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Annie Stewart watched in fascination as the principals discussed Marcus’s plan.

To her astonishment, the one most in favor was the Saudi monarch.

“Mr. President, like I told you, we absolutely must not let ourselves be intimidated by the jihadists,” King Faisal told Clarke. “Too much is at stake, and we must all rise to the challenge. Agent Ryker is correct. It is time for all of us to go outside with courage and determination. We will meet the Grand Mufti. We will shake his hand. We will take the photo in front of the Dome of the Rock. We will give our remarks. And in so doing we will show the entire world that with the able assistance of the American people and government, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Israel can and will make peace. We can do what all the naysayers think is impossible. We can set a powerful example for the rest of the Arab world, including the Palestinians, and there is no force on the face of this earth that can stop us.”

The Israeli prime minister nodded quietly and offered his hand to the king. The Saudi looked surprised at first, but only for a moment; then he took Eitan’s hand and shook it firmly.

“His Majesty is absolutely right,” Eitan affirmed. “I have full confidence in our combined security forces, and I can’t think of a better way to send a message of peace and regional cooperation to the world than if we go out together right now, or a worse message to send than if we remained in this holding room for a minute longer.”

Clarke broke out into a broad smile and slapped both men on the back. “I couldn’t agree more,” he said. “Let’s do this thing.”

Secretary Whitney did not look happy, Annie noticed. Even Senator Dayton looked skeptical. But the decision had already been made. Word was radioed to Ryker and Tomer Ben Ami, who were standing outside in the colonnade, surrounded by dozens of agents and special forces operatives, that the principals were ready to proceed. Ryker radioed back that he just needed a moment to brief all the forces on the plaza on the exact plan and the precise rules of engagement.

“Get ready to switch the video feed back on,” Marcus told Roseboro by radio.

As he walked outside, scanning for Mashrawi, Marcus could hear Roseboro relaying the message to the control room —a satellite TV truck parked just inside St. Stephen’s Gate to the Old City, also known as Lions’ Gate.

When they reached the Dome of the Rock, Marcus asked a staffer from the White House advance team for a roll of duct tape. Then he counted off thirty yards from the front door of the dome, ripped off two long pieces of tape, and created an X on the stone plaza. Shifting rightward, he did it again and again until there were eight Xs marked in equidistant intervals around the octagonal building.

As Marcus did this, Tomer repositioned Secret Service and Shin Bet agents and Saudi Royal Guards, backing most of them far away from the Dome. At Marcus’s insistence, Tomer placed no agents in the corridor between the entrance to the Dome of the Rock and the risers where three remotely controlled broadcast television cameras stood on tripods. Marcus wanted nothing to obstruct the TV cameras’ view. He also wanted to lure Mashrawi out into the open.

Then Marcus ordered each pair of sharpshooters and spotters to fixate on one of the eight gates that provided access to the plaza in front of the Dome of the Rock. He ordered an additional team of sharpshooters to keep a close eye on the front doors to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Two final teams were to play free safety, as it were, watching for anything the others might miss.

From their vantage points on the roofs of the mosque, the administrative offices, and various other buildings, the shooters and spotters could plainly see the duct-tape Xs. Over his wrist-mounted radio, Marcus told them that if Mashrawi appeared, they were not to shoot him unless given a direct order by himself or Tomer or unless Mashrawi began rushing the principals and crossed the perimeter marked by the Xs. Marcus required each man to verbally acknowledge that he had both heard and would comply with these new rules of engagement. They all did.

Marcus then asked several Saudi agents —all Muslims —to enter the Noble Sanctuary and guard the entrance from the inside, just in case Mashrawi had hidden himself indoors. Finally, Tomer radioed the guards at each of the eight entrances —inside and outside —to leave their posts and reassemble under the colonnade by the administrative offices. This effectively left all the gates open to Mashrawi. It was an enormous risk, but Tomer and Roseboro had reluctantly agreed to it.

Once this was done, Marcus took one last look around the plaza.

“We good?” he asked.

“I can’t think of anything else,” said Tomer.

“Then let’s go —it’s showtime.”