Western Wall Quotes
This quotation illustrates one of the more bizarre aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Namely that many of the Arab leaders appear to be in complete denial of what is totally verified historical fact about the Jewish presence and at times rule of much of the Middle East. There were two Jewish Temples built in Jerusalem. The first was the Temple of Solomon of Biblical Fame. Even of one dismisses the Bible as a historical source, the Babylonian records describe the Temple’s destruction in 586 BC. The Jewish Temple was rebuilt by Herod and the governmental records document its construction and other records describe its use and dedication by the Maccabees. The Roman Records completely document the destruction of the 2nd Temple in 70 AD. Arafat, although ridiculed throughout the civilized world, ordered Palestinian Historians to never mention or write about the Jewish Temples. No one knows whether he just did this as a political ploy, or was trying to pander to radical Arabs, or actually believed his statements and was in denial about reality. Outside of some Arabs, no one else believed it.
The Western Wall of the original Jewish Temple in Jerusalem is the holiest place for Jewa. When it was controlled by Jordan, Jews were not allowed to visit and pray at the Wall. However in 1967 the Arab states again attacked Israel in force and when the Israelis defeated the Arabs, the took the portion of Jerusalem that contained the Western Wall. At that point Jews would have access to the wall for prayer or historical purposes. However, in the convoluted politics of Israel where minor religious parties often can topple the government, the administration of the Wall was turned over to an Ultra Orthodox organization, and they barred Women from the Wall. The government would not intervene and the case ended up in the Israeli Supreme Court which ruled that women had to have equal access. The government then offered to create an area where women could pray at the wall while orthodox men could could have their segregated area where they would not risk contact with women. The ultra orthodox still objected as they believed that it was a desecration for women to pray at the wall, so the government stalled, and it took almost a decade before there was progress in having the women’s area opened.
