June 1967. After winning the six-day war, Israël occupied the Sinai peninsula, the Golan Heights, the West Bank, and most significantly, East Jerusalem. For the first time in 2,000 years, the Jews took hold of the mount which is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, a holy site for both Islam and Judaism, where the ruins of Herod’s Temple stand.
For the religious fundamentalists who took part in the victory, this event was a divine sign. Over the next 40 years, this messianic movement has grown and allied itself to the nationalist right. It has opposed all territorial concessions to the Muslims, and is preparing for the next stage: the reconstruction of the Jewish Temple and the destruction of the holy mosques.
In the Name of the Temple recounts the irresistible rise of Jewish fundamentalism in Israeli politics and the development of settlements in the West Bank, which are making any Israel-Palestine peace process impossible. Is a new Israel emerging, leading the Middle East to a point of no-return?
Direction: Charles Enderlin
Production: Zadig Productions for France Télévisions