Saturday, January 15, 2011

"Robust"? Or "Violent"?

The UK Telegraph reports that in reaction to the clearing away of scaffodling, which even Haartz admits is unnecessary but just there,

The Waqf, the Muslim council, had threatened a robust response if any changes were made to the so-called little Western Wall, next to which 17 Palestinian families live. The families, who have objected in the past to the removal of the scaffolding, said they were not consulted ahead of the alterations.

I had just posted a picture of the new street sign at the courtyard and my wife has pictures from 2005 in which you can see, besides my wife, our daughter and good friend Yehudit Tayar, the "scaffolding", as EOZ notes. I also have posted pictures but can't at present locate them.

Here's one I found here which is directed to the entrance/exit the leads in/out of the courtyard:



and from another photographer:




In any case, if all Israel has done is to permit more people to visit a site adjacent to the last remnant of the Temple, a place which was a substitute at times when they couldn't reach the Wester Wall area, aplace that had been used as a urinal in the past, well, why should a violent, er, robust response be required?

And while we are on the subject of violence, I would think that the headline Haaretz gave the story of Akiva Eldar

Jerusalem opens Muslim Quarter Jewish site to prayer, upsetting status quo


was quite violent and violent-provoking.

^

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