Arab Israeli leaders are crying to the UN that big, bad Israel is ruining their mosque. Yes, let’s spread the lie and make a General Assembly resolution, or better still, bring it to the new Human Rights Commission, which has only issued anti-Israel statements.
The Higher Arab Monitoring Committee called on Saturday for the international community’s immediate intervention in Israel’s construction works at the Mugrabi Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City, near the al-Aqsa Mosque.
“We do not accept the Israeli government’s excuses on what is taking place. Israel has no political or legal right to take any action in occupied east Jerusalem,†committee members said in a statement following an emergency meeting in Nazareth attended by all Arab Knesset members and other community leaders.
The committee called on the United Nations, European Union and other countries and organizations to act in a bid to end the controversial dig.
It was decided that the Arab MKs will meet with members of the Muslim Waqf at the al-Aqsa mosque on Monday. A demonstration near the site is planned for the coming days.
The demonstration, of course, will be peaceful, reasonable, and call for both sides to sit down and discuss things. In Bizzarro World.
My prediction radar is all over on this one. Judging from Olmert’s actions (he told Peretz to stick it where the sun don’t shine when Peretz told him to stop the construction), he will not give in to the lies. But world opinion can force Israel’s hand.
Unfortunately, this construction is just another stick the Muslim world is using to beat up Israel, and the rest of the world, which consistently refuses to acknowledge the real Jewish connection to the Temple Mount, feeds the lies and raises the anger level. Why, it’s almost as if the world wants to give the Arab/Muslim world another grievance against Israel.
But let’s stop and reflect a moment: The people leading this particular charge are the Arab members of the Israeli Knesset. That’s like the Democrats running to the UN over the Iraq war. Imagine the reaction of the average American to that happening. Now put it into context in Israel, and you see why so many people call Israeli Arabs a fifth column. I’m not one of those people. But they do not seem to get the part about making it work in Israel if they’re considering running to the UN. And their refusal to accept the Israeli government’s “excuses” (their word) only adds fuel to the fire.