Most of the world continues to level accusations against Israel as forever being the antagonist in the Middle East. The rewriting of history to eradicate any of Israel’s right to exist has long been a goal of the Palestinian Authority. A cursory look at history reveals that the term Palestine or “Palestinia” was coined by the Romans in 136 C.E. in an effort to eliminate Jewish identification with the Land of Israel including the renaming of Jerusalem as “Aelia Capitolina” by Roman rulers during that time.
The liberal media, out of ignorance (from a lack of interest to educate themselves), continues to engage in biased reporting in favor of the Palestinians. They continually promote the idea that Israel is the “occupier” of the land that the Palestinians have possessed for thousands of years. As the term “Palestine” is an invented term, so are those who continue to carry the label of Palestinians. With every biased article written about Israel another fire is fueled with hatred and anti-Semitism.
The PA’s current “land grabbing” efforts are a continuum of the wars the Arabs have leveled against the Jewish people since the British Mandate in l947 when England decided to divide Israel equally between the Jews and Arabs. The Jews broke into the streets in celebration after once again obtaining what had been rightfully given to them when God anointed Abraham, the Hebrew, as Israel’s earthly heir. Conversely, the reaction of the Arabs was shown through a tantrum of violence. We know, as true history tells us, that the Jews fought for their rights in the War of Independence leading to victory and setting up the initial borders of Israel. This was later recognized by the United States in 1948 under the leadership of Harry Truman as the sovereign nation of Israel.
Accusations have been leveled from the court of lopsided opinion that somehow the desecration of such sites as the tomb of Rachel and the Cave of the Patriarchs are to be blamed on the lack of Israeli government intervention. There is also blame that the tomb of Joseph in Nablus, located in the West Bank, has been abandoned. Claims are made that Jews can only reach the site as “thieves in the night.” The West Bank is being governed by Abu Mazen, the President of the Palestinian Authority, and the successor of Yasser Arafat. If one is placed into power to govern, then govern rightfully. Protect what is considered by the Jews and others to be holy.
There have been attempts by some zealots to storm the Dome of the Rock located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem without proper Israeli authority. Out of respect for Muslims, Israel has thwarted these efforts in order to protect what is considered one of the most sacred sites to the Islamic world.
In an article by Aaron Kline published in WorldNet Daily (WND) on February 12, 2008 in which he reported on this so called desecration of Jewish Holy Sites, the article stated the following regarding the tomb of Joseph, “Palestinians yesterday tried to burn down Joseph’s Tomb - Judaism’s third holiest site – according to Palestinian security officials speaking to WND.” This marks the second time that Palestinians have attempted to burn down the tomb of Joseph.
In yet another article, originally published at the Gatestone Institute and reported by Kaled Abu Toameh on May 28, 2013 titled, “Who is really desecrating Jewish Holy Sites?” Tomeh reports the following; “Tensions have been mounting in recent months in Jerusalem over visits by Jews to the Temple Mount, or al-Haran al-Sharif [the Noble Sanctuary].”
Jews have been visiting and worshipping on the Temple Mount for thousands of years. In modern times Jews have been visiting the site since 1967 through coordination with Israeli authorities however they have been met with many confrontations between the Israeli police and Palestinian protestors. The Palestinians claim that it is an act of “desecration” for the Jews to merely exercise their right to visit the holy site. Once again violence becomes the only way some Palestinians can devise to hamper or attempt to stop the Jews from visiting the Temple Mount.
The truth is that non-Muslim tourists who visit the holy site every day are not greeted with violence as are Jewish visitors. The Israeli authorities require all visitors to respect the feelings of Muslims by dressing modestly. They have also mandated no weapons during visitation to the holy site in an effort to negate violence against Jews. Nevertheless, all tourists who are non-Muslim are warned not to pray on the Temple Mount. As long as the Temple Mount is governed by the Waqf, or Supreme Muslim Religious Council, the 46-year ban on Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount will remain in effect and Jews will continue to be harassed, and even arrested, if they only appear to be praying.
So who is really desecrating Jewish holy sites? As Toameh so aptly states, “If anyone is desecrating the holy sites, it is those who smuggle petrol bombs and stones into the compound to use them against visitors.” Israeli authorities go the extra mile to show respect and to protect the rights of all people to visit those sites considered holy to their faith while the Muslims do exactly the opposite yet we never hear this side of the story. Why? In the court of lopsided opinion, the Jews always lose!