Al Aqsa Sheikh (and PA): Israel "Judaizing" the Kotel
http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2010/11/al-aqsa-sheikh-and-pa-israel-judaizing.html
Sheikh Yusuf Juma Salama, a preacher at Al Aqsa mosque and First Deputy of the Chairman of the Supreme Islamic Council in Jerusalem, is complaining about a new plan to expand the Western Wall plaza to accommodate more visitors.
He said that there is nothing Jewish about the Kotel, that it is an integral part of the Al Aqsa Mosque, and the objective of this plan is to Judaize the "Wailing Wall."
He also complained about the rebuilding of the Hurva synagogue and about plans to another major synagogue in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem, possibly referring to this rumor.
In case you think that only radical Islamist nutjobs refer to Israeli renovation of the Kotel Plaza as "Judaizing," the exact same word is used by the official Palestinian Arab WAFA news agency.
-----------------
PA slams NIS 85 million Kotel development project
11/21/2010 22:16
Ghassan Hatib, a PA spokesperson reportedly said: "Israel does not have permission to make changes in the occupied territories, especially in Jerusalem."
"This move is preventing us from reaching an agreement, because any solution must include Jerusalem," Hatib added.
The project will upgrade physical and transportation infrastructure at the site, provide access to new archeological findings, and run educational programs for soldiers and students.
The approved plan is a continuation of another five year project that began at the site in 2004 and, according to a statement put out after Sunday's cabinet meeting, led to a phenomenal growth in the number of visitors to the Wall, from two million annually before the project began to eight million visitors in 2009. The Wall is the most visited site in the country.
The continuation of the development project will be managed by the Prime Minister's Office and carried out by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, with the funds coming from the interior, transportation, tourism, public security, defense and education ministries, as well as from the Israel Lands Authority.
"The Western Wall is the Jewish people's most important heritage site," Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said during the cabinet discussion where the project was approved. "We are obligated to develop and preserve it so it can continue to be a focus for visitors and a source of inspiration for millions of visitors, tourists and children and adults from Israel and around the world."
Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites Shmuel Rabinovitch lauded the decision and noted that the site is frequented by visitors "seeking a visit of meaningfulness and connection to generations of Jewish continuity... Thanks to this ongoing support, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation will be able to continue and act to promote the well-being of those praying and the tourists."
Women of the Wall Chair Anat Hoffman, however, stressed that if there won't be a pluralistic plaza for joint prayer, not necessarily in the place of the existent praying sections, "we can forget about international tourism." She noted that the majority of Jewish tourists are not orthodox, and Christian tourists also feel ill at ease when haredi ushers instruct them to remove crosses worn around their necks at the site. "We must not think only of the orthodox Jews," she said.
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten