The Temple Mount: Abbas’ Myth

One only has to remember the Spanish Inquisition, pogroms, the Holocaust, and 9/11 to see the consequences of fake news.If a stone falls in Jerusalem, can its crash be heard and felt worldwide? The answer apparently is “yes.”Earlier this week, an ancient 200-kg. stone that had been in place in the Western Wall for two millennia dislodged and fell into what is known as “Ezrat Yisrael.”The fall of the stone has been turned into an international incident by Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority. Although trained archaeologists have not weighed in on the question of what caused the stone to fall, Abbas gleefully announced that it was an attempt by the Israelis to destroy Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to build a third Temple on Mount Moriah.In the Arab world, a large percentage of the population develops its politics and worldview in the bazaar. Can anyone possibly believe such a wild accusation? The answer is absolutely not! Abbas has lost all credibility. He has repeatedly refused to be a partner in peace, to recognize US peace efforts, that leaves only one weapon: Incitement fueled by fake news which results in people being killed.One only has to remember the Spanish Inquisition, pogroms, the Holocaust, and 9/11 to see the consequences of fake news. The new wars of the twenty-first century are media and ideological wars. This is what fueled 9/11.Although the stone has since been removed, Jordanian spokesperson Jumana Ghneimat went so far as to denounce its removal.Her reasoning was that it “constitutes an interference in the jurisdiction of the (Jordanian- controlled) Waqf Department, which is the national body that has authority over all the affairs of Al-Aqsa Mosque/ the Haram Al-Sharif under international law.”Osama Qawassmeh, spokesman for Fatah, often described as a terrorist organization, reinforced Abbas’ rant by labeling the incident a “dangerous sign of what was happening in Al-Aqsa Mosque and its surroundings.” He went on to say that the fault lay with Israeli archaeological digs near the Temple Mount, and declared: “We affirm that Al-Aqsa Mosque and its surroundings, including what is beneath it, are purely Islamic. The Jews have no right to it.”Apparently, the mere fact that Jews visit the Temple Mount and walk around on it is a blatant crime against all religions and especially Islam. I confess, I am a Christian, but certainly don’t feel threatened by the fact that Jews visit the area.The uproar by the Palestinians is nothing more than another attempt to obtain more sympathy for their cause. The leaders often try to paint the Israelis and those who support them as infidels. Their cries to turn Jerusalem over to the Palestinians would set the city’s progress back decades. It is yet another bid to force Israel into accepting the terror-infused PA as a “partner for peace.” That would be akin to asking the KKK to join with the NAACP as a partner for integration.We might question where the money that is being funneled into the PA is being spent. Is it lining the pockets of Abbas and his minions, or is it being spent on infrastructure? Is it being used to provide proper schooling and housing for the Palestinians, or teaching even the youngest child to wage war against the Israelis? The solution might be a “phase-plan” in which a trust fund is established to oversee that a corrupt PA had no control over those funds. It would be used as intended – to better the lives of the Palestinian people. Perhaps both Egypt and Jordan could serve as facilitators.The bottom line is this: Israel will never allow the Palestinian Authority to have airspace, an army, or treaties with other countries.Why not stop pretending that will happen? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again, while expecting different results.

The writer is a #1 New York Times bestselling author with 89 published books. He is the founder of Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem of which the late President Shimon Peres, Israel’s ninth president, was the chair. He also serves on the Trump Evangelical Faith Initiative.