"There is a spectrum of opinions, but I wouldn't say factionalization," he said.
All of the communities involved agree that there is a general lack of good information in the U.S. about the history and greater significance of this most recent conflagration.
The recent violence was set off when Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon, accompanied by several hundred armed police officers, made a visit during prayer time to the Noble Sanctuary and Dome of the Rock, the world's third most sacred site for Muslims.
The small hill in Jerusalem's old city is sacred for all three of the religions that trace their origins back to Abraham--Christianity, Islam and Judaism. As such, it has been the epicenter of virtually unending religious conflict for the last 2,000 years.