Razing the Dome of the Rock in order to build the Third Temple on its ruins has been a goal of more than a few Jewish and Christian radical groups. In 1969, a Christian from Australia sneaked onto the Temple Mount and set fire to the silver-topped al-Aqsa mosque. In 1982, an Israeli soldier stormed into the same mosque brandishing an army-issued M-16 rifle and began shooting worshipers at random. One particularly tenacious radical, Yoel Lerner, has been convicted three times of trying to blow up the Dome of the Rock; at each of his trials, Lerner has openly called for the overthrow of Israel’s
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