As this paper is reporting now, the leader of the Islamic Movement''s Northern Branch Sheikh Raed Salah was sentenced to eight months in prison on Tuesday for a 2007 speech in which he incited to violence.
Judge Miriam Lump wrote in the decision that in Salah''s speech
"he repeated the words ''blood'' and ''martyrs'' which can lead to violence and there is a serious potential for explosiveness."
In that speech, Salah urged supporters to start a third intifada in order to
"save al-Aksa Mosque, free Jerusalem and end the occupation."
He added,
"They want to build their temple at a time when our blood is on their clothes, on their doorsteps, in their food and in their drinks".
Thus is indeed justice and it highlights what liberal, progressive and humanist activists avoid: the Jew hatred that props Palestinianism.
But I am still not satisfied with Israel''s justice system.
Why did the charge sheet not include the crimes in the Protection of Holy Places Law 5727 (1967), specifically
Whosoever desecrates or otherwise violates a Holy Place shall be liable to imprisonment for a term of seven years.Whosoever does anything likely to violate the freedom of access of the members of the different religions to the places sacred to them or their feelings with regard to those places shall be liable to imprisonment for a term of five years.
In fact, unless one of my readers will correct me, I can''t recall any Muslim being put on trial for violating that law.
I am going to surmise that the State Prosecutor''s Office does not want to get into a legal battle whether the Temple Mount is sovereign Israel territory in a court of law, not because it isn''t but simply, due to politics and Jordan''s sensitivity. This situation is one of an ongoing process of self-denial and self-restriction that is the nature of our governments'' abnegation posture vis a vis the Temple Mount (which even is not included in the official Holy Places list). Avoidance, at all costs.
Here is from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu''s address to AIPAC today:
"We stand together on the right side of the moral divide. We stand together on the right side of history. (Applause.) So stand tall, stand strong, stand proud."
Mr. Netanyahu, let''s display some Temple Mount pride.
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