temple Mount status quo, and the rebuilding of the Third Temple.
These “information triggers” from Trump are uniting Israel’s adversaries—not only among Shiites but also among Sunnis.