Calls for Uprising over Confiscation of two Holy Sites

[mahi]

The democratically elected Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has called for uprisings in the occupied West Bank over a controversial Israeli plan to confiscate two holy sites in the territory as "national heritage."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday that the regime is planning to include Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem and the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron in a "national heritage plan".

His remarks drew protests from the Palestinians, the United Nations, Jordan and Egypt.

"The decision requires a real response in the West Bank and for the people to rise up in the face of the Israeli occupation and to break every shackle in confronting it," Haniyeh said Tuesday.

"(The project) aims to erase our identity, alter our Islamic monuments and steal our history," he added.

In Hebron there were sporadic clashes near the Ibrahim Mosque above the Tomb of the Patriarchs but there were no reports of casualties.

Meanwhile, in Bethlehem shops and schools were closed in a day-long general strike, AFP reported.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id...onid=351020202

Just thought I'd raise the issue of those who hadn't heard of these places.

[Nσσя'υℓ Jαииαн]

Who the hell is he to decide to get rid of a piece of history? :X

[Froggy]

A decade ago, Israel was willing to give up entire Hebron, Judaism's second holiest city beaten in its holiness only by Jerusalem.

[Supreme]

Although these sites are incredibly holy to Jews and that must be respected, will confiscating them make much difference if any? Can't Israeli Jews visit them without having to confiscating them? Who are they 'confiscating' them from anyway?

[sister herb]

Israel Annexes West Bank Mosques
IslamOnline



February 22, 2010

CAIRO — The Israeli occupation authorities have decided to place two historic mosques in the occupied West Bank to a list of alleged Jewish heritage sites, drawing immediate rebuke from Palestinians and Israelis alike.

"This announcement is an act of aggression against the cultural and religious rights of the Palestinian people," Hamdan Taha, director of the Palestinian Tourism Ministry's Antiquities Department, told the independent Maan news agency on Monday, February 22.

Hawkish Israeli Premier Binyamin Netanyahu announced Sunday, February 21, adding Ibrahimi Mosque in Al-Khalil (Hebron) and Bilal Mosque in Bethlehem to a list of 150 so-called Jewish heritage sites that would be renovated to reconnect Israelis to their history.

The two Muslim sites were not included in the original plan which was first presented by Netanyahu on February 3.

But under pressure from right-wing ministers, Netanyahu decided to add the two sites to the plan.

Built in 635 A.D., Ibrahimi Mosque is one of the first Muslim worship places in Palestine.

But Jewish extremists claim the two sites, known to Israelis as the Cave of the Patriachs and Rachel's Tomb, belong to historical Jewish heritage.

"Instead of making use of heritage to promote peace, it is being used as a means to promote war," lamented Taha, the Palestinian official.

Taha asserted that attempt to designate the two mosques as Jewish heritage sites "reflects an artificial history that solely serves Israel's settlement policy."

"A religious shrine respected by Muslims, Christians, and Jews should be respected as a cultural and religious symbol, not as an opportunity to obstruct international efforts to reach a peace agreement."

Condemnation

Palestinians in Al-Khalil declared a general strike Monday to pretest the Israeli decision.

Al-Khalil Mayor Kahled Al-Eseili urged UNESCO to act quickly to protect the status of the Muslim shrines.

"(We urge UNESCO) to protect the Ibrahimi Mosque, prevent its desecration, and act against alterations to its features."

He asserted that the international law, including the Hague conventions, obliges the occupation authority not to change the historical heritage of the occupied.

"International law forbids an occupying power to change the status quo in the occupied territory," agreed Israeli Arab Hadash Party Chairman Muhammad Barakei.

"We are dealing with two mosques that have been in existence for hundreds of years in both Al-Khalil and Bethlehem, and this decision of the Netanyahu-Barak-Lieberman government indicates that they plan to continue the occupation and the bloodshed in the region."

Israeli peace activists also blasted the move.

"The heritage of Netanyahu and his government is a bi-national state and the continued development of the settlements," Peace Now director-general Yariv Oppenheimer said.

"In the Cave of the Patriarchs and Rachel’s Tomb, Netanyahu is burying the two-state solution and making negotiations [with the Palestinians] irrelevant."

The left-wing Israeli party Meretz also slammed the decision.

"This is another attempt to blur the borders between the State of Israel and the occupied territories," Meretz party chairman Chaim Oron told the Hebrew-language daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

"All it needs is a bit of pressure from the right, and Netanyahu falls into line. This decision puts Netanyahu's Bar-Ilan declaration of two states for two peoples in an absurd light."

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/S...#ixzz0gHSmTf1Z

[Supreme]

Rachel's Tomb is incredibly holy to Jews. But the Cave of the Patriarchs is half mosque, half synangogue. Again, can someone explain to me who the Jews are confiscating these holy places from? Seeing as they are both easily accessed to Jews, what is the point exactly?

[sister herb]

Simple point is that zionists try to make sure they can continue controlling areas inside of "future Palestine state". Taking control of mosques claiming them to be "Jewish sites" they also try to prevent muslims to enter those places to pray in there.

[جوري]

A decade ago, Israel was willing to give up entire Hebron, Judaism's second holiest city beaten in its holiness only by Jerusalem.

Israel isn't willing to give up anything, just look at the number of U.N laws they are in violation of.. what it does overtly and what it does covertly are two separate issues. Israel is a cockroach Zionist settler state that makes up history for itself as it goes along.. the only sobering thought is that the more they take the closer they are to their demise insha'Allah..

the land of Palestine was "supposedly" promised to the seed of Abraham. If one researches the Ancient Hebrew laws, the right of decent or inheritance is based on the eldest son, no matter whom the mother is. If this is the case, then the land was promised to Ishamel (for he was the eldest of Abraham's sons) and the Father of Palestinian Arabs. In addition, modern day Jews from Russia, Poland and most parts of Eastern Europe have NO genetic link to the ancient Hebrews - they for the most part are decendents of Khazars, who converted to Judaism in the 7th century (this has been documented by Jewish scholars, not Arabs). The modern day Palestinians can claim a more direct link to the Hebrew tribes than the founders of modern day "Israel." What the Western Press purposely avoids mentioning is the fact that at the start of the 20th century, less than 5% of the land of Palestine was Jewish. The modern State of Israel was built on lands illegally taken and assimilated from Palestinian Christians and Muslims. Also, the Hebrews only ruled the land of Palestine for a combined 411 years - the Muslims have ruled the land for 1,500 years. In addition, the land of Canaan (Palestine) had a history long before the Jewish tribes immigrated to the area.


so sure they can re-write history.. they have been doing it for a while.. perhaps to convince themselves and the morons who funnel them money so that some repuke con Jesus would descend down on a silver cloud faster!

[Supreme]

Simple point is that zionists try to make sure they can continue controlling areas inside of "future Palestine state". Taking control of mosques claiming them to be "Jewish sites" they also try to prevent muslims to enter those places to pray in there.

Well, the mosques are Jewish sites, as much as they are Muslim sites- there are no two ways about it. However, what I want to know is, why is there a need to confiscate the sites? The Cave of the Patriarchs is already a synagogue, and Rachel's Tomb is hardly a hotspot for Islamic pilgrims...

[Chuck]

Well, the mosques are Jewish sites, as much as they are Muslim sites- there are no two ways about it. However, what I want to know is, why is there a need to confiscate the sites? The Cave of the Patriarchs is already a synagogue, and Rachel's Tomb is hardly a hotspot for Islamic pilgrims...

There is no need to confiscate them, they are just making things worse.

[sister herb]

Maybe Palestinians should confiscate all the mosques, also those what are destroyed during over 60 years long occupation, situated now inside so-called Israel or at 1948 occupied Palestine and join them to future state of Palestine.



How zionists would react to it?

[Froggy]

Israel isn't willing to give up anything, just look at the number of U.N laws they are in violation of.. what it does overtly and what it does covertly are two separate issues. Israel is a cockroach Zionist settler state that makes up history for itself as it goes along.. the only sobering thought is that the more they take the closer they are to their demise insha'Allah..

the land of Palestine was "supposedly" promised to the seed of Abraham. If one researches the Ancient Hebrew laws, the right of decent or inheritance is based on the eldest son, no matter whom the mother is. If this is the case, then the land was promised to Ishamel (for he was the eldest of Abraham's sons) and the Father of Palestinian Arabs. In addition, modern day Jews from Russia, Poland and most parts of Eastern Europe have NO genetic link to the ancient Hebrews - they for the most part are decendents of Khazars, who converted to Judaism in the 7th century (this has been documented by Jewish scholars, not Arabs). The modern day Palestinians can claim a more direct link to the Hebrew tribes than the founders of modern day "Israel." What the Western Press purposely avoids mentioning is the fact that at the start of the 20th century, less than 5% of the land of Palestine was Jewish. The modern State of Israel was built on lands illegally taken and assimilated from Palestinian Christians and Muslims. Also, the Hebrews only ruled the land of Palestine for a combined 411 years - the Muslims have ruled the land for 1,500 years. In addition, the land of Canaan (Palestine) had a history long before the Jewish tribes immigrated to the area.


so sure they can re-write history.. they have been doing it for a while.. perhaps to convince themselves and the morons who funnel them money so that some repuke con Jesus would descend down on a silver cloud faster!

1. I knwo the Khazar hypotehsis but I think it was largely disproven, not sure though. And over 50% of Israel is not European anway.
2. Why was it founded illegaly? It was founded by the UN. Are you talking about land ownership? I don't know about that, I am pretty certain cities like Tel Aviv were built on land legally bought from Arabs. Don't know about the rest. I think West Jerusalem was mostly jewish in 1947 too.
A lot of land was taken from Palestinians who fled Israel in 48.

[sister herb]

Israeli occupation seeks to include 150 Palestinian sites on its Jewish heritage
[ 26/02/2010 - 06:35 PM ]


OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Christian-Muslim Committee for the support of Jerusalem and holy sites said that Israeli occupation authorities are preparing to submit a list of 150 Palestinian sites claiming they are traditional Jewish religious sites, including the Aqsa Mosque and the Church of Holy Sepulchre.

The committee said in a press statement that: "The list is secret and is directly linked to the Office of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, making it a serious political statement and a declaration of war on holy sites, heritage and history, in order to Judaize shrines after the land, and to obliterate the Arab Islamic identity."

The committee pointed out that the Israeli occupation "wants to submit the list at the meeting of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee which is scheduled for next October ," stressing that there are "no sacred Jewish religious sites in Palestine with the exception of some old synagogues, while the oldest of their claims refers to al-Buraq Wall which they call the Wailing wall despite the fact that no relationship between the wall and the Jews was recorded the sixteenth century AD, and Jewish worship took place at the wall before the seventeenth century, according to reliable information. "

The Jerusalem committee warned that the danger lies "in the Israeli endeavour to include Islamic and Christian holy sites in Palestine in the list, and the fact that the list is determined by the government at the highest level instead of the department of antiquities for example which makes this list a purely political one based on falsification of facts to mislead the international community," the committee said noting that "the occupation today controls 75% of the Ibrahimi Mosque. "

http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/en/d...t%2bD7pOLJs%3d

[Supreme]

So what? What are they going to do? They can claim the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a Jewish holy site. They can keep on claiming it's a Jewish holy site. It doesn't mean anything is going to happen though.

[sister herb]

So what? What are they going to do? They can claim the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a Jewish holy site. They can keep on claiming it's a Jewish holy site. It doesn't mean anything is going to happen though.

After that they of course change that church as synagogue and prevent non-Jews enter to there to pray as they try to do also in mosques.

[Supreme]

After that they of course change that church as synagogue and prevent non-Jews enter to there to pray as they try to do also in mosques.

I suppose they could do that, if they had a death wish.