Stand for Israel

Sometimes a headline says it all

Ha'aretz: "Hamas: War will settle Jerusalem dispute, not talks"

Temple Mount heating up again

Heavy rioting despoiled the Temple Mount and areas around it over the weekend.

On Thursday, just prior to the latest outbreak of violence, Rabbi Eckstein wrote about how the Mount, "Described by Jewish tradition as God's dwelling place on earth...has today become a pawn used by cynical Palestinian leaders—used not to draw us closer to the Divine, but to inflame passions and foment troubles."

Read the whole piece here.

Major dig planned for Western Wall

Arutz Sheva:

Israel is planning a major archaeological dig under the Western Wall (Kotel) plaza, opposite the Temple Mount, officials announced Thursday. The excavations will create an archaeological park directly underneath the area where worshippers currently stand while praying at the Kotel.

The current prayer area will remain open, supported by pillars, while a new area will be added underneath, at the level at which worshippers at the ancient Temple stood in the past.

The dig may be met with harsh reactions from Muslim and Arab leaders in Israel and the Palestinian Authority, many of whom have accused Israel of attempting to damage the Al-Aksa Mosque on the Temple Mount. Jerusalem-area Muslims recently rioted for several days after it was rumored that “Jewish settlers” had planned to pray on the Temple Mount

History shows anti-Jewish rumors lead to Palestinian riots

Barry Rubin looks at the historical record and finds that, sadly, some things don't change:

In August 1929, wild rumors that Jews had attacked Arabs, cursed the name of Islam’s founder, and were about to seize the Temple Mount led to inflammatory sermons in mosques, followed by massive Arab riots. More than 105 Jews were killed by Arabs; not a single Arab was killed by a Jew.

The exact same thing happened—albeit with far fewer casualties—in 1996, 2000, 2009, and at several points in between. The pattern tells a great deal about why the conflict doesn’t end and in fact stays a great deal the same.

Netanyahu: Don't believe the lies about Temple Mount dig

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issues a call for sanity:

"There is an extreme minority that has spread lies according to which Israel is planning to conduct excavations beneath the Temple Mount," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said regarding the recent unrest in east Jerusalem.

"I want to make it clear that these are lies, and I call on the majority of Arabs in Israel not to believe these lies," said the PM at the onset of Monday's cabinet meeting, "The vast majority of Israel's Arabs are not being dragged in by these provocations.

"I want to tell the Arab citizens of Israel – those who want to lead normal lives – that you are a part of the State of Israel. The government is working to make certain that you (Arab sector) enjoy full equality in every field, be it education, economy, employment or infrastructure," he said.

How will Ateek respond?

We've spoken before about Naim Ateek, a Palestinian Anglican priest who is also director of the stridently anti-Israel Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center. Over at the CAMERA blog, Dexter Van Zile wonders aloud how Ateek may respond to the violence currently taking place on and around the Temple Mount in Jerusalem:

Palestinian leaders are falsely accusing Israel of "besieging" the [Dome of the Rock] mosque. If history is any predictor, this is a prelude to increased violence. What will Ateek do? Will he affirm Palestinian propaganda and incitement? Or will he speak truth to power and condemn leaders in the West Bank for lying about Israel? Will he encourage the Palestinian people to remain calm? Or will he remain silent? If Naim Ateek truly is a man of peace, now is the time for him to step up and tell his Palestinian Muslim brothers and sisters to refrain from violence, not to riot, and to not throw stones at Israelis.

Link to first Temple found

A major discovery on the Temple Mount:

Archeologists overseeing contested Islamic infrastructure work on Jerusalem's Temple Mount have stumbled upon a sealed archeological level dating back to the First Temple period, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Sunday.

The find marks the first time that archeological remains dating back to the First Temple period have been found on the contested holy site, the state-run archeological body said.

Muslim digging damaged Temple wall

Israeli architects say that current Muslim digging on the Temple Mount may have damaged a portion of a wall that is part of the Second Temple:

Among the antiquities that have been damaged are a 7-meter-wide wall that apparently dates back to Second-Temple times and was likely part of the Temple courts, according to Israeli archaeologists from the nonpartisan Committee Against the Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount.

Background on this debacle here.

The Temple Mount double standard

Remember the outrage of Muslims over Israel's attempts earlier this year to rebuild a damaged walkway leading to the Temple Mount? Israel has since reevaluated the project and suspended it due to concerns that it might damage antiquities in the area. But now, the Muslim Waqf -- the authority that oversees the Temple Mount site -- is doing some digging of its own:

Within the last few days, a trench two-feet deep -- starting from the northern end of the platform where Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock sits -- has begun working its way toward the southern end of the Temple Mount. The work is being done without any regard for the archaeological information or treasures that may lie below. Destruction is particularly great in places where bedrock is no deeper than the trench. Some of the digging is being done with mechanical equipment, instead of by hand as a professional archaeological excavation would be conducted.

As yet, there has been no outcry from radical Islamists. It seems they object to digging on or near the Temple Mount only when it is done carefully, and within legal guidelines -- in other words, when Israel is doing the digging. There's more, including photos of the digging, here.

(Hat tip: Solomonia)

Go for the blogosphere!

Michael Freund has advice to help Israel counter the mountain of disinformation that has accompanied walkway construction at the Temple Mount:

If there is a lesson to be learned from this sorry state of affairs, it is that Israel needs to begin utilizing alternative means to circumvent the mainstream media and spread its own message far and wide.

In order to better counter the Arab propaganda machine, the Jewish state should actively reach out to its many supporters in cyberspace, and especially in the blogosphere, for help in disseminating the truth.