An Illegitimate Celebration…writes Michael Kuttner
On Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) hundreds of thousands of Israelis are celebrating this Biblical Festival in an illegitimate manner. That’s not my description but rather that of the European Union and the rest of the UN whose warped definition of Judea, Samaria, the Golan and half of Jerusalem as illegally “occupied” seems to have become something almost divinely ordained.
Michael Kuttner in his Sukka
Therefore Jews living in these designated areas of Israel are deemed illegitimate and presumably the tabernacles they build in which to celebrate this religious Festival are also illegitimate. The irony of the situation is amazing. In the very places where our ancestors lived and prayed over three thousand years ago, where the Patriarchs, Matriarchs and other Biblical personalities dwelt and where the League of Nations declared that a Jewish homeland should be established, today’s Jewish inhabitants are branded as illegal and illegitimate. The international community which in the past never cared a fig for the health and safety of Jews now convulses itself over where Jews decide to live, build and worship.
The hypocrisy of the situation however only gets worse the more you look at it.
Sukkot is one of the three pilgrim festivals. During ancient times Jewish pilgrims traveled from all parts of Israel and Judea and also from places overseas to the Temple in Jerusalem which was the central place of worship. Remember that this is the same Temple (first and second) which the Palestinian Arab religious and lay leadership continue to insist never actually existed. Even during the Roman occupation of Judea, Jewish pilgrims streamed to Jerusalem to pray on the Temple Mount. After the Romans destroyed it, plowed the ruins into the ground and renamed the city and country, the still standing Western Wall although not actually part of the Temple structure itself, became a site of pilgrimage over the next 2,000 years.
Despite political and physical obstacles, Jews continued their pilgrimages to Jerusalem and of course turned towards it when praying no matter where they happened to be living anywhere in the world. Today, in the resurrected Jewish State the wheel has turned full circle and those of us privileged to actually live here are witness to the amazing miraculous scene of pilgrims once again making their way to our Capital city. Instead of arriving by donkey, camel, ship and on foot, they arrive by plane, car, coach and railway. The Old City is jammed with humanity from all over the world as well as from all parts of Israel, making their way on foot through the narrow winding alleys all heading in the same direction.
This year between Rosh Hashanah ( New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement, over half a million Jewish pilgrims visited the Wall to pray at Judaism’s holiest site and stand in the same spot that our ancestors have stood ever since the first Temple was erected by King Solomon. We experience a dynamic living link between generations long since past and those living today and believe me it is hard not to be moved by this proof of Biblical prophecy when it is predicted that a time will come when once again laughter and children will be heard and seen in the streets of Jerusalem.
In the midst of all these joyous celebrations and expressions of religious freedom there emanates from Brussels and other parts of the world sour notes of condemnation at the chutzpa of Jews to visit and pray on “occupied” territory. The half a million visitors who came and the considerably larger number who will be coming during the Feast of Tabernacles are branded as illegal and illegitimate trespassers. On the intermediate days of the Festival the number of pilgrims will swell considerably especially when the Birkat Cohanim (Priestly Blessings) takes place. This is a sight to bring emotions to the fore. Hundreds of descendants of Aaron and his family (the first Priests) will stand facing those assembled and pronounce the ancient blessings.
This act will be denounced as illegal by the Moslem authorities, Richard Falk and the UN Human Rights Council, amongst others. Of course none of these champions of human rights made any protests between 1948 and 1967 when Jews were denied entry by the real illegal and illegitimate occupying Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Another event which occurs at this time of the year is an influx of Evangelical Christians demonstrating solidarity with Israel. It is foretold in our prophecies that when the Temple is eventually rebuilt it will become a place of pilgrimage for all the nations of the world. In anticipation of that event these Christian supporters of the Jewish State visit us annually, march through the streets of Jerusalem, visit communities in Judea and Samaria and pray for peace. Of course these people are also indulging in illegal activities according to current politically correct thinking.
The bottom line is that a large proportion of Jewish Israelis as well as Jews in the Diaspora and Christians worldwide are guilty of behaviour deemed beyond the pale according to the double standards of the international community.
While Jews in Australia and New Zealand will be legally battling wind and rain during the week of Sukkot, we here in all parts of the Jewish homeland will be illegally dwelling in our illegitimate tabernacles, visiting the Western Wall and welcoming visitors from far and wide.
The irony is that those who condemn us fail to acknowledge that if areas deemed illegitimate are ever handed to the Palestinian Arab Authority they will be cleansed of all Jews once again.
There is no way we are going to let that happen again. We will be here long after the EU and the rest of them sink into the dust of history.
Michael Kuttner is J-Wire’s Israel correspondent.
This is indeed a great article, Michael. I say Yes, Yes and Yes to it … says it all, really. Would that your words had wide publicity!
Michael
A great article that really says it all. Congratulations.
The EU have been hoisted on their own petard and have forfeited any right to have a say on the allocation of sovereignty in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The EU has thrown international law to the wind in failing to insist on the binding legal effect that the Mandate for Palestine and article 80 have to substantiate Jewish claims to reconstitute the Jewish National home in Judea and Samaria.
In selling out to Arab oil sheikhs and surrendering to jihadists planning to eradicate every Jew living in former Palestine – the EU has lost any vestige of morality or responsibility for repairing the damage that so many of its own member states perpetrated in attempting to wipe out their own Jewish populations over the centuries.
I believe it will cost them dearly – and they will have no one but themselves to blame for abandoning international law in favour of the law of the jungle.