The bitter fruits of appeasement

George

It never ceases to amaze me why this should surprise anybody. After all, the PLO was founded in June 1964 - three years BEFORE the Six Day War. It declared "the right of the Palestinian Arab people to its sacred homeland Palestine and affirming the inevitability of the battle to liberate the usurped part from it, and its determination to bring out its effective revolutionary entity and the mobilization of the capabilities and potentialities and its material, military and spiritual forces."
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

David

Melanie, reading your blog the ancient Jewish saying comes to mind: "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, may my right hand be forgotten." Your right - indeed your write - hand will never be forgotten as a stalwart defender of Jerusalem and all that is right. Enjoy your well deserved summer break.

Michael B

"[Fatah's resolution] defines Jerusalem as the ‘eternal capital of Palestine, the Arab world and the Islamic and Christian worlds.’"

"Palestine," a name bequeathed from Roman paganism; the "Arab world" invokes Arab supremacism and the longing for hegemony; the "Islamic world" invokes Islamic imperialism, begun in earnest in the years 634 to 644 and dovetailing nicely with Arab imaginings; and finally, with the design of patronizing cooptations on a massive scale, the "Christian world" is invoked, completing the superfecta of hubris and disdain: paganism, Arab supremacism, Islamic imperialism, and a sufficiently coopted and luke-warm "Christianity," all imaginatively arrayed against - you guessed it - the Jooos!

Lovely.

And yet, with the right marketing and PR together with some rebranding and labeling, additionally some hard nosed selling from chin-pullers and fifth columnists in general - and given the tempers of the times - there just may be a market for the idea, at least so among some polities of note.

The marketing campaign could be called "Perfuming the Mephitis!" Catchy. Has a ring to it.

Miranda RoseSmith

They may be prepared to SAY that they define Jerusalem as the "eternal capital of Palestine...and the Islamic and Christian worlds," but if they ever succeed in kicking the Jews out, G-d forbid, they will start on the Christians.

Augustus

"There is always a well-known solution to every human problem
- neat, plausible and wrong."
-H.L.Menken

Nannette

The attitude the international community has taken regarding Jerusalem and Israel, is reminiscent of Sir John Glubb, one of the British commanders during the mandate, who joined up with the Trans-Jordanian forces in 1947... and who was responsible for the expulsion of tens of thouasnds of Jews from Jerusalem at that time, many whose families had been there for thousands of years.

Britain and America would like Jerusalem to be Judenfrei again... says a lot about so-called "friends" doesn't it?

Wonderful photos of Jews being forced to leave the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem in 1948:
http://benatlas.com/2009/07/life-in-israel-in-1948-part-1/

Optimistic Realist

Spot on.

Obama's hypocrisy towards Israel is so blatant.

Here's a great article on Israel and the need for better PR:
http://www.ajewwithaview.com/?p=720

logdon

So when do we get Constantinople back, Mr Obama?

The rightful capital of Christendom, surely the same mindset applies?

Or are two standards at play?

Drakken

Nannette
Wait a minute there sunshine, As an American I can say the most Americans support and defend Israel and when push comes to shove and it will, we Americans will not allow our Govt. to throw Israel under the bus and you can take that to the bank.

John Edwards

In fact Jerusalem is not only mentioned in the Koran but often the same sites are important to several religions.

For example, the sothernmost section of the western wall of the Haram al-Sharif includes part of the outer enclosure of the Temple compound built by Herod (the "waiing wall").

The same section of the western wall is considered by Muslims to be the site where the prophet Muhammed tethered his winged steed al-Buraq on the night journey from the Msjid al-Haram (in Mecca) to the Masjid al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem) described in the Koran (17:1). As such the spot has long been venerated by Muslims.

Immediately inside the wall of the Haram, near the Bab al-Maghariaba gate, is a small mosque called Jami al-Buraq commemorating the spot where al-Buraq was supposedly tethered.

The entire area to the west of the wall was a residential quarter known as the Morroccan quarter, established as a Muslim waqf or inalienable pious endowment in 1193 after the city was retaken from the crusaders.

A few days after Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967 the entire Morroccan quarter including the four Muslim religious sites it encompassed was demolished and approximately 1000 residents evicted with a few hours notice in order to create the large open plaza where Israel since 1967 holds nationalist mass gatherings such as torchlight processions celebrating graduation of recruits to elite army units and political demonstrations by right wing parties.

George

John Edwards,

As usual, wrong! Jerusalem is not mentioned even once in the Quran. Check here: http://www.danielpipes.org/comments/96121

Hashalom

What we all need is a change of perspective.
Both the Palestinians and the Israelis are victims of the obvious “Agenda of the Arab Despots and their Fundamentalist Cohorts” who are intent on perpetuating their autocratic regimes.
They are not at all eager to support another emerging fledgling Palestinian
Democracy. They are, rather, quite willing to spend their last dollar and sacrifice the
last “Palestinian Freedom Fighter” and the “Dream of Palestinian
independence” to consolidate their regimes by battling encroaching democracy.
The Palestinians best hope is in accepting Israel’s long standing offer to establish
their own “Independent State” and aid in spreading the benefits of Democracy,
as so vividly demonstrated by Israel, to the exploited, disfranchised and intimidated
subjects of the benighted Despotic Leaders.
Whether Obama is a “Conspirer” or “Inspirer” is yet to be determined.
The Jewish Sages of old advised: “Respect him and suspect him!”

Nannette

Drakken, who is going to stop the current administration from pushing Israel into the sea??

You, and who's army?

Nannette

John Edwards, are you aware that when Mohammed invented Islam, Jerusalem was known throughout the region as Jerusalem.

Mohammed was never there, nor is Jerusalem mentioned even once in the koran.

Adam B.

Edwards, you are also wrong about the horse being tethered at the Western Wall - the supposed location is further East. I know, I've seen it. You seem to have also whitewashed the systematic destruction of the ancient synagogues by the Jordanians in 1948, and the desecration of the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.

George

John Edwards,

Many apologies - I missed another mistake of yours. You describe the plaza in front of the Western Wall (what you call "the wailing wall") as "where Israel since 1967 holds nationalist mass gatherings such as torchlight processions celebrating graduation of recruits to elite army units and political demonstrations by right wing parties."
Wrong again, many times. The ceremonies involving elite army units are not torchlit. No political party would ever dare to use this plaza for a political demonstration. The rallies that happen there are usually for prayer - as will happen this week for Gilad Shalit. Finally, you forgot to mention that Israel also holds its annual Memorial Day ceremony there.

Derek BLADES

It is the official – and often repeated – position of the Israeli government that an undivided Jerusalem must remain the capital of the Jewish state. By illegal seizure of land and Arab homes in East Jerusalem they are translating that wish into a reality. I do not find it surprising that the Palestinians respond to this outrageous behaviour by themselves claiming sovereignty over the whole city. That is a perfectly reasonable stance in the face of Israeli intransigence. Does Ms Phillips expect them to come to the bargaining table already having accepted their opponent’s position?

Nannette

Derek BLADES, Jerusalem is and always will be Israel's capital.

In the war of annihilation in 1948, Jordan seized Jerusalem, desecrated Jewish graves, used the gravestones in their latrines, and tore down all synagogues.

The land was retaken in 1967, FOUR years after the PLO was formed.

ONLY Israel has allowed ALL religious denominations to worship in Jerusalem, including Muslims, who have autonomy over the Temple Mount.

The British were largely responsible for helping the Arabs evict tens of thousands of Jews from their Jerusalem homes in 1947 and 1948.

And you CONDONE the British/Arab actions?

Dave M

"Mohammed was never there, nor is Jerusalem mentioned even once in the koran."

Neither is there any Latin word known by the Romans for Islam. If you had a time machine and travelled back the period of Nero or Hadrian and spoke of Jerusalem as an Islamic capital there would be total confoundment by any Roman. I repeat there is no Latin word available. "Iudaicus" was the adjective Romans associated with Jerusalem and then later Christianus became a Latin word at a later period.
Put simply, Islam is a mediaeval religion, not an ancient religion. That's not to knock it in any way but muslims should be taught in their schools that Judaism should be respected on account of its more ancient heritage.
The amazing thing is I've met intelligent people who do actually believe Islam was the original faith of the Holy Land and that modern Arabic was more ancient than literary Hebrew.

Augustus

@ Derek BLADES

Even if the official Palestinian
position were reasonable, what about the fringe groups ability to whip up Palestinians into a frenzy of anti-Jewish protests?
And what about promises that they would never block access to holy sites? It would not be an easy promise to keep, and things could easily be back to a pre-1967 nightmare.

Due to their hostile stance in 1948 the Palestinians lost everything. Now that they stand on the threshold of regaining a viable Palestinian state and final self-determination, would it not be tragic if they let that opportunity pass because of their insistence that Israel give up Jerusalem?

Michael B

Out of the same Fatah, two additional pieces of news, neither of which we'll be seeing in the "news" very much, if at all:

Firstly, Fatah has officially endorsed Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade as Fatah's armed wing. Iow, Fatah, purportedly the "moderate" Sunni Arab faction in the West Bank and Gaza, is in fact radicalizing further still as still other news (see link below) coming out of the conference confirms.

Secondly, Fatah officially declared that Israel was responsible for Arafat's death. Presumably this was an official statement, lest there be any doubt concerning the veracity of said declaration?!?! This type of stuff wouldn't be suitable for an animated cartoon feature, but it plays itself out in real life and few bother to blink.

h/t Robin Shepherd and Tom Gross

DaveP

Politics, not religious sensibility, has fueled the Muslim attachment to Jerusalem for nearly fourteen centuries

It is true only if one assumes that Islam has a concept of separation of religion and politics. No such separation exists.

In Islam the religious and the political go hand in hand, each sustaining the other.

Erasmus

Stephanie:

This ongoing and unmitigated pressure on Israel from Western governments is nothing but latent, organic, theologically based Christian anti-Antisemitism finding its outlet. This is why it is so irrational. For two thousand years the west has slandered, slaughtered and mythologized The Jews-politically incorrect to express since WW II, the most ancient hatred must find an outlet, this time in convenient guise of Israel and "settlement" bashing.

Percy

Melanie - Correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that Israel was not the aggressor in 1967, so any reference to areas captured by Israel is fatuous. If they were captured in the act of defence, and they now give a strategic advantage, all power to Israel.

I also totally agree with you about Jerusalem, that, while this is the second most holy site for Islam, it is the only holy city for the Jews, and is inextricably linked to their history. This is like the Jews asking for Mecca, or at least half of it. The Palestinians need to give ground on this issue, but of course, they won't because they have long promised to drive Israel into the sea and have no intention of brokering any sort of peace.

http://statingthebobvious.blogspot.com/

Derek BLADES

Augustus, 11 August wrote "Even if the official Palestinian position were reasonable, what about the fringe groups ability to whip up Palestinians into a frenzy of anti-Jewish protests?"

Let me reverse the question. "Even if the official Israeli position on East Jerusalem and the settlements was reasonable, what about the fringe groups' ability to whip up Settlers into a frenzy of anti-Arab protests?"

What can Israel do about them? And is "Bibi" trying to rein them in? Of course not. You know as well as I do that his only interest is to disrupt Obama's peace process. Fortunately the Obama camp is gaining the upper hand. But you are right of course. Fringe groups on either side pose real threats whether they are “whipped into a frenzy” by Rabbis or by Mullahs.

Nannette

Derek Blades, how many rabbis have encouraged their congregations to strap on suicide vests to blow up and kill as many people as possible?

Michael B

Re, Jerusalem, etc.

Jerusalem is not the second most holy site within Islam. Medina - formerly a Jewish city, Yathrib - is. (That irony might be appreciated on various levels. Anyone hear of the "occupation" of Yathrib lately? Anyone hear of revanchist Jewish imperial designs on Yathrib? The questions answer themselves, serving comedic effect.)

Jerusalem is the most central city within Judaism and has been for more than three millennia. Within Islam it was an imperial conquest, c. 644.

Crawford

Jerusalem's future is not a political issue, regardless of political posturing.

The sooner there is a realisation that Jerusalem's future is entirely a spiritual issue the better.

I know this is unpopular among the anti-semites because it empties their argument of any weight, but there it is.

Obama et al are not dealing with Israel they are dealing with God!

Joss Cope

Hey Mel,

it's obvious that the various 'religious' factions fighting over the 'holy' city of Jerusalem will never agree about anything.

If these deluded children can't learn to play nicely together and share then there's only one fair outcome - nobody should be allowed to have it.

A couple of judiciously placed nukes ought to do it, I reckon. If only Israel had WMD...

Cheers,

Joss

field

Fine. Fatah's position is to be criticised and condemned.

But how different is it from Israel's? Israel unilaterally took control of the whole of Jersualem and claims it as sovereign territory.

I think we need to go back to the sensible UN partition agreement which allocated Jerusalem (not the larger conurbation that now exists) to an international zone - recognising its unique position. This makes sense as Jerusalem has not for 2000 years been an exclusively Jewish city. It is a potent religious symbol for Christians as well as Jews and Muslims.

The solution I think is to create an international zone as originally envisaged which would incorporate all the major sensitive religious sites. Jerusalem would be in three parts - a part that was sovereign Israeli territory, a part that was sovereign Palestinian territory and a part that was an international zone governed by a council representing say Israel, the USA, Russia, Palestine, the UN, and the Christian Churches.

Of course all this is predicated on the Arab side giving up on ethnic cleansing and terrorism. But that is the sort of sensible solution that should be possible if good will prevails.

Adam B.

field, London hasn't been an exclusively English city for several years now.

Give it to the UN for "international" control.

Incidentally, may I remind you that it was the Arabs who rejected the UN partition plan of 1948.

Drakken

Nanette
Don't you worry your pretty head about that, our representatives a shaking in the boots right now, when push comes to shove and it will, we will have no choice but to have to step up too the plate and go to bat for the Israelis. This Pres is a one termer, Kinda makes Jimmy Carter look smart.

PatriciaAnne

Melanie, go away and refresh yourself. You deserve it. Thanks for everything you do and have done to shine the light on the truth.

Elliott A Green

John Edwards, Jerusalem is never mentioned by name in the Quran, not by any of its names in Arabic, to wit, al-Quds, Bayt al-Maqdis, al-Balat, Iliya [from Aelia Capitolina], Urshalim al-Quds. Not by any of them. One might argue that Sura 17 alludes to Jerusalem in its mention of the Children of Israel's Temple in 17:7 [Pickthall-tr]. But the city is not mentioned by name. This Sura is called both "The Children of Israel" and "The Night Journey."
This is the journey that you refer to [17:1]. However, in the early days of Islam it was not thought to refer to Jerusalem but rather to a place of worship near Medina [a mainly Jewish city before Muhammad].

The Umayyad caliph around 685 decided to identify the Temple Mount in Jerusalem with the farthest [al-aqsa] place of worship. This was because a dynasty rival to the Umayyads had taken over Mecca and Medina, the two Holy Places [al-Haramayn] of Islam till then. The Umayyads, whose capital was Damascus, wanted very much to have a holy place, holy city, of their own. And that's why they built the Al-Aqsa [= farthest] Mosque on the pre-existing Temple Mount, expanded and renovated by the Jewish king Herod, by the way. Now the Umayyad identification of the Temple Mount as the farthest place of worship [al-masjid al-aqsa] was never universally accepted by Islamic religious scholars. Ibn Taymiyya, for example, denied that the Temple Mount was the farthest place of worship. He considered that belief to be a kind of impermissible Judaizing. Ibn Taymiyya is also significant today bacause the extemist Muslim factions, salafiyya, wahabiyya, Muslim Brotherhood, etc., hark back to his teeachings.

mick

melanie you are completely right,though we should not be surprised,as GODS word says this will happen,which will usher in the return of YESHUA the messiah please read zechariah 12 and joel 3 bless you and well done for standing up for israel.

ahad ha'amoratsim

Filed, under the "sensible" UN arrangement for an international city, the Arabs were allowed to beseige the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, murder the doctors, nurses and patients at Hasassah hospital, exile a Jewish community that had been there for 800 years, and vandalize the Jewish holy sites as noted above. The British did nothing about it and neither did the UN. For the next 19 years, the Arabs were allowed to bar Jews from visiting and praying at Jewish holy sites -- Jews from all over the world, not just Israelis. The UN did nothing about it and neither did anyone else. Suddenly Israel recaptures East Jerusalem in a defenseive war launched by the Arabs, and people of all religions are given access to holy sites for the first time in two decades. Just as suddenly, the internationalists can't bear the idea of one nation having control over the holy sites.

Given the international community's wretched record of accommodating the exclusion of Jews, don't expect us to trust the idea of an international city any time soon. And don't expect us to take anyone seriously who suggests it; anyone who makes the suggestion is showing that he is at best ignorant and at worst has no objection to oppression so long as it's aimed at Jews.