Israel had hoped that Jordan would not join the Arab forces against them in 1967. It was not to be; their artillery opened fire on Israel. Israeli paratroopers fought with small arms in the Old City. They were ordered to use no artilley, which could damage Holy Shrines.
Although Israeli Jews and Christians were barred from both the Wall and Church of the Holy Sepulchre for the twenty years of Jordanian rule, Israel immediately opened access to all. Administrative control of the Temple Mount, upon which sits the Al-Aqsa Mosque, were immediately given to the Jordanian Waqf (Islamic Trust).
The Wailing Wall is the Western Wall of the Mount, which is considered the closest and only remnant of the Second Jewish Temple, and is the holiest site in Judaism. No matter where in the world, all Jews have always prayed facing Jerusalem and the Wall.
reprinted from April 2010
ADDENDUM OCTOBER 11, 2023:The Mosque on the Temple Mount has become a flashpoint and rallying cry for Palestinians. Although Muslims do have control and access to the shrine, they can't abide Jerusalem in Israeli control. Furthermore, they can't abide Israel.
There is much speculation on Israel's failure to guard the border and Hamas's success with the infiltration. Speculation extends to Iran, and even American aid to Iran. Partisan agendas are in full uniform. My interest and prayers only concern the hostages.
Mike, Partisan agenda's? Are we supposed to maintain a blind eye to who is responsible for siding with the enemies of Israel and America? Fine, you do that. That's your choice, fine, but frankly, at this point it's hard to see the virtue or utility your thinking. A far better approach is to simultaneously pray for the victims while holding the guilty culpable.
ReplyDeleteI feel so bad for those hostages, they will be treated horribly. I watched a pretty good streaming series last year called "The Girl from Oslo" where some students on a beach holiday were abducted by terrorists near this part of Israel. Given the current situation, its a pretty good watch.
ReplyDeleteWhen you think about it, nearly every outside influence on our life is a result of a political decision. Someone (not us) was placed in position to act on our behalf. Many FAIL that calling and need to be singled out for their error.
ReplyDeleteIt is difficult to react to such revolting events without examining the politics behind the action. To do otherwise, is to be willfully blind to methods for relief. American politicians have their hands all over what we are witnessing in Israel. They need to be held accountable and defend their choices. The carnage we see in Israel today is man made. For me, it’s time to get different people at the controls.
"Partisan agendas are in full uniform. My interest and prayers only concern the hostages."
ReplyDeleteI think we can pray for the hostages, but I also think it's fair to point out why we're where we're at.
We have a weak President, and a weak Vice-President. I would argue that neither is qualified to be our Commander-in-Chief. Our enemies, and the enemies of Israel, know this.
It is not a coincidence that Russia decided to move on the Ukraine, and enemies of Israel are committing the vilest of atrocities against one of our closest allies. I’d venture to bet that China is salivating at when (not if) to invade Taiwan as well. Weak and incompetent US leadership leads to instability in the world.
The current administration has bogged us down in a Ukraine war that has depleted our own munitions (I believe we're now at a five-year deficit, meaning it will take 5 years to replenish what we've given away). That obviously limits our ability to fight in other areas.
Our strategic petroleum reserve (which we maintain for emergencies) is down to a 13 day supply, thanks to a (political) decision to release millions of barrels of oil into the American economy. Why? Because it was an election year, and gas prices needed to be lowered. Why did they need to be lowered? Because the Administration made a (political) decision to artificially curb domestic production to further a radical green agenda.
What do you think will happen when violence in the Mideast escalates and we (and the world) are cut off from that oil supply? I’d expect crippling prices on everything, economic difficulties, and civil unrest as our people can’t afford basic necessities of life.
Throw in a wide-open border policy (again, a political decision) and you have the makings of an unprecedented military and economic crisis for the United States.
If that's partisan, I'm sorry. That's the reality of where we're at today. And those responsible should be held accountable.
We had better start paying attention to how we vote, because unless we do, we are heading for much bigger problems than the horrible fate of a few hostages in a distant country. Yes, I also pray for them. But I’d like to avoid having the same things happen again, both here and elsewhere.
I think it’s important to add, legacy news media, including our own Morning Call, WFMZ-TV, and others have been hiding information that would help everyone better understand the predicament America has been put in. Policy and spending decisions made by our representatives here, in Pennsylvania, and in Washington have weakened this nation. We must do better.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is a welcome relief from the new norm of one side only discussion pages. As well, there is no resort to insults. It's always a civil discussion. Well done.
ReplyDeleteanons9:11, 10:45 & 12:06: You keep blaming the voters, yet the Republicans often fail to put up candidates who can win. Your canned reply will be that the media lies about the candidates, smears them, etc. etc. so good candidates won't run. Anyway, thanks for your comments, but it's getting repetitive.
ReplyDeleteSorry if it's getting repetitive, but so is reading a blog about problems in Allentown or our country without noting who is responsible for the policies that caused those problems. That negates any accountability for those who put the policies in place.
DeleteI don't vote by party, I vote by policy. A fine line, perhaps, but if a democrat political candidate supports reasonable policies more than the republican candidate, they get my vote.
But when a politician/candidate of either party supports bad policy, that's fair game for criticism and blame. That's the only way those policies change.
I don't require that the policy changes are made by republicans. In fact, I'd probably like it even more if democrats were putting forth rational policy for a change.
Mike, you have asked this question before, " why don't Republicans field candidates in Allentown?" . I have answered it. I told you what happened to Dean Browning, a decent man we both know who had the temerity to run as a Republican for the state senate in a district that included large sections of Allentown. They smeared him as a racist, a totally fabricated charge, they did it with mailers and TV ads. They totally trashed him with ugly lies. The truth matters not to them or the damage they do to their opponent, or the process, their only care is winning. With this brutality they have won Allentown and most other urban areas in America. There is no mystery why we can't field candidates, why we can't is plain as day for anyone with eyes to see.
DeleteWhy does the democrat party tolerate outspoken Anti-Semites in their ranks?
ReplyDeleteThere are a number of democrat members of Congress who have the vilest beliefs about Israel and went so far as to issue statements after the Hamas attacks blaming Israel for what happened.
Imagine if a group of White Supremacists in this country had massacred over a thousand black people in this country and a politician blamed the victims for it.
Would there be a similar acceptance for their views? I hope not.
This is 9:11. I am not registered to vote either as Democrat or Republican, but do vote. There is no real difference in what motivates members of either group. That being, self-service over public service. I’ve had enough of this, and refuse to pretend not to see things. I am grateful for the opportunity you provided to express this here.
ReplyDelete