The Arabs Don't Even Know When They Are Lying

Via EOZ:

The Saudi Gazette can't count:

Israeli authorities on Monday began new excavations near Al-Aqsa Mosque Complex in occupied Jerusalem, a Palestinian foundation said.

...It warned that the use of huge machines in the excavation work in the area puts in serious danger the foundations of the Al-Aqsa Mosque...The foundation stressed that goal of excavations “is to Judaize Jerusalem and the collapse of Al-Aqsa Mosque to build the so-called second temple on ruins of it.”

As EOZ notes:

Hate to break it to ya, Aqsa Foundation guys, but if you want to prevent Jews from building the Second Temple, you are a tad late.
 

Yes but what about those "huge machines"?
Let's recall what the Waqfists did when they raped the earth of Solomon's Stables to build a mosque, Al-Marwani, for 10,000 and then a second one, El-Aqsa K'dima (Ancient Aqsa, directly beneath the eastern half of the Al-Aqsa Mosque building is another subterranean area, leading from the courtyard in front of the Mosque to the Double Gate in the southern wall of the Sanctuary. Sealed for hundreds of years...), and then an entry plaza?

Here:

In 1996 the Waqf began construction in the structures known since Crusader times as Solomon's Stables, and in the Eastern Hulda Gate passageway...In 1999, the Waqf agreed on [the] necessity [for an emergency exit], which was also acknowledged by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). But the IAA criticized the Waqf's use of bulldozers, and said that salvation archaeology needed to be performed first. Gabriel Barkay, an Israeli professor, said the construction demolished structures dating to the Twelfth Century Crusades, and went on without archaeological supervision. He said the construction used ancient stones from early Jewish buildings and used them to make modern ones. Israel Finkelstein has described the project as "the greatest devastation to have recently been inflicted on Jerusalem’s archaeological heritage".

And how did they gouge out without regard to archaeological demands a trench?  With their hands?  Shovels?

Don't the so-called disinterested neutral observers see the lying and fabrications that characterize this propaganda?

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New 'Price-Tag' Incident?

Reported:

...news of the latest anti-Muslim attack which saw racist graffiti – including swastikas and the initials EDL, NF, KKK – daubed on a £2.5m mosque being built in Redditch, Worcestershire.  Police said they were doing everything possible to catch those responsible and had stepped up patrols in the area to reassure the local community.

Oh, not in Israel?

No settlers involved?

But police stilll seemingly inadequate.

Oh, my.

More details:

A mosque being built in Worcestershire has been broken into and graffiti including swastikas sprayed on to the walls and windows...Graffiti was sprayed over at least six windows.

...Police believe the motive for the attack was to steal building equipment.  A spokesperson said "thousands of pounds" worth of equipment was taken.

Is that "terror"?


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The Two-State Solution Question

The question that is on the table in relation to the future of Judea and Samaria is not the "Double D" - either lose Israel's democracy or via Arab demography lose Israel as a Jewish state - but rather this one, as expressed by Raphaella Segal here and slightly rephrased by me:

what is more manageable - a threat to Israel from annexing the area, which has 700,000 voting-age Palestinians, or the security threat stemming from a two-state solution with the topographical domination the new "Palestine" would control?

Ron Breiman, a friend, has published this today:

If we weren't slamming our heads into the wall but were rather opening them to new ideas, it would be possible to set the Jordan River as the border between Israel to the west and Jordan/Palestine to the east.  There are some who are scared of a demographic threat, claiming that if we don't withdraw from our land there will soon be an Arab majority west of the Jordan River. However, it is precisely for this reason that supporters of a Palestinian state should ensure that such a state won't absorb Arab refugees, who would cause there to be an Arab majority west of the Jordan River.

And there are those who utter the catchy slogan "them there, us here," referring to the Arabs who live in the land of Israel. This phrase is of course false and misleading. It means a "peace" based on the ethnic cleansing of Jews from Judea and Samaria and while keeping Israeli Arabs in Israel. Enlightened individuals and peace seekers should rule out ethnic cleansing, both of Jews and of Arabs. Anyone who advocates a ban on Jews living in Judea and Samaria isn't enlightened and isn't a peace seeker. Ultimately, such a "peace" would turn Israel into a non-Jewish and non-democratic country, and therefore devoid of peace.

There also other concerns that mitigate against the two-state solution, among them -

Will the Arabs recognize the Jewish national ethos?

Will they implement, until the arrangements are signed, peace consciousness educational programs to raise a new generation more willing to accept Israel and Zionism?

Will the "Palestinian identity narrative" of Israel's Arabs be rejected and reversed?

Will the PA's President Mahmoud Abbas drop the insistence that Israel must return fully to the June 4, 1967 borders and thus refuse to acknowledge that "territorial compromise" applies to both parties?

As for demography, which I have dealt with numerous times (here; and here, recently) this is from today:

The population of Israel is expected to reach 11.4 million people by the end of 2035, according to an updated forecast published by the Central Bureau of Statistics. According to a more optimistic estimation, it is possible that the population could reach 12.4 million people.
• 73% of the entire population will be Jewish by 2035
• 23% of the entire population will be Arab by 2035

...[out of a total of] 8.8 million. The Arab population will be 2.6 million -- 23% of the entire population (nearly one in every four Israelis). There will be 8.3 million Jews by the end of 2035 (73% of the entire population); the Muslim population will be 2.3 million (20% of the population); the Druze will count for 1.6% of the population with 185,000 people; and Christian Arabs will account for 1.3% with 152,000 people.

and supports to prognosis of data.

Here is Jeff Jacoby, writing about The myth of the inevitable Jewish minority in Israel in the Boston Globe:

Yasser Arafat liked to say that the ultimate weapon in his arsenal against the Jewish state was “the womb of the Arab woman.”...

...As the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics began its first census in the West Bank and Gaza in 1997, the bureau’s director, Hassan Abu Libdeh, assured The New York Times that the results would amount to nothing less than “a civil intifada.” In 2005, the bureau predicted that Jews would be a minority in “historic Palestine” (i.e., west of the Jordan River) by 2010. Now it says the tipping point will come by 2020.

Don’t count on it.

Arafat’s boast notwithstanding, Palestinian women, like women throughout the Muslim world, are bearing far fewer children than they used to. Within Israel proper, the birth rate among Muslims has trended steadily downward and stands now at 3.5 children per woman. It is even lower for Palestinians in the West Bank — just 2.91, according to the CIA Factbook...But while Palestinian birth rates have dramatically declined, Jewish birth rates in Israel have been heading up. Israel now has the highest fertility level of any modern industrialized nation. The fertility gap between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs, a yawning 5.8 in the 1960s, is just 0.5 today. Defying longstanding conventional wisdom, writes former Israeli diplomat Yoram Ettinger, it is Israel’s Jewish population that is undergoing a remarkable surge, rising from about 80,000 births per year in 1995 to 130,000 in 2012. (The annual number of Israeli Arab births has held steady at between 35,000 and 40,000).

Don't gamble with Israel's future on unreliable statistics.

Or as Zehava Englard wrote:

Not only is the price of the One State Solution affordable, Israel can’t afford NOT to implement this plan of action.

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Join Moshe Feiglin for a Temple Mount Visit

If you want to ascend to the Temple Mount with MK Moshe Feiglin, your next chance is tomorrow morning at 7:45 at the lower entrance.

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From Gaza to Jerusalem, What Do Activists Know

Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh linked Gaza and Jerusalem in his insane disinventivitism:

Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Tuesday that

Palestinians would not recognize Israel, despite the siege on Gaza and two wars...Palestinians did not and will not recognize Israel," the Gaza premier said as he welcomed international activists to the enclave.

So these activists know the truth and, obviously, support it since otherwise what would they be doing there as volunteers.  It is quite clear from this that they are not 'innocent', as he continued:

The premier thanked activists who came to Palestine, describing solidarity visits as a holy duty, and he urged more supporters to come. Haniyeh said aid groups who visited Gaza in solidarity had a political and a humanitarian message, showing that Gaza did not stand alone.

And then went on to "Jerusalem Denial":-

The Hamas leader highlighted his government's efforts to generate support for Jerusalem.  "The (Israeli) occupation built a hundred synagogues around al-Aqsa to deceive the world and falsify facts," he added.
 

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Lincoln On The Two-State Solution

.

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Coca-Cola Served by the Arab-Israel Conflict

Their ad:

Advertising Agency: Leo Burnett, Sydney, Australia

^

Reading Equals Building, And Today We Require...

We are now in the period of the "Three Weeks", and so let us recall the Midrash in Tanhuma 96, Tzav Portion:

.

וכן אמר [רב] שמואל בר אבא, אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא לישראל, אף על פי שבית המקדש עתיד ליחרב והקרבנות בטלין, לא תשכחו עצמכם לסדר הקרבנות, אלא הזהרו לקרות בהן ולשנות בהן. ואם תעסקו בהן, אני מעלה עליכם כאלו בקרבנות אתם עוסקים. ואם רצונך לידע, בא וראה, כשהקדוש ברוך הוא מראה ליחזקאל את צורת הבית, מה הוא אומר, הגד את בית ישראל את הבית ויכלמו מעונותיהם ומדדו את תכנית (יחז' מג י). אמר יחזקאל לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא, רבונו של עולם, עד עכשיו אנו נתונים בגולה בארץ שונאינו, ואתה אומר לי לילך ולהודיע לישראל צורת הבית, וכתוב (אותה) לעיניהם, וישמרו את כל צורותיו ואת כל חוקותיו (יחז' מג יא). וכי יכולין הן לעשות. הניח להם עד שיעלו מן הגולה, ואחר כך אני הולך ואומר להם. אמר לו הקדוש ברוך ליחזקאל, ובשביל שבני נתונים בגולה, יהא בנין ביתי בטל. אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא, גדול קרייתה בתורה כבנינה. לך אמור להם, ויתעסקו לקרות צורת הבית בתורה. ובשכר קרייתה שיתעסקו לקרות בה, אני מעלה עליהם כאלו הם עוסקין בבנין הבית

... 

In short:

"The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Ezekiel, 'When the Jewish people are learning the design the Temple in the Torah, I will consider it as if they are building it.'" 

A longer version:

G-d tells Ezekiel to teach the design of his Temple to the people. Ezekiel answers, “But we are in the land of our enemies.  Let it wait until we return to the land of Israel, for it is taught that they will learn it and they will build it.  And we cannot build it here in the land of Babylon.” And G-d says, “No, teach it to the people now because when the people are learning the design of your Temple, I will consider it as if they have already."

A fuller translation, with my editing:

So said Rav Shmuel var Abba - The Holy One, Blessed is He, said to Israel, “Even though the Holy Temple will one day be destroyed, and the sacrifices will stop, do not forget to codify their laws. Read them, review them – if you study them, I will count it as if you are doing them. And if you want to know [that this is so], come and see this: When the Holy One, Blessed is He, revealed to Yechezkel (Ezekiel) the form of the Temple, He said, “[Ezekiel 43:10] - Thou, son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure accurately.…” 

Said Yechezkel to Hashem, “Master of the Universe, we are in exile, in the land of our enemies, and You tell me to go and make the form of the Temple known to the Jews…[Ezekiel 43:11 - "make known unto them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof, and write it in their sight; that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them] What shall they do [with this knowledge?] Let them be, until the exile is over and they return – and afterwards, I will then tell them!” 

Hashem said to Yechezkel, “Because My children are in exile – the construction of My House should stop? Reading about it in the Torah is as great as building it! Teach them to study about the Temple, and I will consider it as if they are involved in its construction.”

We are returned from Exile, we have united Jerusalem.

Time to intensely study construction laws and seek to 'qualify the generation'.

^

England Should Be Sued

Although I briefly mentioned this earlier in the month, urged by Dassie Marcus, I draw your attention again to this news item:

Kenyans tortured by British colonial forces during the Mau Mau uprising will receive payouts totalling £20m, Foreign Secretary William Hague has announced.

He said the UK government recognised Kenyans were tortured and it "sincerely regrets" the abuses that took place...

"I would like to make clear now, and for the first time, on behalf of Her Majesty's government, that we understand the pain and grievance felt by those who were involved in the events of the emergency in Kenya," he told the Commons.

"The British government recognises that Kenyans were subject to torture and other forms of ill-treatment at the hands of the colonial administration.

"The British government sincerely regrets that these abuses took place and that they marred Kenya's progress towards independence."

Mr Hague said 5,228 victims would receive payments totalling £19.9m following an agreement with lawyers acting for the victims, who have been fighting for compensation for a number of years.

Despite this,
 

He stressed that the government continued to deny liability for the actions of the colonial administration and indicated it would defend claims brought from other former British colonies.  "We do not believe that this settlement establishes a precedent in relation to any other former British colonial administration," he said.

I think Israeli veterans of the underground struggle should pursue thus same avenue.

Consider these few, representative incidents:

January 17, 1946, Eliahu Ezra and Shaul Galili murdered by Sudanese guards in British Detention Camp in Eritrea.  12 others injured trying to help them.

April 14, 1947, Tel Aviv. A British naval unit boarded the refugee ship “Guardian” and seized it along with 2,700 passengers after a gun battle in which two immigrants were killed and 14 wounded.

May 12, 1947, Jerusalem. The British authorities announced that 312 Jewish political prisoners were held in Kenya, East Africa, 247 in Latrun and 34 in Bethlehem, Palestine.

July 18, 1947, Haifa. The American-manned Haganah refugee ship “Exodus 1947” (formerly the “President Warfield”) was escorted into Haifa by British naval units after a battle in which the American first mate, William Bernstein and two immigrants were killed and more than 30 injured.

July 31, 1947, Enraged British troops stormed into Tel Aviv, wrecked shops, attacked pedestrians and sprayed a bus with gunfire killing five Jews: two men, two women and a boy.

And Alexander Rubovitz, tortured to death by Roy Farran.


Is there a lawyer reading this?

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Following-up the Tax-Exemption Story

Since we Yesha groups never use "occupy", was the IRS zeroing on Arab or anti-Zionist groups?

The Internal Revenue Service's screening of groups seeking tax-exempt status was broader and lasted longer than has been previously disclosed, the new head of the agency acknowledged Monday. Terms including "Israel," ''Progressive" and "Occupy" were used by agency workers to help pick groups for closer examination, according to an internal IRS document obtained by The Associated Press...spreadsheets listing the terms — called BOLO lists for "be on the lookout for"—  [were in a] 16-page document, with many parts blacked out, show[ing] that the terms "Progressive" and "Tea Party" were both on that list, as well as "Medical Marijuana," ''occupied territory advocacy" and "Healthcare legislation."

And read this account.

 
^

Is This Apartheid?

Children in Northern Ireland attend state schools that differ according to religion. In nearly all cases, a Catholic family and a Protestant one living next door will send their children to different schools.

Source

 

And what is the situation in the Republic?

 

 

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Political-Theological Thinking

If you consider these verses in the Quaran -

The Children of Israel

[17.2] And We gave Musa the Book and made it a guidance to the children of Israel, saying: Do not take a protector besides Me;

[17.4] And We had made known to the children of Israel in the Book: Most certainly you will make mischief in the land twice, and most certainly you will behave insolently with great insolence.

[17.104] And We said to the Israelites after him: Dwell in the land: and when the promise of the next life shall come to pass, we will bring you both together in judgment.

Maryam

[19.58] These are they on whom Allah bestowed favors, from among the prophets of the seed of Adam, and of those whom We carried with Nuh, and of the seed of Ibrahim and Israel, and of those whom We guided and chose; when the communications of the Beneficent God were recited to them, they fell down making obeisance and weeping.

The Adoration

[32.23] And certainly We gave the Book to Musa, so be not in doubt concerning the receiving of it, and We made it a guide for the children of Israel.

The Forgiver

[40.53] And certainly We gave Musa the guidance, and We made the children of Israel inherit the Book,

how can Muslims not be aware of our connection to the Land of Israel, our national ethos?

^

Pals Refuse Territorial Compromise Solution

I should clarify: the Pals. refuse to commit to compromising on any territory despite the fact that they started.

Here (thanks to IMRA):-

Erekat Denies Reports Abbas Agreed to Concede on Borders
JERICHO, June 25, 2013 (WAFA - PO news agency) – Reports that President Mahmoud Abbas has agreed to make concessions on the 1967 borders are unfounded, said member of the Palestine Liberation Organization and its negotiator Saeb Erekat on Tuesday...He said Abbas is holding on to the two-state solution on the 1967 borders.

If "territorial compromise" is the basis, why won't they compromise?

Israel has to do all the compromising?

I was always taught - never get caught in a compromising situation.

^

Good News on a Fast Day

Israel Antiquities Authority announces:

An ancient road leading from Yafo to Jerusalem, which dates to the Roman period (second–fourth centuries CE), was exposed this past fortnight in the Beit Hanina neighborhood in northern Jerusalem...The wide road (c. 8 m) was bounded on both sides by curbstones. The road itself was built of large flat stones fitted to each other so as to create a comfortable surface for walking...

...The road section discovered in the IAA excavations in Beit Hanina is part of the imperial network of roads that led to Jerusalem from the coastal plain...Two main arteries led from Yafo to Jerusalem during the Roman period. One is the road that passes through Bet Horon and the other runs via Shaar HaGai. This particular segment belongs to the Bet Horon road. The road began in Yafo and passed through Lod where it split it two different directions: one to Shaar HaGai and the other by way of Modiin along the route of what is today Highway 443 to Bet Horon. From there the road continued eastward as far as Bir Nabala and turned south to Kefar Shmuel where it merged with the highlands road that led to the Old City of Jerusalem.

In some places we can see that the modern Bir Nabala road was paved just a few centimeters above the route of the ancient road, which indicates that until a few decades ago the ancient road in this region was visible and was used.

The Romans were here before the Arabs.

And Jews were here before the Romans because the Romans came and destroyed our Second Temple which is why I am fasting today, the 17th of Tammuz.

But this is good news, even on a fast day.

^

Reuters Roils

Where did this imprecise and actually wrong statement come from?

Many Orthodox Jews once rejected the idea of praying in the [Temple Mount] compound, citing religious rules barring anyone not descended from one of the ancient priests from stepping on hallowed ground where holy scriptures were once kept.

Reuters, from the pen of  Allyn Fisher-Ilan with editing by Jeffrey Heller and Mark Heinrich (here, too).  (Thanks to EOZ who also tears it apart).  The language is not only imprecise but biased.  This is not news or a perspective but the political outlook of the writer and her editors.

In any case, descent from the Kohanic line has no nearing on the real Halachic question of

(a) is the Temple Mount still considered sacred?

(b) if so, where exactly inside the precincts since the current area is much larger than the original defined-as-holy space?

(c) can we all, and not only Kohanim, be released from a state of Halachic impurity and how?

And another example:

This month alone, Israeli police have hauled away half a dozen Israelis from the site. A Jewish Israeli and an Arab citizen were held in connection with a brawl that injured a Muslim official and four other Jewish men were detained for prostrating themselves on the holy ground.

The brawl began when the Jewish man was accosted by shouting Muslim women and simply began to photograph them.  She even writes further,

At the compound, one group of visitors walked past al-Aqsa, drawing shouting from Muslim women sitting in the shade of tree and from Palestinian children attending a day camp. They ignored the catcalls and continued deeper into the plaza.

But to return to that "brawl", Waqf guards attempted to prevent him photographing and even tried to grab the camera,  Pushed, the Jewish man pushed back.  That's the complete story.

Don't trust Reuters for correct and balanced news.

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Holy Sites Protection

Can I try to fool you as I did just previously?

Is this for real?

The General Assembly,

Having considered further the situation in Israel,

1. Expresses its deep appreciation of the progress achieved through the good offices of the  United Nations Mediator in promoting a peaceful adjustment of the future situation of Israel; and

Extends its thanks to the Acting Mediator and his staff for their continued efforts and devotion to duty in Israel;

2. Establishes a Conciliation Commission consisting of three States members of the United Nations

7. Resolves that the Holy Places' religious buildings and sites in Israel should be protected and free access to them assured, in accordance with existing rights and historical practice; that the Commission should call upon the political authorities of the areas concerned to give appropriate formal guarantees as to the protection of the Holy Places and access to them; and that these undertakings should be presented to the General Assembly for approval;

No, it isn't.

Here's the genuine text:-

1. Expresses its deep appreciation of the progress achieved through the good offices of the late United Nations Mediator in promoting a peaceful adjustment of the future situation of Palestine, for which cause he sacrificed his life; and

Extends its thanks to the Acting Mediator and his staff for their continued efforts and devotion to duty in Palestine;

2. Establishes a Conciliation Commission consisting of three States members of the United Nations

7. Resolves that the Holy Places - including Nazareth - religious buildings and sites in Palestine should be protected and free access to them assured, in accordance with existing rights and historical practice; that arrangements to this end should be under effective United Nations supervision; that the United Nations Conciliation Commission, in presenting to the fourth regular session of the General Assembly its detailed proposals for a permanent international regime for the territory of Jerusalem, should include recommendations concerning the Holy Places in that territory; that with regard to the Holy Places in the rest of Palestine the Commission should call upon the political authorities of the areas concerned to give appropriate formal guarantees as to the protection of the Holy Places and access to them; and that these undertakings should be presented to the General Assembly for approval;

^

A Jew Tells A Pope

... the Jewish community continues to be concerned about efforts to canonize Pope Pius XII while innumerable documents pertaining to the history of the Church and the Jewish people during the dark years of the Holocaust still remain closed to outside scholarly investigation.  We know of your past statements regarding this problem and we sincerely hope that the promise of the full release of these documents in 2014 that has been made to us will indeed be fulfilled.

For real.

^

Gordon Gorges Gordis

Evie Gordon on Daniel Gordis:

If it weren’t for one flaw, I’d agree completely with Daniel Gordis' column in this paper last Friday...[but his arguments are] undercut by the flaw hidden in one seemingly innocuous statement: “Reasonable minds can differ as to whether saying publicly that the two-state solution is dead is healthy for Israel’s standing in the international community.”

Actually, where Gordis stands on that question seems pretty clear: Just last July, he signed an open letter urging Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu not to adopt the Levy Report, lest it “place the two-state solution and the prestige of Israel as a democratic member of the international community, in peril”; he then wrote an op-ed in Haaretz explaining his objections in more detail. Yet all the Levy Report said is what every Israeli government has said for decades: that the West Bank isn’t “occupied Palestinian territory,” but disputed territory to which Israel has a valid claim – which in no way negates Israel’s ability or willingness to cede part or all of it for peace. If Gordis views even that as too dangerous to say publicly lest it paint Israel as a peace rejectionist, I can’t imagine him not objecting to a blunt public statement that “the two-state solution is dead.”

And therein lies the flaw. For if prominent Israelis, and especially Israeli leaders, aren’t willing to say this publicly and repeatedly, the “peace process” will keep right on monopolizing the conversation, and we’ll never have time and space for those other topics that Gordis rightly considers vital.

First, this is because nobody can be more Catholic than the pope: Neither American Jews nor world leaders can declare the two-state solution dead as long as Israeli leaders insist ad nauseam that it’s achievable...as long as Israeli leaders encourage the fallacy that an agreement is possible, overseas Jews will naturally think this should take precedence over the issues Gordis rightly wants to discuss...

...Israeli leaders don’t just say peace is possible; whether out of genuine belief or merely to prove their peacemaking bona fides, they also repeatedly declare it essential for Israel’s very survival:...When Israel’s own leaders – to whom Israelis routinely demand that Diaspora Jews defer on vital security issues – deem a two-state solution the most vital security issue of all, necessary for Israel’s very survival, how can overseas Jews be expected to care about anything else?...

...Thus if the conversation is ever to change, Israelis must first explain to the world why the two-state solution is indeed dead, and why Israel can nevertheless survive and even thrive without it, just as it has for the past 65 years...The more Israelis are willing to join them in saying this publicly, the more likely overseas Jews are to finally start believing it. And only then will we be able to have the conversation Gordis (and I) so badly want to have.

^

News That Really Isn't

Were you aware of this news item?

Israeli-Waqf Talks Expected to be Concluded by Year End

Talks to resolve differences between the Waqf Authority and Israel relating to the situation at the Haram A-Sharif/Temple Mount could be concluded by the end of the year. In a joint statement issued Thursday after the conclusion of a plenary meeting at the Al-Azhar University in Egypt of the Bilateral Permanent Working Commission set up to resolve the outstanding issues regarding the implementation of the Oslo Accords vis a vis religious freedom, the Waqf and Israel said the “significant progress was made and the parties committed themselves to accelerate negotiations on the remaining issues which include the granting of religious expression to Jews, and also other non-Muslims on the Temple Mount, outside Islamic buildings .”

Naw, that was all wrong.


Here's the real news:-

Israeli-Holy See Talks Expected to be Concluded by Year End

Talks to resolve differences between the Holy See and Israel could be concluded by the end of the year. In a joint statement issued Thursday after the conclusion of a plenary meeting at the Vatican of the Bilateral Permanent Working Commission set up to resolve these outstanding issues, the Holy See and Israel said the “significant progress was made and the parties committed themselves to accelerate negotiations on the remaining issues.”

I had posted earlier on the agreement which would permit Catholic Mass at the Mount Zion complex which was carried by a PR facilitator.  By the way, I am having doubts since I can not find corroboration.

But the Franciscans are still upset at other matters, like this odd item:-

Franciscans in the Holy Land Continue “Unwelcome Ritual” of Honoring the Cross of Jesus
May 28, 2013

Franciscans in the Holy Land continued their time-honored tradition of celebrating the Finding of the Cross this year despite strong opposition by Jews and Muslims. The annual feast included a Mass at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher and a procession with a piece of the cross that held the crucified body of Christ.

although they are aware of the intricacies of the difficulties:

Referring to his church's desire to regain rights to the traditional site of the Last Supper on Mount Zion, which it lost 500 years ago and which sits on top of the traditional tomb of King David, [custos of holy sites on behalf of the Vatican, Father Pierbattista] Pizzaballa said he is not seeking a change in the status quo. "But Jerusalem teaches us to you can't take any decision alone," he added. "You need the other [party]. That's the difficulty and the beauty of Jerusalem."

By the way, here is how the Franciscans detail their "historical rights"

Holy Land Custody History

The association of the Franciscans with the Holy Land is one that began many years ago and has particular significance.  Having reached Egypt, St. Francis himself embarked for St. John of Acre in 1219, intending to reach Jerusalem. Although he did not succeed in this, he was able to lay the foundations for a Franciscan presence...A general chapter of the order, held at the Portiuncola near Assisi in 1217, had already established a province of the Holy Land...In 1291, the city of St. John of Acre, the last Crusader stronghold in the Holy Land, fell to the Muslims. Nevertheless, the Franciscans, who had taken refuge in Cyprus, the seat of the order's eastern province, continued to program and carry out by all possible means an apostolate in Jerusalem and at other sanctuaries in Palestine. In spite of many obstacles and difficulties, a Franciscan presence at the Holy Sepulcher between 1322 and 1327 was recorded in history, a presence which was specifically requested by Pope John XXII.
 
...a definitive return to the Holy Land with legal possession of certain sanctuaries...was made possible by the rulers of Naples, Roberto d’Angiò and Sancia di Maiorca. In 1333, through the good offices of Fr. Ruggero Garini, the order acquired from the Sultan of Egypt the Cenacle as well as the right to liturgical celebrations in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher...In 1342, Pope Clement VI, through the bulls Gratias Agimus and Nuper Carissimae, confirmed the rulings of Naples and made possible the creation of a new entity: the Custody of the Holy Land.  The events of 1342 were decisive in the development of the local church, making possible the eventual reestablishment in 1847 of the Latin Patriarchate...The Custody of the Holy Land had its seat at the convent of Mount Zion, next to the Cenacle, until 1551, in which year the Friars were expelled by the Turks. However, from 1560 until today, the seat of the custody of the Holy Land has been at the convent of St. Savior in Jerusalem.

In the 16th century, the arrival in the Holy Land of the Greeks, supported by the sultans, gave rise to the painful issue of the "question of the holy places", which saw the Franciscans in a spirited defense of their continued possession of them. A period of unhappiness ended in 1852, when an edict from the Ottoman Empire established what has become known as the "status quo nunc", which still regulates today ownership and rights of the different Christian communities.

And this is how true religious freedom works out (and how bad off Jews are regarding the Temple Mount):

The Franciscan calling in the Holy Land includes three principal elements:

Prayer in the Holy Places.

The daily prayer of the friars in the Holy Places is a reminder to all that these places are not museums. Each of them commemorates a particular moment in the life of Christ and of His disciples. Praying there and commemorating the Salvation Story means making Christ Himself present.

Welcoming pilgrims.

The task of the Franciscans is not only to support pilgrims from all over the world during their stay in the Holy Land but also to assist them in their walk of faith.

Looking after Christians and serving the poor.

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Would That It Be

Another Graphic Zionism presentation:

And some fun ones:

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