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Why Jerusalem? Israel's Hidden Agenda

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  • Why Jerusalem? Israel's Hidden Agenda

    WHY JERUSALEM? ISRAEL'S HIDDEN AGENDA
    Dan Lieberman

    Scoop.co.nz
    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0907/S00034.htm
    Thursday, 2 July 2009, 4:56 pm

    Three huge granite stones rest comfortably on the top of Midbar Sinai
    Street, in Givat Havatzim, Jerusalem's northernmost district. Cut
    to specification, the imposing stones represent one of several
    preparations by the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement's
    to erect a Third Temple on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount. Since the
    Islamic Wafq owns and controls all the property on the Haram al-Sharif,
    by what means can these stones be transferred to the Temple Mount and
    how can a Temple be constructed there? Not by any legal means. The
    stones are a provocation, which the Israel government refuses to
    halt. Neglect and passivity lead to a belief that an eventual Muslim
    reaction to the increasing provocations will give Israel an excuse to
    seize total control of the Holy Basin - the ultimate of the properties
    that Israel intends to incorporate into a greater Jerusalem.

    For decades, Israeli authorities have spoken of a united Jerusalem -
    suggesting a spiritual quality to its message - as if Israel wants the
    home for the three monotheistic faiths to be solid and stable. By being
    guided from one central authority, a united Jerusalem also offers a
    preservation of a common and ancient heritage. However, by stressing
    the word 'unification,' Israel disguises the lack of a sufficiently
    supporting and verifiable historical narrative that could bolster its
    thrust to incorporate all of an artificially created greater Jerusalem
    into its boundaries. Coupled with inconsistencies and contradictions,
    Israel's eagerness to create a greater Jerusalem under its total
    control becomes suspect. The intensive concentration on a 'united'
    Jerusalem reveals a hidden agenda that debases Jerusalem's religious
    ingathering and heightens division, hatred and strife.

    Examine the Holy Basin. The Holy Basin contains well marked Christian
    and Muslim institutions and holy places that have had historical
    placement for millenniums. Although people of the Jewish faith
    had major presence in Jerusalem during the centuries of Biblical
    Jerusalem, which included rule by King Hezekiah and control by the
    Hasmonean dynasties, their control and presence were interrupted
    for two millennia. Extensive commentary has enabled the two thousand
    years of lack of control and presence to seem as if it never happened
    and that today is only a short time from the years of Hezekiah. Some
    remains of Jewish dwellings and ritual baths can be found, but few
    if any major Jewish monuments, buildings or institutions from the
    Biblical era exist in the "Old City" of today's Jerusalem. The often
    cited Western Wall is the supporting wall for Herod's platform and is
    not directly related to the Second Temple. No remains of the Jewish
    Temple have been located in Jerusalem - not even a rock.

    According to Karen Armstrong, Jerusalem, Jews did not pray at the
    Western Wall until the Mamluks in the 15th century allowed them to
    move their congregations from a dangerous Mount of Olives and pray
    daily at the Wall. At that time she estimates that there may have
    been no more than 70 Jewish families in Jerusalem. After the Ottomans
    replaced the Mamluks, Suleiman the Magnificent issued a formal edict
    in the 16th century that permitted Jews to have a place of prayer at
    the Western Wall The only remaining major symbol of Jewish presence in
    Jerusalem's Holy City is the Jewish quarter, which Israel cleared of
    Arabs and rebuilt after 1967. During its clearing operations, Israel
    demolished the Maghribi Quarter adjacent to the Western Wall, destroyed
    the al-Buraq Mosque and the Tomb of the Sheikh al-Afdhaliyyah, and
    displaced about 175 Arab families. Although the Jewish population
    in previous centuries comprised a large segment of the Old City
    (estimates have 7000 Jews during the mid-19th century), the Jews
    gradually left the Old City and migrated to new neighborhoods in West
    Jerusalem, leaving only about 2000 Jews in the Old City. Jordanian
    control after the 1948 war reduced the number to nil. By 2009,
    the population of the Jewish quarter in the Old City had grown to
    3000, or nine percent of the Old City population. The Christian,
    Armenian and Muslim populations are the principal constituents and
    their quarters contain almost the entire Old City commerce.

    In an attempt to attach ancient Israel to present day Jerusalem,
    Israeli authorities continue the attachment of spurious labels to
    Holy Basin landmarks, while claiming the falsification is due to the
    Byzantines, who got it all wrong.

    King David's Tower's earliest remains were constructed several hundred
    years after the Bible dates David's reign. It is a now an obvious
    Islamic minaret.

    King David's Citadel earliest remains are from the Hasmonean period
    (200 B.C.). The Citadel was entirely rebuilt by the Ottomans between
    1537 and 1541.

    King David's tomb, located in the Dormition Abbey, is a cloth-covered
    cenotaph (no remains) that honors King David. It's only an unverified
    guess that the casket is related to David.

    The Pools of Solomon, located in a village near Bethlehem, are
    considered to be part of a Roman construction during the reign of
    Herod the Great. The pools supplied water to an aqueduct that carried
    the water to Bethlehem and to Jerusalem.

    The Stables of Solomon, under the Temple Mount, are assumed to be a
    construction of vaults that King Herod built in order to extend the
    Temple Mount platform.

    Absalom's Tomb is an obvious Greek sculptured edifice and therefore
    cannot be the tomb of David's son.

    The City of David contains artifacts that date before and during
    David's time. However, some archaeologists maintain there is an
    insufficient number of artifacts to conclude any Israelite presence,
    including that of King David, before the late ninth century. In any
    case any Israelite presence must have been in a small and unfortified
    settlement The Jerusalem Archaeological Park within the Old City,
    together with the Davidson Exhibition and Virtual Reconstruction
    Center also tell the story. Promising to reveal much of a Hebrew
    civilization, the museums shed little light on its subject. The
    Davidson Center highlights a coin exhibition, Jerusalem bowls and
    stone vessels. The Archeological Park in the Old City contains among
    many artifacts, Herodian structures, ritual baths, a floor of an
    Umayyad palace, a Roman road, Ottoman gates, and the facade of what
    is termed Robinson's arch, an assumed Herodian entryway to the Temple
    Mount.. The exhibitions don't reveal many, if any, ancient Hebrew
    structures or institutions of special significance.

    Reliable archaeologists, after examining excavations that contain
    pottery shards and buildings, concluded that archaeological finds
    don't substantiate the biblical history of Jerusalem and its importance
    during the eras of a united Jewish kingdom under David and Solomon.

    Margaret Steiner in an article titled It's Not There: Archaeology
    Proves a Negative in the Biblical Archaeology Review, July/August,
    1998, states: "...from the tenth century B.C.E. there is no
    archaeological evidence that many people actually lived in Jerusalem,
    only that it was some kind of public administrative center...We
    are left with nothing that indicates a city was here during their
    supposed reigns (of David and Solomon)...It seems unlikely, however,
    that this Jerusalem was the capital of a large state, the United
    monarchy, as described in Biblical texts."

    West Jerusalem is another matter. With banditry prolific and Old City
    gates being closed before nightfall, living outside the city gates did
    not appeal to the population. Wealthy philanthropist Moses Montefiore
    wanted to attract the Jewish population to new surroundings and he
    constructed the first Jewish community outside of the Old City -
    Yemin Moshe's first houses were completed in 1860. From that time
    Jewish presence played a role in creating a West Jerusalem. Other
    institutions, Greek Orthodox, Catholic, Russian Orthodox and Muslim
    soon ventured forth and owned much property in the evolving West
    Jerusalem.

    In 1948, After the Israeli army seized absolute control of West
    Jerusalem, the new Israeli government confiscated all West Jerusalem
    property owned by Muslim institutions. Reason - enemy property. Few
    Muslims and no mosques remain in today's West Jerusalem.

    One contradiction. By attacking and ethnically cleansing the
    Christian Arab communities of Deir Yassin and Ein Kerem, Israeli forces
    characterized Christian Palestinians as an enemy. Nevertheless, Israel
    did not confiscate Christian properties, many of which are apparent in
    West Jerusalem. The Greek Orthodox Church owns extensive properties
    in West Jerusalem, many marked by its "TΦ" (Tau + Phi) symbol,
    interpreted as the word 'Sepulchre.' Another contradiction. Israel
    has cared for the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives and expanded
    it as a heritage site. Part of the famous Muslim Mamilla cemetery in
    West Jerusalem has been classified as refugee property and is being
    prepared to be demolished for the new Museum of Tolerance.

    East Jerusalem reveals more contradictions. The repeated warning
    by Israeli leaders that co-existence is not feasible and that it
    is necessary to separate the Jewish and Palestinian communities is
    contradicted by Israel's desire to incorporate East Jerusalem into
    Israel. Incorporation means accepting somewhere between 160,000 and
    225,000 Palestinians into a Jewish state. Or does it? Whereas the
    older historical Jewish neighborhoods in West Jerusalem have their
    character meticulously maintained or are rebuilt in their original
    style, the older Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem are entirely
    neglected (all of Arab East Jerusalem is neglected) or destroyed. How
    much deterioration and destruction can Palestinians absorb before
    they decide to leave?

    Construction of Jewish homes in East Jerusalem Arab neighborhoods
    proceeds and destruction of Arab homes, either declared illegally
    constructed or illegally purchased, continues. On 44 dunums of
    lands confiscated from Palestinian families, a private company has
    constructed the gated community of Nof Zion, and conveniently separated
    Palestinian Jabal Al Mukabir from other parts of East Jerusalem. No
    Arabs need apply. The million dollar condominiums are advertised for
    American investors.

    The Israeli ministry of Interior has approved a plan to demolish
    a kindergarten and wholesale market in East Jerusalem's Wadi Joz
    neighborhood in order to construct a new hotel close to the Old City
    and near the Rockefeller Museum. The result will be the destruction
    of an Arab neighborhood and its replacement by Jewish interests,
    which will one day join other Jewish interests.

    These are only two examples of a master plan to replace the centuries
    old Arab presence in East Jerusalem with a modern Jewish presence. The
    ancient Arab presence in an ancient land is further subdivided by
    the Separation Wall, which runs through the East Jerusalem landscape
    and detaches East Jerusalem from the West Bank, making it unlikely
    for a Palestinian state to have its capital in East Jerusalem. The
    master plan extends the boundaries of Jerusalem to include the large
    Israeli settlement (city) of Maale Adumim. Between Maale Adumim
    and East Jerusalem, Israel proposes to construct the E1 corridor,
    which joins settlements in a ring and adds to the separation of
    East Jerusalem from the West Bank. The E1 corridor will divide the
    northern and southern West Bank and will impede direct transit between
    Palestine Bethlehem, which is south of E1 and Palestine Ramallah,
    which is north of E1. Construction of the E1 corridor, portions of
    which are owned by Palestinians, could prevent the formation of a
    viable Palestinian state.

    So, if Israel is destroying Jerusalem's heritage and subjugating its
    spiritual meaning, why does Israel want to unify Jerusalem?

    Israel's Hidden Agenda Israel is a physically small and relatively
    new country with an eager population and big ambitions. It needs
    more prestige and wants to be viewed as a power broker on the world
    stage. To gain those perspectives Israel needs a capital city that
    commands respect, contains ancient traditions and is recognized as one
    of the world's most important and leading cities. Almost all of the
    world's principal nations, from Egypt to Germany to Great Britain, have
    capitals that are great cities of the world. To assure its objectives,
    Israel wants an oversized Jerusalem that contains the Holy City.

    That's not all.

    Jerusalem has significant tourism that can be expanded. It can provide
    new commercial opportunities as an entry to all of the Mid-East. An
    indivisible Jerusalem under Israeli control is worth a lot of shekels.

    Israel competes with the United States as the focus of the Jewish
    people. It needs a unique Jerusalem to gain recognition as the home
    of Judaism.

    By controlling all of the holy sites, Israel commands attention from
    Moslem and Christian leaders. These leaders will be forced to talk
    with Israel and Israel will have a bargaining advantage in disputes.

    Whatever Israel gains the Palestinians are denied. Even if Israel
    agrees to the establishment of a Palestinian state, it will direct
    its policies to limit the effectiveness of that state. Since East
    Jerusalem and its holy sites greatly benefit a Palestinian economy
    and increase Palestine legitimacy, Israel will do everything to
    prevent East Jerusalem being ceded to the new state of Palestine. An
    "indivisible" Jerusalem is part of that effort.

    West Jerusalem only gives Israel a North/South capital. An indivisible
    Jerusalem gives Israel a forward look towards an East/West capital or
    a centralized capital of the land of previous biblical Jewish tribes.

    The Zionist socialist ideals and the cooperative Kibbutzim
    received support and sympathy from idealistic world peoples for
    many years. Israel's attachment to the Holocaust tragedy extended
    that sympathy and support to more of the world. With the end of the
    Zionist dream, the decline of kibbutz life and the over-popularizing
    of the Holocaust, Israel needs a new symbol of identity that captures
    world attention.

    If Israel has legitimate claims to Jerusalem, then those claims
    should be heard and discussed in a proper forum. However, that is
    not the process forthcoming. The process has the Israeli government
    using illegal and illegitimate procedures, as well as deceitful and
    hypocritical methods to force its agenda. Israel is not presenting
    its case but is exerting its powers to trample all legal, moral and
    historical considerations.

    In the Museum of the Citadel of David is an inscription: The land of
    Israel is in the center of the world and Jerusalem is the center of
    the land of Israel.

    This self praise was echoed at a West Jerusalem coffee house in a
    conversation with several Israelis, A youthful Israeli abruptly sat
    at the table and entered the conversation with the words: "All the
    world looks to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the center of the world and
    Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Everyone needs Jerusalem and they
    will need to talk with Israel.' And that is why Israel desperately
    wants its greater Jerusalem.
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