Turkish PM: Rachel’s tomb is Muslim, was never Jewish
In a statement that reveals what’s really at stake in the ongoing controversy–and PA-stoked violence–over Israel adding some religious sites to a list of Jewish heritage sites, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the Saudi newspaper Al Wattan that al Aksa Mosque, the Cave of the Patriarchs and Rachel’s Tomb “were not and never will be Jewish sites, but Islamic sites.”
The al-Aksa Mosque is the black-domed mosque that sits at the southern end of the Temple Mount, which was not included (some Israelis have said, scandalously) on the list of national heritage sites.
As a reminder, Rachel was one of the Jewish people’s four matriarchs and lived several thousand years before the Islam was founded. Her grave, which is described in Genesis 35:19, has been a pilgrimage site for Jews (and, later, Christians) for thousands of years.
Comments (0) »Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 10:41 AM | Stand For Israel
Waqf, PA leadership attempt to rewrite biblical history
We told you before about the ongoing (low-burn) violence and media circus surrounding the Jewish state’s adding two major tourist and spiritual pilgrimage spots to a list of sites of “Jewish cultural heritage.”
Well, on Friday, worshipers at the Western Wall were stoned by rioters on top of the Temple Mount and 15 Israeli policemen and dozens of the rioters were injured in the resulting scuffles. (Don’t Islamic leaders mind their followers using the high ground of what is ostensibly a holy site to attempt to maim worshipers below?)
So let’s go over this again: Israel added two spots to a list that designates sites of historical and cultural relevance. And this caused Palestinians to riot? (Continuing the long tradition of the Palestinian Authority using violence or threats of it where other governments use diplomacy.) And countries ranging from Jordan, Egypt, and other Arab league states, to–predictably– the UN felt the need to condemn the list-making (while not condemning the violence fomented by the PA). And, of course, the U.S. hasn’t retracted the State Department’s comments on the matter, which were that the Israeli list was “provocative and unhelpful.”
So what are these sites anyway?
What exactly are these sites? One is Rachel’s Tomb, which sits on the edge of Bethelehem close to Jerusalem. The second is the Cave of the Patriarchs, which sits in the middle of Hebron. Just how “provocative” is it to add these to the list of sites of Jewish cultural import?
Rachel’s Tomb is identified in Genesis 35:19-20: “So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb.” As the Bible relates, the site has been holy to Jews for thousands of years — more than a thousand years before Islam even came into existence! (And holy to Christians hundreds of years before…)
The case of the Cave of the Patriarchs is even more ironic: Genesis 23 records how…
Read More » Comments (1) »Monday, March 8th, 2010 at 7:34 AM | Stand For Israel
UK’s Guardian gives an amen to indignation over “heritage sites” violence and historical revisionism
London’s Guardian rails against the attempt to blot out Jewish history via the fracas over the “Jewish historical sites”:
Comments (1) »Palestinian protests against the restoration of Jewish heritage sites are part of a campaign of delegitimization against Israel. The inclusion in Israel’s heritage restoration project of two of the most sacred Jewish sites, the Cave of the Patriarchs and Rachel’s Tomb, has sparked riots and led supposedly moderate Palestinian leaders to burst forth with disturbingly inflammatory rhetoric, with the U.S. State Department and the UN secretary general both reprimanding Israel for the decision as well.
This latest uproar is another example of the general Palestinian unwillingness to accept and acknowledge the deep-seated historical roots of the Jewish people in the region. The Cave of the Patriarchs is mentioned in the Bible and has been a focus of Jewish pilgrimage for more than 3,000 years as the burial place of the people’s three forefathers. The refurbishment of two shrines central to Jewish history in no way threatens Palestinian political ambitions. What it does do is present an obstacle to those who wish to erase Jewish history in the region.
Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 9:54 AM | Stand For Israel
Historical preservation triggers Hebron violence
Jewish communities in Hebron have faced violence this week, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement of two new additions to the official list of Israeli national heritage sites.
The sites are Hebron’s Cave of the Patriarchs and Rachel’s Tomb, both located in the contested West Bank zone (where Hebron is the largest city). “People must be familiar with their homeland and its cultural and historical vistas,” Netanyahu said on Sunday of his plan to dedicate $100 million to rehabilitate the two sites.
Rioting started in Hebron following the announcement, with further violence after a statement made by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday. In what Netanyahu called “a dishonest, hypocritical campaign,” Abbas claims the move illustrates that Israel’s leadership has no desire for peace.
Abbas also warned of a “war of religions” that could be triggered by enshrining Israel’s faith heritage at the sites. Netanyahu pointed to to Israel’s demonstrated freedom of religion policy in response.
The U.S. also criticized the move. “US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the administration viewed the move as provocative and unhelpful to the goal of getting the two sides back to the table,” reported the Jerusalem Post.
But the Palestinian response is ongoing: “Dozens of Palestinians are burning tires and are throwing stones at IDF soldiers,” according to the IDF. “Soldiers responding to the violence are doing so with demonstration dispersal methods. No casualties or damage to property have been reported.”
Comments (0) »Thursday, February 25th, 2010 at 3:02 PM | Alicia M. Cohn
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Palestinian “researcher” Dr. Hayel Sanduqa recently stated on Palestinian Authority television that the source of the phrase “if I forget thee, O Jerusalem” was not the Bible (Psalm 137) but a Frankish crusader.
According to Dr. Sanduqa, the phrase was then “borrowed by the Zionist movement, which falsified it in the name of Zionism.” Commentary’s Jonathan S. Tobin – and Bible-reading people everywhere – begs to differ.
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