This would be a great Purim shpiel spin if the legal basis wouldn''t be real.
But it is. From the BBC I caught this item and thought to myself, Purim or not, can we apply this to the Muslim Waqf authorities and get them to fork over for the revuildsing of the Temple?
When Elaine Hession opened the letter she almost passed out and her partner Jonathan Hill turned "as white as a ghost". Last month the couple received a notice from the Land Registry informing them their local church had registered its right to make them contribute to the cost of repairs.
Under chancel repair liability, homeowners living within the parishes of churches built before 1536 can be held liable for costs. The law dates back to the time of Henry VIII and, although actual claims are rare, in 2009 Adrian and Gail Wallbank from Warwickshire sold their home after losing an 18-year legal case and being left with costs of £250,000...Monasteries often acquired this land together with the responsibility for paying for the repair of the chancel. When Henry Vlll sold the monasteries'' land, the liability to pay for the repair of the chancel remained with the land sold......Liability for chancel repair does not necessarily show on the title deeds of a house and solicitors often advise people to take out insurance against potential liability claims with premiums costing from about £50.
This is great news.
When the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty was signed, Egyptians wanted repayment for what the Israelites took. Begin replied, ''first pay us the wages for our slave labor''.
But this arrangement is so much better.
The Muslims conquered and occupied the Jewish homeland and after an early period of relative coexistence, these last 800 years have been marked by denial of religious freedom including total prohibition on entry (until 1967) and in some cases, murder of Jews who entered the Temple Mount.
Let the Waqf pay.
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