In their Oct. 3 commentary, “Jerusalem bloodshed demonstrates legacy of Israeli sovereignty,” Riad Abdelkarim and Fahhim Abdulhadi waste no time faulting Israel exclusively for the current violence in the Middle East.
Exonerating the Palestinians of any responsibility for the tragic loss of life, as well as the setbacks in the peace process, the authors shockingly misrepresent fundamental facts.
It is an outright lie to claim that Jews had access to their holy sites from 1948 to 1967 in East Jerusalem, specifically the Old City.
The paramount example would be Jordan’s 19 years of neglect and abuse of the Western Wall area.
Jews the world over respect the Muslim claim to the Temple Mount, yet the sacredness of the Temple Mount to Jews is omitted from this column.
The harsh reality is that both the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock are built on the destroyed remains of the First and Second Temples, which are revered in Judaism.
The authors’ claim that Israel is “neither capable nor willing to be a fair and just custodian of Muslim and Christian religious sites” is simply preposterous.
Immediately upon reunification of Jerusalem in 1967, Israel passed the Protection of Holy Places Law, which guaranteed the sanctity of all holy sites and made it a punishable offense to desecrate or deny freedom of access to them.
Furthermore, under Israeli sovereignty, Christians and Muslims have always administered their own holy places and institutions.
The little reported truth is that the recent violence actually started the day before Ariel Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount (a terrorist attack near Netzarim left one Israeli soldier dead and another wounded). Although Sharon’s visit was perceived as provocative, but by all accounts considered peaceful, the episode should not have resulted in “predictable demonstrations.”
These riots give credibility to the sentiment that the Palestinian Authority leadership incited the violence. Chairman Yasser Arafat must immediately intervene and end the aggression.
An unattainable stipulation for the Israelis throughout the peace process has been a Palestinian commitment of reconciliation without violence and terrorism.
The leadership, or lack thereof, displayed over recent events does not bode well for the future of the Palestinian Authority.
Sadly, the Tribune has given voice to polemicists who are not far from incitement themselves.
Quick to patronize Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s proposals on Jerusalem as “almost laughable,” perhaps the authors omitted Yasser Arafat’s contributions to the peace talks because he made none.
Creating a truly solid Middle East peace demands serious and sincere partners who are willing to compromise and negotiate, not just procure what they demand.
