Wednesday, September 14, 2005

"TAKE BACK THE HOLY SITES." In the Jerusalem Post Michael Freund editorializes about the Palestinian destruction of the Gaza synagogues. Excerpt:
The Palestinians have once again failed to demonstrate even the modicum of decency and civility that calls for respecting houses of worship that belong to others.

And so Israel should not hesitate to do what should have been done already: take back Joseph's Tomb, reassert its sovereignty over the Temple Mount, and eject the PA-controlled Muslim Wakf from the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron.

These three sites, more than any others, symbolize our ties to this Land, and the abiding faith upon which they are based. It is time for all of them to return to sole Israeli control.

Such a step would send a clear and unequivocal message to the Palestinians that there is a price to be paid for treading on Jewish religious rights and assaulting our holy sites. It would also underline Israel's determination to retain these sacred spaces in any future arrangements that might be reached.

See also the comments at Alt.Muslim. Ironically, only days ago the Chairman of the Palestinian Authority made a point of asserting that the PA alone should be in charge of caring for the antiquities on the Temple Mount.

Regrettably, desecration of religious sites is not unprecedented in the Arab world. As I've noted before, it's even being done to important historical architecture in Mecca. Regarding that issue, I urge you to sign the Stop the destruction of the birthplace of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) in Makkah petition. Very few non-Muslims have signed, but what is happening at both Mecca and the Temple Mount should be of concern to anyone who cares about the historical heritage of the Middle East.

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