# 128 – Untruths

November 2, 2009

I’ve had my head banged a little lately on the subject of Israel and Israeli politics. ‘Everyone’ (well, the 3 or 4 persons I have in mind right now, including me) accuses moderates of being extremists. We seem to think that an opposing opinion, one that is perhaps far from one’s own, is extremist.

First of all, let me tell you, and me, that ‘real extremists’ are so far off the map, so distant from the centre, that they cannot be approached nor saved. In a decent society, they will eventually be punished. In another, they perhaps become president.

Secondly, now being subjective, the Israeli-Palestinian problem has been going on so long, and is so complicated, that the span of opinions has become uncontrollable. That’s where we need the Obama-like personality, to bring it all back into simple sentences that most can listen to, hear, understand and hopefully appreciate. Otherwise, we’ll just keep arguing.

OK, that’s my opener.

Still in the wake of the pathetic UN attempt to dictate the rights and wrongs of contemporary warfare, now another reminder of how difficult it will be to make peace with the Palestinians. (Fatah) President Abbas has called for elections in January. Hamas has told him where to go. No elections in Gaza, they say.

A reminder that Hamas’s objective is to establish an Islamic state in the whole area of Palestine (they have condescendingly promised to allow the Jews to remain as a minority – leading happy lives, I suppose, as in all the other Islamic states…). They consider themselves an arm of the international Muslim Brotherhood movement, dangerously powerful forces in so many countries, including Egypt, Saudi, Lebanon, Algeria etc.

An interesting article in this morning’s Jerusalem Post considers the split between Hamas and Fatah as a potential for peace with Israel (!). Ron Pundak is the writer, and he has quite a list of qualifications, including joint-chair of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace NGO Forum. Wow! He feels that Fatah and Israel should move on regardless. Isolate Hamas.

What can they do? Violence? Perhaps, but Hamas supporters are beginning to notice that life without violence is actually quite nice, and they may not be as supportive as they were in the past (dancing on rooftops after 9/11). Pundak suggests that the popularity of the results of the peace moves will make Hamas supporters reluctant to follow any other course.

An interesting theory.

A subject that always bugs me – and is the main reason I write this letter – is the constant subversive changing of history – in most cases, the changing of truth – brought about by repetitive untruths.

For example, P.M. Netanyahu, during the recent discussions with Hilary Clinton here in Jerusalem, reminded the World that the settlements started almost immediately after the ’67 war, yet only recently have been used by the Palestinians as an obstacle to peace. Yet now, most observers see them as always having been a problem.

Another one is subject of the Temple Mount. This is the area that marks Israel and Judaism’s holiest site, where the Temple once stood – now represented only by the (Wailing) Western Wall. Despite Islamic laws forbidding the construction of anything else on a religious site (an Islamic religious site?), this is where the Dome of the Rock was constructed, primarily to commemorate the spot where the Archangel Gabriel arranged for Mohammad to ascend to Heaven on his white horse.

The Jews can say till they’re black in the face that this is Judaism’s holiest site, and how far away (in Saudia) are Islam’s 2 holiest sites. It is so often repeated that Jerusalem does not appear even once in the Koran, yet over 600 times in the Bible. (It is indirectly referred to a couple of times in the Koran).

Yes, there have always been ‘right-wing’ Jews who not only dream, but plan on the construction of the Third Temple, and would not consider any other site than that of the First and Second versions, where now is the Dome of the Rock. They have been quite easily restrained by Israel’s majority, by the force of real democracy. But now, a crisis is looming.

Those ‘loonies’ are being joined by more moderate spokespersons as a result of an apparent movement of Palestinians, ‘defending’ the Mount from ‘an aggressive Jewish attempt’ to take it over.

When the Jordanians were in charge of Jerusalem, pre-1967, almost every Synagogue in the city was demolished, and Jews were banned from coming anywhere near. Post-’67, the city was opened to ALL faiths, and the administration of the Temple Mount (the holiest of Jewish sites) was handed to the Muslim Waqf (Chinese spelling). Even today, with all that has gone on, this has continued, with only restrictions to Arabs of certain ages during Intifada-like days.

Jews ARE allowed on the Temple Mount. But they are subject to intensive searches, they are not allowed to pray, either formally or informally. Quite personal meditation is perhaps the limit.

You want a list of the peoples of all faiths (including Muslims) who have been allowed to the Western Wall area, even though it is NOT a religious site for them.

It’s not fair – and it’s a twisting of the truth – and the World accepts it as a fait accompli. And I’m extremist for stating the facts!

Maybe I should just continue taking pictures of Israel like these, and forget about the never-ending political schmess…