We keep hearing about maintaining the status-quo on the Temple Mount. That begs the question as to which status-quo are they speaking about. Do they mean the status-quo right after the Six Day War when Jews and Christians were free to enter the Temple Mount freely and pray as they pleased even to the point of davening for Jews and crossing themselves for Catholics and everything inbetween. Time passed and the First Intifada came as did the end of free access and over the ensuing times leading up to the First Intifada and as the Arab incitement increased there started to be changes in the status-quo on the Temple Mount. The initial limitations were regarding hours of access, then which gates one could utilize, to limitations on how one could pray, until it reached that non-Muslims were relegated to one gate fed by a bridge which was near collapse and the Waqf has refused to permit replacement or proper repair so small enforcements had to be used to keep the bridge from being closed by engineers over safety concerns. Prayers by non-Muslims became problematic so they were cancelled. Finally we reached where we are today where when the Muslims riot the Jews are barred from the Temple Mount and the world is told, you see, the Jews were the trouble and when they stop defiling our holy al-Aqsa Mosque, which by the way encompasses the entirety of the Temple Mount, then the trouble leaves with them and finally there are riots whenever a Jewish holiday is near and continue until the holiday has ended. Since Jewish holidays run pretty much one into the other from the High Holidays through to the end of Sukkot and beyond there was required a full two months of rioting in order to keep the Jews from their holiest of all sites on Earth.
Temple Mount Arial View
This almost went further with the Arab states attempting to have UNESCO declare the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) a Muslim holy site along with the plaza in order to then riot there and prevent Jews the little access they have which has blessed and made that a holy site. Fortunately UNESCO, despite having recognized Palestine without borders defined, denied the request and went all critical on this blatant attempt to appropriate other religions’ holy sites. One might ask where was this righteous indignation from UNESCO when they declared the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Kever Ruth (Ruth’s Tomb) both holy sites as Mosques of Islam. Perhaps they are waking as if they were to give this last mile to the Muslims the next request would be to claim the Tel Aviv central bus station as a Muslim holy site and from there, who knows, the Vatican, Big Ben, the White House? For everybody’s information, all of these have been declared as future Muslim holy sites and for proof please visit yesterday’s post and spend a couple of minutes and view the video midway down the page, thank you.
Western Wall also Known as the Wailing Wall and Sacred Site for Jewish Prayers Ever Since the Temple Mount Became Denied to Jews and Christians by Muslim Waqf which Also Wants to Assume The Wall and Reserve for Muslims and Deny Jews and Christians
The truth is that Islamists today want, if they can get away with it, to appropriate or destroy as they did the giant Buddha statues in Afghanistan, if memory serves me correctly, which they destroyed utterly with explosives simply because they were not Islamic and were older then Islam but not permitted to remain on Muslim lands. They will eventually make the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of the Nativity into Islamic holy sites simply be covering over any decorations or destroying them and placing four minarets around them as they did the Hagia Sophia. They will spread their domain over all of old Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Shechem and every other place holy to Judaism and Christianity starting with whatever they can grab in Israel and then before finishing the task in Israel where they will be fought tooth and nail if I have anything to do with it, and instead turn their attentions to Rome and every church and especially cathedral across Europe. They may start another front with Europe by retaking what they call Andalusia and we call Spain and they claim is occupied while most call it liberated and returned to the true faith which unfortunately also resulted in the Inquisition taking the Spanish Jews and either expelling, converting or murdering them as well as the Muslims. For some reason whenever the bath water is thrown out the Jews appear to be the bar of soap which all too often was thrown with the bathwater as a minor inconvenience as long as the baby was safe. This truism is valid whether it was Christians throwing out Muslims or Muslims throwing out Christians, both also took out their Jews while they were at it. That will not be the case in the Holy Lands any more. The Crusades and Muslim re-conquests were bad enough but this time we Jews hold our homelands and we, very many and more every day are awakening and joining in exclaiming, “NEVER AGAIN!!!”
The people behind the decision not to permit the Birkat Moshe Yeshiva from Ma’ale Adumim to go up on the Temple Mount as they have done the morning before Yom Kippur as part of an annual tradition dating back years, if not decades, should hang their heads in shame. To prevent these students to experience the momentous occasion of ascending to the Temple Mount as they have done for years and many had anticipated the great feelings of holiness which would accompany such a visitation is bordering on criminal. The excuse given was even more of an embarrassment for the State of Israel than anything I can think of in recent history. To tell these students that they are not to be able to observe what for them is a ritual that accompanies their High Holiday traditions because the Muslims have been staging riots and the police are unsure if they could guarantee their safety is ludicrous. The Yeshiva had made all the proper arrangements, they had the official documents permitting their ascension to the Temple Mount and the police had plenty of warning and if they were unprepared, then they should have contacted their supervisors and either gotten additional police or IDF soldiers, whatever it would take for these youths to have the government’s promises kept. This was inexcusable.
Temple Institute concept for what building the Third Temple in modern day Jerusalem would appear like from a distance with modern buildings of Jerusalem in the background. May their vision and this concept figure become fact and fulfill our desires for unity and a single Temple and House for Hashem in our midst. May this dream be fulfilled before the next Ninth of Av so our lament will be lessened.
The entire manner in which the government has treated the entire embarrassment where Jews are forbidden to enter the Temple Mount because old women might screech at them, that Jews must be rationed going onto the Temple Mount because there is no manner of security if they were permitted free access and that rioting Muslims can determine the access afforded Israeli citizens regardless of their religion from free access to the holiest ground in all of Israel is the culmination of timidity and an emasculated governance. The time is now to tear up any agreement which places a foreign entity in charge of the Temple Mount. Allowing Jordan to rule the Temple Mount is the same as if Saudi Arabia allowed Tehran to control the Ka’aba in Mecca or the United States to permit the British to control who has access and how many Americans can visit the Washington Mall and all the monuments therein. The Temple Mount is and should always be the holiest monument which must be open and freely accessed by Jews and all others wishing to witness the closeness and holy aura which permeates the grounds. Anything less in a free and democratic state is paramount to dictatorial powers being handed to a foreign sovereign making them the master of these holy grounds and just the latest in the stream of pathetic signs that Israel is so unrighteously worried and fretting over the opinions of those either friend or enemy which seek to commit us to an enslaved mentality unrighteously subservient to the whims and edicts from outside our borders. This embarrassment must be terminated and the agreement placing the Waqf as the rule and sovereign over grounds holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims is positively ludicrous.
Ka’aba in Mecca is holiest Islamic site in the world definitively holier than Jerusalem and the Temple Mount which is the holiest place for Jews alone.
What need be done is to make the Waqf responsible and with absolute authority over the Islamic holy places on the Temple Mount, the Christians can also have a committee, body, or whatever they decide as their absolute authority over the Christian places on the Temple Mount and the Rabbinate in charge of the Jewish holy places on the Temple Mount and the areas which are more than ten meters from any holy building are free areas subject to the same restrictions as any other public monument in the world and with final authority belonging to law enforcement or military or whatever force is necessary to guarantee open and free access to the Temple Mount for all people of all or even no faith to visit and marvel at the wonder that is the Temple Mount. Any further building, antiquity recovery, archeology, or other action, digging, erecting or modification outside of those performed within the current structures, this does not permit expanding the footprint or enlarging any building or enclosed areas to be subjected to whatever applicable codes and restriction the Israeli government or Jerusalem government may choose to enforce. Should Israel decide in a democratic manner to approve the building of the Third Temple and decide the site to be upon the Temple Mount, a site which would by name imply it was made for such a structure, then it should be built with whatever footprint is approved and constructed observing all building codes and in any manner which is considered appropriate under one overarching restriction that it not be placed within some predetermined distance which will be imposed upon all religious and other structures raised on the Temple Mount such as to preserve the accessibility, balance of open spaces versus structures and other determinations which would be considered appropriate and acceptable. Obviously, building a structure which is fifty stories tall would not be befitting the Temple Mount as the structures residing on the Temple Mount are religious monuments and not office buildings or sky scrapers.
Bethlehem is one of the holy places of Christian history and arguably equal to Jerusalem yet the Temple Mount is the holiest place for Jews alone
As far as access to the Temple Mount and upkeep of entrances, all should be made available to all of the public with universal restrictions limiting all such as having hours of operation and when the Temple Mount is closed for the evening nobody should be permitted to enter the area and all entrances should have guards to enforce the hours of operations. When holy days for each of the religions requiring their use of their places on the Temple Mount should be given preferences within limitations where it does not interfere with the general public’s rights to visit the Temple Mount and if there are requirements for nighttime services or observances, such should be afforded as long as such requests are for special occasions and not simply requests made to attempt to compromise the access by the rest of the public. The three Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, must treat each other with the same reverence they wish for the others to afford them. None should be able to raise their control over the Temple Mount such that it becomes dominant over the others and no hierarchy should be permitted. This is the exact opposite as currently exists. That needs to end and end immediately.
Order must be enforced at all times and there should be no tolerance of attempts to intimidate, harass, assault, deter or otherwise compromise the freedoms of others to visit, pray, marvel and even visit within the Holy Places with obvious restraints being in place as per the directives of each religion. For example, if the Islamic faith does not permit unbelievers from entering their Mosques on the Temple Mount, then that must be respected just as if the Christians refused to allow unbelievers rights to their Churches or the Jews restricting visitation to the Temple (once it might be built) to just the Priests except for a small public area, then any and all of such restrictions are to be included within the rules governing behavior on the Temple Mount. What cannot be permitted is for any religion to claim that the entirety of the grounds are holy unto them and to them and them alone are free access to be granted as that is totally unacceptable. These changes need to come about as quickly as possible and the current situation which has come to a head where something has to give is the perfect opportunity to alter the entirety of the balance of power regarding the Temple Mount. Make and preserve the Temple Mount a holy place where any and all may experience a holy visit or simply for tourists to take in the ambiance and holy feel of the Temple Mount. The preservation of this special place and the making it a place for all people to come and find their own holy experience or just a feeling of the historical significance of the Temple Mount, a center of religious experience for close to if not over three-thousand-years, should be the singular goal for the Israeli and for Jewish leadership over this first year after the Sabbath Year, the Shmita (Hebrew: שמיטה). Don’t you feel it is time for this to become the holy monument to all for the remainder of time? We know we think it should; and the sooner the better.
These are simply a few randomly chosen acts of hate filled violence spread across two days, five stories with three telling of attacks in Israel including one on the Temple Mount from an unexpected source; one story from Wellington, Florida in the United States; and then lastly the reality that Israelis make remarkable recoveries and the situation that was arranged probably from Above that all from the horrific scene and terror attack were together again and shared the joy for one family nearly a year later. All of these stories likely would never even reach the average Israeli, especially if they get all of their news from the standard mainstream media even here in Israel; so we obviously cannot fault the world for not reporting that which is ignored by much of our own media. Partly the blame goes to the fact that one could pick any day or so and find these same examples to choose from a number of other events as these were not by far the sole attacks.
There exist stretches of roadways and even secondary highways where those traveling know full well they need to be on guard to look for ambushes where rocks and bricks will be thrown at their vehicle and thus they must prepare to hit the gas and speed to safety on the other end once the rocks stop striking the vehicle and they can return to normal speed, breathe a sigh of relief that they survived the gauntlet once again and bless Hashem for their successful passage and surviving in relative safety only He can provide. The stories of woe are those which catch a motorist by surprise as they did not normally drive this heightened area full of perilous threats along this stretch of road and they mistakenly try to turn and escape and are set upon mercilessly and become sitting ducks stuck on the roadway. Then we have a tragedy which may or may not make the news depending on the news volume that day and maybe the next. This is especially true if there was no loss of life and either they escaped on their own with a valuable lesson learned or they were saved and the lesson imparted and hopefully heeded.
The unfortunate reality in Israel is that the daily onslaught has certain levels which have become so commonplace as to be considered acceptable as long as it remains within certain limits. It is as if we in Israel, at least as far as reporting on terrorist events, have adopted what then Senator John Kerry as the Democrat candidate running against George W. Bush for the Presidency where Kerry claimed, “We have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives, but they’re a nuisance.” President Bush criticized Senator Kerry stating, “Just this weekend, Senator Kerry talked of reducing terrorism to, quote – ‘nuisance’ – end quote, and compared it to prostitution and illegal gambling.” We could add to this point, Gentlemen, welcome to our reality, our world.
Our first story was related by twenty-six-year-old Yehuda who survived his attack and related his experience as he lie recovering in a hospital. These events occurred Monday morning and took place at the gas station on Highway 443 located northwest of Jerusalem. There exist points of travel along Highway 443 where attacks occur regularly and are usually barrages of rocks upon the passing cars. These attacks usually occur when traffic is lightest and thus the attackers consider themselves safe as they would easily outnumber the occupants of a single vehicle or even two vehicles. This event was different and far more dangerous as Yehuda was stabbed in the back and shoulder while filling up his car at the gas station. Yehuda related his harrowing terrorist assault which easily could have resulted in worse wounds or even have murdered him as, according to the recounting on Army Radio:
“I was on the way to Jerusalem from my home, and he (the terrorist) took advantage of the opportunity when I got out of the car and he stabbed me. He came at me from behind, I felt suddenly that I was stabbed, and I ran, I fled from him. I ran, I fell, and got up and ran again, and again I fell. He of course chased after me, and stabbed me again at every opportunity.” Yehuda recounted how he fled and the reaction of the few onlookers who were probably there to assist the terrorist in making an escape. Yehuda continued, “I shouted ‘help me, help me.’ I ran to my car while still bleeding and just drove off. They watched (a group of Arabs standing and viewing the events from a short distance obviously amused) and chuckled and didn’t come to help. Even after I was stabbed. He just didn’t stop until I managed to escape with the car.”
The terrorist was eventually neutralized, according to reports and whatever neutralized may mean. Was he arrested or killed as he continued his attacks possibly turning and attempting to strike the police? While the threat was still looming another almost victim managed to escape injury and took refuge in his vehicle locking the doors and then had the presence of mind to video-record the terrorist attacker lurking outside while brandishing the knife. You can play the Video while below is picture from the video clearly showing the knife in his hand.
Knife wielding terrorist was outside vehicle at petrol station threatening driver with a knife, circled. Terrorist had already stabbed one motorist multiple times before the victim was able to escape. This is getting to be a daily news event from somewhere, either in Judea or Samaria, often Jerusalem and has even struck in Tel Aviv and the Galilee.
Our next report concerns a married couple from the southern Mount Hevron area who were attacked Monday morning while out jogging by a large group of Arabs and European anarchists. The presence of European anarchists is not uncommon where there are possibilities that Israelis might actually defend themselves which will provide them with filmed shots of Israeli aggression and the futile attempt by the unfortunate wretch unable to ward off the unprovoked assault by the Israelis. The Europeans shot their film and got nothing to sell to media, usually television and cable news networks who pay handsomely for such films, especially if they have been edited to emphasize the desired line of out of control Israelis and poor defenseless Arabs trying in vain to escape unscathed from the incident. Never mind that this couple was set upon by the mob with rock throwing and beatings with long and sturdy sticks.
Miri Madan told news services of their ordeal stating, “We went on a morning jog toward the neighboring community of Maon. Before Maon, I felt bad. It was hot. We wanted to cut toward the main road.” This required the couple take a dirt road that bypasses a small Arab village. Once the couple was spotted by one villager he whistled and others relayed the call and before you knew it there was a small hoard ready to attack. Roughly twenty Arabs escorted by a group of European anarchists who were armed with cameras as the hoard encircled the couple. Miri Madan continued the recounting stating, “They approached us. I wanted to go back but they called an Arab vehicle that threatened us from behind, so that we couldn’t escape from them. We tried to talk to them and to explain that we are just on a morning jog, that we only want to reach the road, that we do not mean to pass through [their village] and that I don’t feel good, but it didn’t help and they continued to threaten us that they’d kill us and slaughter us and threw rocks at us. When we saw that we had nothing to do, we went in the direction of the rocks and luckily we emerged with injuries that are not serious. They did hit us though, and they kept throwing rocks and sticks at us from behind as we emerged.”
These types of attacks often are brought upon joggers as well as hikers. The story seldom changes much as it is often around twenty actual attackers setting upon two and rarely even three victims who are blocked from turning back or are set upon so quickly and ferociously that there is not opportunity to flee. Initially the only times Israelis ran into such ambushes was when the attackers were accompanied by Europeans to film the events looking for an Israeli defending themselves which allows them to turn the story around. After a while these attacks became more commonplace with an Arab filming the events with the same goal, getting a video or single pictures depicting Israeli on Arab violence to sell to the media. Now these ambushes occur almost daily somewhere where a gang of Arab youths can catch an unsuspecting Israeli or two and assault them. After the victim has escaped the attackers disperse before the police arrive, the timing of such they have down to a science in order to escape arrest. A report such as this one can be viewed daily on many of the small district news which covers such news events as they have proven so common as to no longer be newsworthy. There will be no reporting live at five with our intrepid a reporter standing with security and possibly IDF soldiers off camera telling of the dangers joggers and hikers face at this specific spot which the assault took place that morning. Now such reports are buried inside deep in the local news section or if there was somebody clinging doggedly to life, it might get bumped to lead the local news or, dare we say it, make it into section A. This couple barely made the news, which is another way of relaying that they will be just fine and survived their ordeal. That only leaves us with questions; Who will be next? Where will the next attack occur? Will it merit coverage? Where can we find actual video? And what made this attack coverable? Most of the answers to the questions will likely be in the negative as they gave no promises.
Our next story made the news as it was noteworthy to make a record of an official WAQF officer who assaulted Israeli Border Police and was arrested for his efforts. Here is the video of the events and the arrest of the perpetrator WAQF monitor being subdued. There were apparently a number of people who received a measure of the pepper-spray utilized by the security officers making the arrest. This was a form of man bites dog and the Islamic WAQF officials are assigned to enforce the rule of law for the Jordanian force left in place as an offer of friendship and tolerance which has backfired greatly. I doubt General Moshe Dayan would have done as he did in June of 1967 and permitted Jordan to continue their control over the Temple Mount knowing what that would bring in the future. Perhaps this event could be the perfect time to extradite the members of the WAQF who actually work for the Jordanian leadership as agents of a foreign power who have out-lived their usefulness and Israel will now take over providing security and order to the Temple Mount and assume responsibility for the holy sites upon the Temple Mount. Such a move is long overdue and the time is ripe for such a move. A member of the WAQF acting in such an unholy manner brings down shame on them, the WAQF and the Jordanian who are responsible for all the actions committed by these guardians. Recalling the WAQF to Jordan in order to save face is an offer that should be made and made now in response to this irreconcilable behavior. Access for all peoples and permission for all people of all faiths the freedom to pray as they please thus opening the Temple Mount a place holy to three major faiths and respected by many people of all faiths.
The fourth story comes from Wellington, Florida in the United States where we have mentioned a number of times have started to see increasing anti-Semitism. The attacks have mostly been random events of hatred committed by sole individuals but the undercurrent makes it appear to have more interconnectivity. We have suggested that when one has been arrested for an offense against a Jewish target or any hate crime, their computers should be searched and see what such material they have and check their activity logs and any videos linked to in their computers. A warrant should not be overtly difficult if the person has been arrested for actions which raise the suspicions for the basis of hate crimes having been perpetrated. The actions of the person caught on camera leave little doubt as to the hate-filled anger. The question is against whom as the perpetrator in addition to vandalizing Temple Beth Torah also vandalized seventeen vehicles on nearby streets which might tend to make one believe that perhaps the entire criminal action was truly random. Below are the captured video and a news report from Wellington.
Our final story is one of recovery and joy. First though we need go back to October 22 of last year and recall the terror attack on the Jerusalem light rail by a terrorist where he rammed his vehicle through the Givat Hatachmoshet (Ammunition Hill) Light Rail stop injuring eight people and murdering Chaya Zisel Braun who was merely three months old, far too short a life for her. Ziyad Dawiat, a veteran Magen David Adom paramedic and ambulance driver, remembered having transported little Chaya Zisel Braun that fateful night. That was then and this is now. Ziyad Dawiat, our intrepid veteran Magen David Adom paramedic and ambulance driver, received a call to assist a woman in labor and giving birth at home. He thought nothing about it and headed off to perform whatever duties were required. He had been on a number of such calls and was probably happy for bringing a life into the world which has to be the favorite call they need make as too often they meet people leaving this domain, not entering it. Shmuel Braun met Ziyad Dawiat, our fated veteran Magen David Adom paramedic and ambulance driver, and was immediately overcome with excitement and was exuberantly happy at seeing the number twelve Ambulance and began jumping and waving and pointing and repeating “twelve, number twelve” and continued his zealous happy dance.
According to Ziyad Dawiat, our fated, bemused veteran Magen David Adom paramedic and ambulance driver, described the event, “He was very emotional and I didn’t know why. Meanwhile I could see a woman who was about to give birth. I went into the house and helped her, and after helping her to recover, the story came out.” The Brauns recounted the account of the night of October 22, 2014 and how Ziyad Dawiat, our fated, bemused, astounded veteran Magen David Adom paramedic and ambulance driver, had been the one who had attempted to treat initially and transported little Chaya Zisel Braun to the hospital and they thanked him for all he had done then and now. After the retelling, Ziyad Dawiat, our fated, bemused, astounded, at a loss for words, veteran Magen David Adom paramedic and ambulance driver, recounted, “After the parents, with great emotion, told me the story, I remembered who they were. Shmuel told me that whenever he sees the number 12, he remembers his daughter, and prays that he will be spared further suffering. I didn’t know how to respond, to congratulate him on his new baby or commiserate with him for his loss.” After transporting mother and her baby daughter to the hospital for a quick routine checkup Ziyad Dawiat, our fated, bemused, astounded, at a loss for words, exhilarated thanking Hashem for completion of a hole now closed making him whole again, veteran Magen David Adom paramedic and ambulance driver, exclaimed, “I never dreamed that I would be able to close a circle in this manner with the Brauns. But it’s a small world. I intend to keep in touch with them.” So the Braun’s now have their new baby daughter. May she bring them much joy and, as it did for Ziyad Dawiat, by now simply our friend and ambulance driving hero, may it close much of the hole and make their family whole again; Baruch Hashem.
Beyond the Cusp 