Why
Protest Building A Synagogue: The Hurva Synagogue And
Zionist Underground Forces
19 March 2010By
Mazin Qumsiyeh
The Hurva synagogue was destroyed in the 1948 war by
the Jordanian army. Before 1948, synagogues were used
by Zionist underground forces for illicit activities
including hording weapons.* But why is there a furor
over building it again? First we must recognize that
International law is rather
clear that East Jerusalem is illegally occupied by
Israel and per the Geneva conventions, and buildings
or activities in the occupied areas are subject to
those conventions. Any transfer of population to the
occupied areas including infrastructure for these
individuals is considered proscribed
settlement activity contrary to both the letter and
the spirit of the law.
Second, Israel News reported that: "According to a
centuries-old rabbinical prophecy that appears to be
coming true, on March 16, 2010, Israel will begin
construction of the Third Temple in Jerusalem. During
the 18th century, the Vilna Gaon, a respected
rabbinical authority, prophesied that the Hurva
Synagogue in Jerusalem, which was built during his
day, would be destroyed and rebuilt twice, and that
when the Hurva was completed for the third time,
construction on the Third Temple would begin" <http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=20063>
http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=20063
Many Israelis believe this and there is a
proliferation of designs, ceremonies and other events
to launch this coming age of building a third temple.
There are Muslim religious sites there: the first
Qibla or direction of prayer for
Islam and the third holiest site are the Haram Al-Sharif
on this site.
There are Israeli digs underneath that threaten the
site already and this only added fuel to the fire.
Third, Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, and much of
humanity, wonder why is it that such a synagogue is
reconstructed but none of 1200 mosques and nearly 200
churches destroyed by Israel over the past 6 decades
not allowed to be reconstructed? For me personally and
for most Palestinains, we know the history shows Jews,
Christians, and Muslims living peacefully together for
1400 years under Islamic rule (with very few
exceptions). We know that it is possible to simply
have a Jewish area, a Christian area, a Muslim area or
even mixed areas. We know it is possible even to
intermarry, have friendships, etc. But Zionism had a
different idea and it did not revolve on coexisting
but on ethnic cleansing and destruction of others. How
else can we explain the destruction of 530 villages
and towns? How can we explain the rapid growth of
colonial settlements on Palestinian land or even
inside Palestinian homes? There is surely enough space
here for all. Why are Palestinians denied the right to
go to school just this week (see story and picture
where they even held school at the checkpoint,
<http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=269548>
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=269548).
Why not simply live and let live. The density of
population inside the Green line is now nearly 1/8th
that of areas of the West Bank and Gaza that are
designated reservations/ghettos for the native
Palestinians. If Jews want to live in
the old Jewish quarter of East Jerusalem and rebuild
the synagogue there, why not allow the Palestinians to
return to the old neighborhoods in West Jerusalem and
rebuild the many churches and mosques there?
AIPAC issued a statement supporting Vice President
Biden who claimed that there is no space between the
US and Israel. In other words, the US and Israeli
interests and policies are/must be one and the same
including on starvation, oppression, colonization etc.
(and oh yes, we have to always put Iran first now that
we finished off Iraq for the sake of Israel). US
General David Petreaus disagrees:
"Insufficient progress toward a comprehensive Middle
East peace. The enduring hostilities between Israel
and some of its neighbors present distinct challenges
to our ability to advance our interests in the AOR.
Israeli-Palestinian tensions often flare into violence
and large-scale armed confrontations. The conflict
foments anti-American sentiment, due to a perception
of U.S. favoritism for Israel. Arab anger over the
Palestinian question limits the strength and depth of
U.S. partnerships with governments and peoples in the
AOR and weakens the legitimacy of moderate regimes in
the Arab world. Meanwhile, al-Qaeda and other militant
groups exploit that anger to mobilize support. The
conflict also gives Iran influence in the Arab world
through its clients, Lebanese Hizballah and Hamas."
I would go much further and say the US interests and
treasury have already been crippled by the subserviant
relationship to Israeli lobbies. If the lobby finally
succeeds in deepening the conflict with Iran, it will
not be Iran that loses, but US and Israel will suffer
a horrible blow. The US economy would go into a tail
spin and the value of the $3 billion dollars in US
military aid to Israel will be reduced even further as
the US dollar accelerates its decline.
ACTION: AIPAC and Christian Zionists are mobilizing
thousands to write the congress and white house to
keep funding and supporting Israel in its policies of
colonial settlement expansion. We can do no less write
to the white house via <http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/>
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ and to congress via
<http://house.gov/> http://house.gov/
*This was common practice for the Haganah and other
forces to fire from synagogues and use them as
military outposts, see <http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtStEng.jhtml?itemNo=1061955&contrass
ID=19&subContrassID=1&title='WATCH:%20British%20Mandate-era%20arms%20cache%2
0found%20in%20Hod%20Hasharon%20synagogue'&dyn_server=172.20.5.5>
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtStEng.jhtml?itemNo=1061955&contrassI
D=19&subContrassID=1&title='WATCH:%20British%20Mandate-era%20arms%20cache%20
found%20in%20Hod%20Hasharon%20synagogue'&dyn_server=172.20.5.5
Mazin Qumsiyeh, PhD
Popular Committee to to Resist the Wall and
Settlements-Beit Sahour
A Bedouin in Cyberspace, a villager at home
http://www.qumsiyeh.org
©
EsinIslam.Com
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