Kotel an Islamic site?…the MFA responds
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has responded to a Palestinian proposed USESCO resolution to register the Wailing Wall as a Muslim site.
Praying at the Wailing Wall Photo: Henry Benjamin
The MFA has stated: “In view of Palestinian attempts to bring about resolutions at UNESCO which constitute a distortion of reality and a falsification of historical facts in Jerusalem, thus purporting to present the Wailing Wall as if it were a Muslim holy site, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by Director General Dr. Dore Gold, is actively working to put a stop to this underhanded maneuver.
The vote on the Palestinian maneuver is expected tomorrow, Tuesday 20 October, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is engaged with friendly countries and with the heads of UNESCO in order to ensure that this Palestinian attempt fails.
This is a clear endeavor to distort history, in order to erase the connection between the Jewish People and its holiest site, and to create a false reality.”
The resolution is sponsored by the six Arab members of UNESCO’s Executive Board (Algeria, Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates) on behalf of the Palestinians and proposes making the Kotel part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and renaming it: “Buraq Plaza”.
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of Australia’s Anti-Defamation Commission, said: “This outrageous and vile resolution, which maliciously engages in historical revision, is a cynical tactic clearly designed to deny the Jewish people’s unbreakable and eternal bond with the Kotel. We call on the members of the executive board to reject this blatant attempt to rob Jews of their age-old heritage and identity, and to refuse to become party to this dangerous ploy to further aggravate religious and political tensions in Jerusalem.
As Israelis are subjected to a relentless campaign of murderous terror, inspired and driven by disturbing lies about Israel’s plans for the Al-Aqsa Mosque, this resolution will only contribute to the ongoing incitement among Palestinians and further inflame an already highly charged situation. We remind members of UNESCO’s Executive, entrusted with preserving the cultural heritage of humanity, that Israel has always preserved and protected the rights of all faiths to worship freely in Jerusalem, and that Israel has pledged, regarding the Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary, that it will maintain the current arrangement whereby the site is managed by The Jerusalem Islamic Waqf (Trust) and Muslims are given access.
Voting for this resolution and thereby altering the status quo in Jerusalem will not foster religious understanding and tolerance, nor reduce tensions. To the contrary, it will irreparably harm relations during these volatile times, and further damage the prospects of dialogue and peace.”
AIJAC’s Executive Director Dr. Colin Rubenstein said “It is ironic that while Israel is falsely accused of changing the status quo on the Temple Mount, the Palestinian leadership is actively seeking to change the status quo at the Western Wall – Judaism’s holiest place of worship. It is also outrageous that UNESCO – an organisation intended to protect cultural heritage, is denying the Jewish peoples historical and religious connection to the site, and further inflaming tensions in Jerusalem.”
“Australia should register a protest in the strongest possible terms with UNESCO” Dr Rubenstein argued.
Jeremy Jones, AIJAC’s Director of International and of Community Affairs, who was a Speaker at the Inaugural UNESCO World Culture Forum in 2013, said that “no academic, no scholar, no religious personality and no fundamentally moral human being should be anything other than outraged at this move”.
The best responses are based on fact. Detailing their conquest of Jerusalem and Mohammed’s death should be blown up and constantly mentioned. There should be a Facebook chain with this information. We should target 100’s of thousands of readers. Congratulations. M.Phillips
The responses of the MFA, ADC and AIJAC are long on outraged platitudes and short on facts. They all come down to a “he said, she said” argument where anyone can choose the side they prefer.
Someone, anyone, should point out a few facts. al-Buraq was supposed to have been a mythical creature between the size of a mule and a donkey, equipped with wings on which Mohammed was supposed to have ridden (sometimes in a dream) during a night to the furthest mosque. No evidence of creature like al-Buraq exists.
At times it is said that Mohammed visited Jerusalem and from there ascended to heaven. But Jerusalem is not once mentioned in the Koran. It is sometimes claimed by mohammedans that during the night journwy Mohammed visited the beit al-Makdish – the sanctified house, but that was the Jewish Temple, so if that was where Buraq took him, then he visited a Jewish site.
Further, since the mohammedans conquered Jerusalem in 637 CE and Mohammed died in 632 CE when Jerusalem was under Byzantine control, there could have been no mosque in Jerusalem for Mohammed to visit.
The real problem is that Jewish leaders are all walking on egg-shells all too gutless to challenge mohammedans on religious grounds or on their fabricated claims.
Too long. The MFA response is too long.
It should read: The claim that the Wailing is a muslim site is not worthy of a response. (that’s a full stop there)
The MFA could … should add: the proposition that the temple mount is anything but muslim occupied Jewish land is absurd.