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All posts for the day April 6th, 2024
This was so controversial, that it quickly prompted Hamas outlets to respond, calling it an attempt to “Judaize the holy mosques” and claiming that “Al Aqsa [the mosque on Temple Mount] is in danger.”[1]
Soon after, Hamas launched its October 7 attack – named “Operation Al Aqsa Flood” after the Mosque. Hamas’ Abu Obeida actually cited these heifers as a reason for the attack, calling their arrival an act of “aggression against the feelings of an entire nation in the heart of its Arab identity” – as well as serious disrespect of Mohammed.[2]
This was denied by Rabbi Azariah Ariel, head of the Temple Institute’s Red Heifer Project, who said: “Hamas does not need reasons to kill Jews; It only needs excuses.”[3]
But how could anyone interpret, even if insincerely, the arrival of five red cows as an act of aggression?
The answer lies in the role many believe these cows will play in the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple.