After the cabinet on Sunday reaffirmed the nation’s commitment to two very important national heritage sites, the Ma’arat HaMachpelah and Kever Rachel, the PA (Palestinian Authority) has announced this will lead to conflict, insisting the act was “a provocative one that may lead to a regional holy war”.

Ironically, as the secularists seem to lack a basic understanding of the importance of holy sites, Israel’s enemies are well-attuned to the kedusha of these areas, focusing their battle on those very sites. This has been seen in the conduct of the PA over the years since the signing of Oslo in 1993 surrounding Kever Yosef, Yericho, Har HaBayis, Kosel, Chevron and so it is with all the holy cities and areas.

Joining PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) in his condemnatory statements was the Fatah leader’s political nemeses, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyah, who is all too happy to put his differences aside regarding the PA in Ramallah towards fighting the common enemy, Israel. Haniyah is also calling upon the Arab nations to come out in strong support of the residents of PA areas, and he is also calling on the international community to come down on Israel, who he portrays as the aggressor.

A member of the al-Quds Brigade terror organization decried Israel’s ongoing damage caused to “our mosques and holy sites”, making a claim based on Islamic roots to the holy areas. He called the cabinet’s declaration an “annexation of Islamic holy sites” and labeled the act an “act of aggression”, predicting a renewal of attacks throughout areas of Yehuda, Shomron as well as inside Green Israel, boldly stating the organization “is compelled to respond” as if the ongoing Islamic terrorism can be justified in any way.

Minister of Regional Development (Likud) Silvan Shalom called the PA’s response an outrage, citing Israel’s 3,700 year claim to Kever Rachel. He quoted the mention in Bereishis of the sites and Israel’s legitimate claim to them.

For Minister of Environmental Affairs (Likud) Gideon Erdan, it is less complicated, explaining that for Abu Mazen, it appears difficult to let go of his Holocaust denying past, referring to the PA leader’s doctorial dissertation in which he did just that, questioning the claims made by the Jewish People regarding the slaughter of 6 million Kedoshim HY”D.

Erdan added that despite his moderate appearance [a suit and tie man], he remains firm in his denial of the legitimacy of Jewish history which is the basis for the indisputable claim to the land.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)