Declaring a problem to be dangerous always brings to mind the story of the man who repeatedly, but falsely, warned his fellow villagers about a wolf, only to find a lack of response when the wolf does in fact appear. This seems to be the situation unfolding in Jerusalem these days, specifically at the Haram al-Sharif compound, the site of Al-Aqsa mosque — the third-holiest mosque in Islam.

The Haram al-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary, is a walled area comprising one-sixth of Jerusalem's Old City. The 35-acre compound includes mosques, museums, gardens and religious schools. For 46 years, Israelis and Palestinians have been able to agree on how to manage this extremely sensitive religious area.

Since the Israeli occupation that began in June 1967, the understanding has allowed for the leadership of the Islamic waqf, or religious endowment, to run the affairs of the mosque and regulate visitors to it. This has been accomplished without Israel ceding what it considers to be its sovereignty over and right to east Jerusalem, which it annexed unilaterally within weeks of its occupation.

Guards from Jordan's Ministry of the Islamic Waqf are stationed at all but one of the compound’s entrances alongside Israeli police. The exception is the Mughrabi gate, which is connected by a controversial bridge down to the huge plaza — created through Israel’s demolition of the Mughrabi quarter, including a historic mosque — in front of the Western Wall, which Jews believe is the only remaining remnant of the Jewish Temple.