Here's a man-bites-dog story: The director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's New York Representative Office (the primary United Nations organization responsible for advocating on behalf of the Palestinian Arabs), Andrew Whitley, told a conference in Washington that Palestinians should accept that they will never return to Israel and, rather than continue to dream of this, they should work to improve their current circumstances.
"If one doesn't start a discussion soon with the refugees for them to consider what their own future might be—for them to start debating their own role in the societies where they are rather than being left in a state of limbo where they are helpless but preserve rather the cruel illusions that perhaps they will return one day to their homes—then we are storing up trouble for ourselves. …
We recognize, as I think most do, although it's not a position that we publicly articulate, that the right of return is unlikely to be exercised to the territory of Israel to any significant or meaningful extent. It's not a politically palatable issue, it's not one that UNRWA publicly advocates, but nevertheless it's a known contour to the issue."
Whitley concluded these startling remarks by suggesting that UNRWA should resettle its clients rather than continue to perpetuate their refugee status.
Click here for FULL STORY
Monday, December 27, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Hamas Leader Finally Admits That Israel Killed Mostly Combatants In Gaza
by Alan M. Dershowitz
December 17, 2010 at 4:30 pm
Since the end of the Gaza War in January 2009, Israel has stood accused of targeting civilians, rather than terrorist combatants. The Israeli Defense Force has claimed that during Operation Cast Lead it targeted only combatants in its efforts to protect its civilians from rocket attacks. It has also claimed that most of the dead were combatants and issued lists of names of many of the combatants killed and identified them as members of the specific Hamas military units. Despite unprecedented efforts to avoid civilian casualties—including hundreds of thousands of leaflets, telephone calls and non-lethal, noise-making warning bombs—some civilians were killed, because Hamas deliberately hid behind civilians, using them as shields, when they fired rockets at Israeli civilians.
Following the end of the Gaza War, which has essentially stopped Hamas rocket attacks against Israeli civilians, there was a great debate about the number of Gaza civilians actually killed, and the ratio of civilian to combatant deaths during this difficult military operation.
The Israel Defense Force put the total number of known combatants killed at 709 and the number of known civilian deaths at 295, with 162 (mostly men of fighting age) "unknown." Such a ratio, if true, would be far better than that achieved by any other nation in a comparable conflict. Not surprisingly, Israel's enemies initially disputed this ratio and claimed that the number of combatants killed was far lower and the number of civilians far higher. The United Nations, the Goldstone Report, various "human rights" organizations and many in the media automatically rejected Israel's documented figures, preferring the distorted numbers offered by Hamas' and other Palestinian sources.
But a statement recently made by a Hamas leader confirms that Israel was correct in claiming that approximately 700 combatants were killed.
Click here for Full Story
December 17, 2010 at 4:30 pm
Since the end of the Gaza War in January 2009, Israel has stood accused of targeting civilians, rather than terrorist combatants. The Israeli Defense Force has claimed that during Operation Cast Lead it targeted only combatants in its efforts to protect its civilians from rocket attacks. It has also claimed that most of the dead were combatants and issued lists of names of many of the combatants killed and identified them as members of the specific Hamas military units. Despite unprecedented efforts to avoid civilian casualties—including hundreds of thousands of leaflets, telephone calls and non-lethal, noise-making warning bombs—some civilians were killed, because Hamas deliberately hid behind civilians, using them as shields, when they fired rockets at Israeli civilians.
Following the end of the Gaza War, which has essentially stopped Hamas rocket attacks against Israeli civilians, there was a great debate about the number of Gaza civilians actually killed, and the ratio of civilian to combatant deaths during this difficult military operation.
The Israel Defense Force put the total number of known combatants killed at 709 and the number of known civilian deaths at 295, with 162 (mostly men of fighting age) "unknown." Such a ratio, if true, would be far better than that achieved by any other nation in a comparable conflict. Not surprisingly, Israel's enemies initially disputed this ratio and claimed that the number of combatants killed was far lower and the number of civilians far higher. The United Nations, the Goldstone Report, various "human rights" organizations and many in the media automatically rejected Israel's documented figures, preferring the distorted numbers offered by Hamas' and other Palestinian sources.
But a statement recently made by a Hamas leader confirms that Israel was correct in claiming that approximately 700 combatants were killed.
Click here for Full Story
Friday, December 10, 2010
I'm not exactly sure what they mean by this: Kill Christians and Jews "to the last one"
A video on official Hamas TV calls for Allah to kill Jews, Christians, Communists and their supporters. The video asks Allah to "count them and kill them to the last one, and don't leave even one."
As Palestinian Media Watch has reported this call for the killing of non-Muslims was a regular pronouncement by both Palestinian Authority (Fatah) and Hamas political and religious leaders for many years starting in July 2000.
For years, sermons by religious leaders on official Palestinian Authority TV under Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas routinely presented the killing of Jews as a religious obligation and a fulfillment of the Islamic ideal.
Due to PMW's exposure of these sermons, which led to international criticism and pressure, Mahmoud Abbas, whose office controls PA TV, has been forced to prevent the broadcast of sermons calling for extermination of Jews on PA TV.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
"Allah, oh our Lord, vanquish Your enemies, enemies of the religion
[Islam] in all places.
Allah, strike the Jews and their sympathizers,
the Christians and their supporters,
the Communists and their adherents.
Allah, count them and kill them to the last one, and don't leave even one."
[Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), Dec. 3, 2010
As Palestinian Media Watch has reported this call for the killing of non-Muslims was a regular pronouncement by both Palestinian Authority (Fatah) and Hamas political and religious leaders for many years starting in July 2000.
For years, sermons by religious leaders on official Palestinian Authority TV under Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas routinely presented the killing of Jews as a religious obligation and a fulfillment of the Islamic ideal.
Due to PMW's exposure of these sermons, which led to international criticism and pressure, Mahmoud Abbas, whose office controls PA TV, has been forced to prevent the broadcast of sermons calling for extermination of Jews on PA TV.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
"Allah, oh our Lord, vanquish Your enemies, enemies of the religion
[Islam] in all places.
Allah, strike the Jews and their sympathizers,
the Christians and their supporters,
the Communists and their adherents.
Allah, count them and kill them to the last one, and don't leave even one."
[Al-Aqsa TV (Hamas), Dec. 3, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
American Muslim organization: "We are at war with radical Islamists" - applauds dismissal of targeted killing suit
December 8, 2010
American Islamic Forum for Democracy
Decision should make Obama Administration rethink placing Elibiary on Homeland Security Council
PHOENIX (December 8, 2010) - Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, a devout Muslim and the president and founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) issued the following statement regarding the decision of federal Judge John D. Bates to dismiss a suit over the use of targeted killing of American Citizens.
"AIFD applauds the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by Nasser Al-Awlaki, father of Anwar Al-Awlaki, represented by Jameel Jaffer of the ACLU and the Center for Constitutional Rights. The decision correctly clears the way for the United States military and intelligence community to target Anwar Al-Awlaki who is an extreme threat to the security of our country. Judge Bates is correct in his decision that the judiciary should stay out of national security decisions related to targeted killings of those who are deemed to be imminent threats to the United States and our citizenry. Matthew Miller of the Justice Department appropriately stated, 'that a leader of a foreign terrorist organization who rejects our system of justice cannot enjoy the protection of our courts while plotting strikes against Americans. The court properly rejected that course and declined to intrude into sensitive military and intelligence matters."
We are at war against radical Islamists. No individual since Osama Bin Laden epitomizes the face and actions of our enemy than Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki. His documented words and actions and those of his surrogates like the murderous traitor, Major Nidal Hasan, are violent salvos of war against our nation, our military, and our citizens. We do not negotiate with terrorists, and we do not give them protection from the battlefield they chose against us because they happen to be former citizens or we are concerned about their martyrdom status. In the end, a strong, swift, and unequivocal response on the battlefield against our militant Islamist enemies is absolutely necessary in order to make it clear that anyone who declares war against our nation and murders our citizens will be dealt with swiftly on the battlefield. The deterrent effect of such action against future jihadists far outweighs any irrelevant concerns over Al-Awlaki's already false martyrdom.
There is little threat to our freedoms from the United States government deciding to swiftly remove an imminent threat to our citizens. Al-Awlaki has repeatedly proven a desire to commit violent acts of war against the American people and should be held accountable.
Click here for full article
American Islamic Forum for Democracy
Decision should make Obama Administration rethink placing Elibiary on Homeland Security Council
PHOENIX (December 8, 2010) - Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, a devout Muslim and the president and founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD) issued the following statement regarding the decision of federal Judge John D. Bates to dismiss a suit over the use of targeted killing of American Citizens.
"AIFD applauds the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by Nasser Al-Awlaki, father of Anwar Al-Awlaki, represented by Jameel Jaffer of the ACLU and the Center for Constitutional Rights. The decision correctly clears the way for the United States military and intelligence community to target Anwar Al-Awlaki who is an extreme threat to the security of our country. Judge Bates is correct in his decision that the judiciary should stay out of national security decisions related to targeted killings of those who are deemed to be imminent threats to the United States and our citizenry. Matthew Miller of the Justice Department appropriately stated, 'that a leader of a foreign terrorist organization who rejects our system of justice cannot enjoy the protection of our courts while plotting strikes against Americans. The court properly rejected that course and declined to intrude into sensitive military and intelligence matters."
We are at war against radical Islamists. No individual since Osama Bin Laden epitomizes the face and actions of our enemy than Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki. His documented words and actions and those of his surrogates like the murderous traitor, Major Nidal Hasan, are violent salvos of war against our nation, our military, and our citizens. We do not negotiate with terrorists, and we do not give them protection from the battlefield they chose against us because they happen to be former citizens or we are concerned about their martyrdom status. In the end, a strong, swift, and unequivocal response on the battlefield against our militant Islamist enemies is absolutely necessary in order to make it clear that anyone who declares war against our nation and murders our citizens will be dealt with swiftly on the battlefield. The deterrent effect of such action against future jihadists far outweighs any irrelevant concerns over Al-Awlaki's already false martyrdom.
There is little threat to our freedoms from the United States government deciding to swiftly remove an imminent threat to our citizens. Al-Awlaki has repeatedly proven a desire to commit violent acts of war against the American people and should be held accountable.
Click here for full article
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sudanese official: I wish Sudan's residents could live under the conditions of the Gazan siege
Iran helps rebuild GazaWhile settlements halt and resume construction, Gazans building in full speed. Strip's current real estate hit is Hamas' flagship project: New multi-story buildings for young couples, families of 'shahidim'
Roni Shaked Published: 11.26.10, 15:14 / Israel Business
share
Gaza's residents are no longer complaining about a coriander shortage. Israeli snacks are flowing into the Strip as well, through the Kerem Shalom crossing – at the approval and under the full supervision of the Hamas government.
The lifting of the siege in June gave the Gazans room to breathe. With the money in the Strip – and there is quite a lot of it in dollars, dinars, and even shekels – they can buy whatever they want.
Tunnel Industry
Gaza presents: High tech cow smuggling / Roee Nahmias
Report by BBC's Arabic network broadcasted ahead of Eid al-Adha documents sophisticated animal smuggling apparatus using electric elevators from Egypt into Gaza Strip
Food and other products flow into Gaza with hardly any restrictions. What doesn't come from Israel, because the price is too high, continues to flow in through the Rafah tunnels.
"There are a slew of products here, and beautiful restaurants. Is this the Gaza we have been hearing about?" A Sudanese official, who arrived in the Strip about a month ago with hundreds of visitors from Arab countries on the "Viva Palestina" aid convoy, was quoted by Palestinian news agency Maan as saying.
"Where is the siege? I don't see it in Gaza. I wish Sudan's residents could live under the conditions of the Gazan siege," he reportedly added.
One of the main characteristics of the economic change in the Strip is the renovation and construction drive. Buildings are being built in every corner. Hamas is renovating the public buildings destroyed in Israeli air raids during Operation Cast Lead, including the bombed Legislative Council building on Omar al-Mukhtar Boulevard and the police headquarters.
But the renovation of public buildings is nothing compared to Hamas' flagship project: The building of 25,000 new housing units in the city, some on lands of the former Gush Katif settlements.
The goal is not only to overcome the huge apartment shortage – which stems mainly from the natural growth, the damages of the war, and the halt in construction in the past three years – but mainly to benefit the people, whose support Hamas seeks in order to establish its rule.
The plan is to construct multi-story buildings ("we have no land to spare," explains a Gaza housing ministry official) and neighborhoods built as independent residential areas. A mosque will be set up at the center of each neighborhood, alongside shopping centers, schools and kindergartens. Access roads will be paved and even playgrounds for children. , we'll be slightly happier."
Roni Shaked Published: 11.26.10, 15:14 / Israel Business
share
Gaza's residents are no longer complaining about a coriander shortage. Israeli snacks are flowing into the Strip as well, through the Kerem Shalom crossing – at the approval and under the full supervision of the Hamas government.
The lifting of the siege in June gave the Gazans room to breathe. With the money in the Strip – and there is quite a lot of it in dollars, dinars, and even shekels – they can buy whatever they want.
Tunnel Industry
Gaza presents: High tech cow smuggling / Roee Nahmias
Report by BBC's Arabic network broadcasted ahead of Eid al-Adha documents sophisticated animal smuggling apparatus using electric elevators from Egypt into Gaza Strip
Food and other products flow into Gaza with hardly any restrictions. What doesn't come from Israel, because the price is too high, continues to flow in through the Rafah tunnels.
"There are a slew of products here, and beautiful restaurants. Is this the Gaza we have been hearing about?" A Sudanese official, who arrived in the Strip about a month ago with hundreds of visitors from Arab countries on the "Viva Palestina" aid convoy, was quoted by Palestinian news agency Maan as saying.
"Where is the siege? I don't see it in Gaza. I wish Sudan's residents could live under the conditions of the Gazan siege," he reportedly added.
One of the main characteristics of the economic change in the Strip is the renovation and construction drive. Buildings are being built in every corner. Hamas is renovating the public buildings destroyed in Israeli air raids during Operation Cast Lead, including the bombed Legislative Council building on Omar al-Mukhtar Boulevard and the police headquarters.
But the renovation of public buildings is nothing compared to Hamas' flagship project: The building of 25,000 new housing units in the city, some on lands of the former Gush Katif settlements.
The goal is not only to overcome the huge apartment shortage – which stems mainly from the natural growth, the damages of the war, and the halt in construction in the past three years – but mainly to benefit the people, whose support Hamas seeks in order to establish its rule.
The plan is to construct multi-story buildings ("we have no land to spare," explains a Gaza housing ministry official) and neighborhoods built as independent residential areas. A mosque will be set up at the center of each neighborhood, alongside shopping centers, schools and kindergartens. Access roads will be paved and even playgrounds for children. , we'll be slightly happier."
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Al-Jazeera Wafa Sultan discussion on Muslim belief and clash of civilizations
Arab-American Psychologist, Wafa Sultan speaks out on Al-Jazeera TV about the way Muslims have taken a path to violence and destruction, the "clash of civilizations". She compares between the actions of Muslims to Jews and Christians. She speaks in plain common sense terms and makes you ask the questions why can't Muslims leave everyone else alone. What right do the Muslims have of saying that people that have different beliefs should be converted or worse, killed? Believe what you want to believe, but leave those alone who don't agree with you.
You have to see this ---> Watch Video Now
Former Iranian Fighter Pilot says Iranian regime is "world's biggest terrorism supporter"; says Iran and Israel not enemies.
Iran has a nuclear military plan and intends to acquire atomic weapons, a former Iranian air force lieutenant said in an interview broadcast on Channel 10 news Tuesday night.
Bahazad Masawi, a former fighter pilot who defected from Iran and is in hiding in Paris, said: “Ahmadinejad creates terror and incites war in the area. This is not good for the Iranian people. Ahmadinejad makes the situation in Iran and in the entire region worse.”
The former pilot, who flew Iran’s F-14 fighter jets, stressed that Israel is not an enemy of Iran.
“The Iranian nation is not an enemy of the Israeli people and in the past they were not enemies either; they had always been friends,” he said. “It is not possible to separate the Iranian people from the people of Israel. King Cyrus is the one who saved the Jews.”
Masawi expressed regret in the interview for Iran’s support for Hizbullah and other terrorist organizations.
“All of the state’s money finances terrorism; the Islamic regime in Iran is the biggest supporter of terrorism in the world. Everyone knows this,” he added.
Speaking on his role as a pilot in Iran’s air force, Masawi said, “We had no access to the fighting techniques of the Israeli Air Force; it belongs to Iranian intelligence. They are the ones who are involved in this issue. We had no need to spy on anyone; our job was to fly.”
Masawi fled to Paris a few days ago, he told Channel 10, through a network of military officers who oppose the Islamic regime.
Speaking about the regime, the pilot said, “One young man comes out and speaks against the Iranian regime, shouting in the streets, ‘Death to the dictatorship,’ and then they arrest him, rape him, imprison him and then kill him.
“This is called a dictatorial regime. This is not a just regime.”
IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi will tell the top American officials he is to meet with Wednesday in Washington that tougher sanctions can succeed in stopping Iran’s enrichment of uranium.
Ashkenazi on Tuesday wrapped up a three-day visit to Canada, which included meetings with the top defense leadership and his Canadian counterpart Gen. Walt Natynczyk.
A senior officer traveling with Ashkenazi said that the chief of staff planned to present Israeli assessments on Iran’s nuclear program during his meetings with chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. Michael Mullen.
Ashkenazi is perceived in Washington as serving a restraining role in the Israeli defense and political establishments.
He is attributed with holding back from escalating Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip in early 2009 and has voiced moderate views on Iran in the past.
Ashkenazi said several weeks ago that the latest round of sanctions imposed on Iran was having an effect on the regime but that additional sanctions pertaining to the energy sector and banking system were required to further pressure Iran into changing its current course of action.
Israeli intelligence assessments conclude that Iran will continue to enrich uranium at low levels, as it is currently doing, and then – when it believes the price it will pay internationally will be low – it will go to the breakout stage and begin enriching to higher levels required for a nuclear weapon.
During his meetings with Mullen as well as with Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy, Ashkenazi is also expected to discuss Israeli concerns with the current military buildup in the region, recently highlighted by US plans to sell $60 billion worth of advanced military equipment to Saudi Arabia, including 84 F-15 fighter jets and JDAM smart bombs.
The IDF is primarily concerned with the sale of the JDAMs to the Saudis.
Bahazad Masawi, a former fighter pilot who defected from Iran and is in hiding in Paris, said: “Ahmadinejad creates terror and incites war in the area. This is not good for the Iranian people. Ahmadinejad makes the situation in Iran and in the entire region worse.”
The former pilot, who flew Iran’s F-14 fighter jets, stressed that Israel is not an enemy of Iran.
“The Iranian nation is not an enemy of the Israeli people and in the past they were not enemies either; they had always been friends,” he said. “It is not possible to separate the Iranian people from the people of Israel. King Cyrus is the one who saved the Jews.”
Masawi expressed regret in the interview for Iran’s support for Hizbullah and other terrorist organizations.
“All of the state’s money finances terrorism; the Islamic regime in Iran is the biggest supporter of terrorism in the world. Everyone knows this,” he added.
Speaking on his role as a pilot in Iran’s air force, Masawi said, “We had no access to the fighting techniques of the Israeli Air Force; it belongs to Iranian intelligence. They are the ones who are involved in this issue. We had no need to spy on anyone; our job was to fly.”
Masawi fled to Paris a few days ago, he told Channel 10, through a network of military officers who oppose the Islamic regime.
Speaking about the regime, the pilot said, “One young man comes out and speaks against the Iranian regime, shouting in the streets, ‘Death to the dictatorship,’ and then they arrest him, rape him, imprison him and then kill him.
“This is called a dictatorial regime. This is not a just regime.”
IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi will tell the top American officials he is to meet with Wednesday in Washington that tougher sanctions can succeed in stopping Iran’s enrichment of uranium.
Ashkenazi on Tuesday wrapped up a three-day visit to Canada, which included meetings with the top defense leadership and his Canadian counterpart Gen. Walt Natynczyk.
A senior officer traveling with Ashkenazi said that the chief of staff planned to present Israeli assessments on Iran’s nuclear program during his meetings with chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. Michael Mullen.
Ashkenazi is perceived in Washington as serving a restraining role in the Israeli defense and political establishments.
He is attributed with holding back from escalating Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip in early 2009 and has voiced moderate views on Iran in the past.
Ashkenazi said several weeks ago that the latest round of sanctions imposed on Iran was having an effect on the regime but that additional sanctions pertaining to the energy sector and banking system were required to further pressure Iran into changing its current course of action.
Israeli intelligence assessments conclude that Iran will continue to enrich uranium at low levels, as it is currently doing, and then – when it believes the price it will pay internationally will be low – it will go to the breakout stage and begin enriching to higher levels required for a nuclear weapon.
During his meetings with Mullen as well as with Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy, Ashkenazi is also expected to discuss Israeli concerns with the current military buildup in the region, recently highlighted by US plans to sell $60 billion worth of advanced military equipment to Saudi Arabia, including 84 F-15 fighter jets and JDAM smart bombs.
The IDF is primarily concerned with the sale of the JDAMs to the Saudis.
500 Arabs begin studies in Ariel: 'There's no racism here'
Hundreds of Israel Arabs, Druze decide to push politics aside and enroll in West Bank university center. Ariel is a large city that has existed for many years; we just came here to get an education,' they explain
Yair Altman
|
Some 11,500 students, among them 500 Arab and Druze Israelis, began the academic year Sunday at the Ariel University Center of Samaria, which is located in the West Bank, beyond the Green Line.
"I scored high on my psychometric exam and could have enrolled in Tel Aviv University and other institutions, but here the enrollment process was quicker. This was the first place that accepted me, so I decided to go for it," said 20-year-old Tayibe resident Manar Diuani, who is studying computer science.
A group of prominent Israeli artists recently caused a public uproar when they drafted a letter declaring their refusal to perform in Ariel's new cultural hall for political reasons.
Diuani, an Arab-Israeli, told Ynet the settlement issue does not concern her. "I separate studies from politics. I don’t think where I go to school will matter to anyone – only my grades and diploma will matter."
Another Arab student, who chose to remain anonymous, said, "We did not come here because of the ideology; we came here to get an education, and we don’t want to link this to politics."
Ariel University campus (Photo: AFP)
Asad, 25, from the Druze village Hurfish, was recently discharged from the IDF after serving as an officer in a secret unit. He rents a room at the university's dorms and is studying for a BA degree in civil engineering. "I didn’t take the psychometric exam, so the Technion (Israel Institute of Technology) was out of the question. Beersheba is too far, and as a family man I wanted to stay close by," said Asad, who is married with a daughter.
"Ariel is a large city that has existed for many years and will continue to exist without me. In this case, politics is pushed to the side," he told Ynet.
Joana Moussa, a 20-year-old behavioral sciences student from Abu Snan, an Arab village in the Galilee region, said politics does play a role. "All of the students in Ariel fear the day will come when they'll be told their diploma cannot be recognized because they studied in the territories. But as of today, our diploma is recognized everywhere.
"I am very pleased because the professors give us personal attention and there is no racism here. Perhaps in other places people would have commented on my name or ethnicity, but here I'm accepted for who I am," she said.
Some three years ago Ariel College was recognized as a "university center," a move that drew harsh criticism from leftist groups.
Walk in Jerusalem affirms beliefs
Last Updated: July 31, 2010 2:00am
JERUSALEM — There is something special when preconceptions dissolve on your first encounter with a new person or place.
As I disembarked a flight at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, I felt some apprehension arriving in Israel so soon after the Gaza flotilla episode, and forebodings of more troubles ahead.
But the warmth with which I was greeted and waved through passport control immediately made me feel at home in the country where I had come on a personal journey.
Beholding Jerusalem for the first time nestled in the folds of the Judean Mountains was a stunning experience.
I felt entirely disarmed of everything I had read, thought and anticipated about the city by the sheer majesty of its grandeur before me.
I arrived on a Saturday, when practically all of Jerusalem shuts down for the Jewish Sabbath.
The Old City was open, however, and after a brief rest I headed down Jaffa Rd., Jerusalem’s main artery, for my first visit to the Holy Sanctuary or, in Arabic, al-Quds Sharif.
An ancient Jewish saying goes: “There is no beauty like the beauty of Jerusalem.”
A nearly full moon over the walls of the Old City adorned the evening sky when I found my way to the mosque known as Dome of the Rock.
Ascended to heaven
It is from here, the Islamic tradition narrates, Muhammad ascended to heaven on his night journey.
I joined the evening prayer congregation at the Dome and bowed, knelt and touched the sacred soil of Jerusalem with my forehead as recitations from the Qur’an floated out into the stillness of the moonlit sky above the square.
Later I walked over to the Western Wall, where a large number of Jews of all ages were gathered at the end of their Shabbat.
I made my way to the Wall, stood alongside men wrapped in their prayers, and offered my own to the God of Abraham and all the prophets descended from him.
Sitting in the plaza of the Wall it became once more evident to me what I have known for some time.
The mystical meaning of Muhammad’s night journey — irrespective of whether it was figurative or literal — speaks to the oneness of creation, of Abraham’s surrender to God, and the affirmation of his sacred ties with prophets before him.
The outer dimension of the human story with its inflated account of fire and blood cannot silence the inner yearnings of the heart’s surrender to God for peace that Jerusalem symbolizes, despite her sorrows and the repeated failure of the faithful who desires to embrace or possess her.
The ease with which I moved — alone and without restrictions — from the inner sanctum of the Muslim sanctuary to Judaism’s holiest site, embracing both, is a testimony to the openness of Israel as a Jewish state and democracy.
Palestinian, Arab and Muslim narratives of Jerusalem’s recent history, however, is a denial of what my experience affirms, and the larger denial of Jewish rights that is the source of conflict here.
Yet peace, I believe, shall descend in the Holy Land when Muslims take to heart the original sacred purpose of Muhammad’s journey to Jerusalem.
salim.mansur@sunmedia.ca
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