Propagandizing the Temple

“Jerusalem Jones” is writing a new book. It’s all about the intersection of archaeology and the Arab-Israeli conflict. No snakes, no Nazis. But plenty of nefarious “bad guys” who want to take, not just Israel’s land, but its heritage and history as well. In other words, Israelis are a people who just need to go away. The international community – the notorious U.N. – and the international media will do whatever they can to promote this lofty goal. 

For example, today’s Palestinian propagandists deny that a Jewish Temple ever existed in Jerusalem, and they are delivering this message over and over. The official daily newspaper of the Palestinian Authority branded Jews visiting the Temple Mount as “invaders,” and called all Israelis “settlers.” The Temple itself was referenced as the “alleged Temple”:

Israeli MP Michael Ben-Ari invaded the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Tuesday heading a group of settlers, who were on a tour of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, listening to Ben-Ari's explanations about the alleged Temple... Chairman of the Supreme Council for Shari'a Law, Sheikh Yusuf Ida'is, said that the invasion of Al-Aqsa had been carried out under the protection of extensive occupation (i.e., Israeli) police forces. He warned of a most dangerous plot of the Israeli establishment, including its various branches, to seize control of [the Mosque], in order to destroy it and establish the alleged Temple in its place.

So, a Jewish Temple is only “alleged” to have existed. Does this strike us as just a bit bizarre? Palestinian “forgers of history” are accusing Israelis of “forging history.” Moreover, if the Palestinians have their way, many of the most important holy sites in all the world will no longer be accessible to the public, for they will have been gobbled up by a fledgling “terrorist state.” The charge that Israeli Jews seek to destroy the Muslim shrines atop the Temple Mount/ Haram al-Sharif and build their own Temple there is perhaps the most dangerous of all, as it can only be designed to inflame the Arab population of Jerusalem and the surrounding territories and precipitate violent conflict, even war. Just another day in the Palestinian propaganda mills. What can we do? Fight back! Or in my case, “write back”! So let it be done...