Open Your Jebusite Eyes Or, Sure The Bible Is Correct

Remember my "Canaanite Eyes" posts, among others deriding and disproving the silly and fallacious claim that "Palestinian Arabs" preceded Jews in Jerusalem and Eretz-Yisrael because they were of the nations who lived here, according to the Biblical account (and notice that in this respect, they firmly hold to that storyline of the "Bible")?

Well, open up your eyes, readers to this:-

Islamic Leader MK Sarsur: 'Arab Jebusites' Founded Jerusalem

Knesset Member Ibrahim Abdullah Sarsur, who heads the southern Islamic Movement inside Israel, published an official announcement Sunday according to which a nation he called the “Arab Jebusites” founded the city of Jerusalem – which he referred to using the Arabic name Al Quds – a long time before the Jews showed up there.

...Sarsur added that Jerusalem was and is the great test that Allah – the Muslim name for G-d – is testing the Muslims with, and that “the Israeli occupation, which is fated to disappear as the Crusaders' and British occupations did..."We, as Muslims, along with the noble ones among the Christians... ask only that Israel take its hands off of Al Quds and the Al Aqsa Mosque, stop trampling the rights of Arabs and Muslims in the city... act to distance the extreme Jewish elements from the Al Aqsa mosque, forget about the possibility of holding Jewish prayer of any form or size in the [Temple Mount] and certainly forget about the possibility of shared Jewish custodianship over it, because this will be a red line after which the face of the region and the world will be completely different,” he warned.

Yesterday, PM Netanyahu was dealing with another mendacious claim (* for official version below):

PM to Arabs: Don't believe lies on Temple Mount dig

"There is an extreme minority that has spread lies according to which Israel is planning to build underneath the Temple Mount," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said regarding the recent unrest in east Jerusalem. "I call on the majority of Arabs in Israel not to believe these lies. The government is working in order to make certain that you will enjoy full financial equality," said Netanyahu.

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(*)

(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)

Following are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting today (Monday), 12.10.09:

"Today, we will be briefed on last week's events in Jerusalem.

Last week, extremist elements tried to undermine quiet and peaceful life in Jerusalem. An extremist minority disseminated lies to the effect that we intend to dig, or were actually digging, under the Temple Mount. I would like to make it clear that this is an outright lie.

I appreciate the fact that the decisive majority of Israeli Arabs were not dragged after these provocations and did not allow the extremists to exploit the lies. This morning, I would like to appeal to Israel's Arab citizens, who want to live good and peaceful lives here and tell you that you are an inseparable part of the State of Israel. We in the Government want and will act so that you have fully equal opportunities in all areas – education, employment and infrastructures. Our intention is to implement the goals that we all share – peaceful coexistence, good neighborly relations and a prosperous future for our children, as citizens with equal rights in the State of Israel.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the police and the security forces who did – and are doing – their utmost to maintain quiet and public order."