Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has announced that he plans to visit Hebron, making stops in Gush Etzion sometime next month ahead of elections. The planned visit is being reviewed by ISA (Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet) officials to determine if the visit is feasible from a security point of view.
Responding to the planned visit are both the PA (Palestinian Authority) and Hamas in Gaza, united in their warning to the prime minister that such a visit will spark a new wave of violence. As the PA struggles to achieve statehood they do not wish to tolerate an official visit to the Ma’aras HaMachpelah by an Israeli prime minister for the PA wishes to show sovereignty over the holy site.
There has not been any official Israeli response to the threats made by the PA and Hamas.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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10 Responses
No reason for him to stick it in the eye if it will cause violence. Better for him to say Tehilim in his shul than visit here.
The arabs yemach Sh’mom zulin paygerin! Time to nuke these bhaymos once and for all!!
So what’s new? They don’t want the Israeli prime minister visit part of Israel…
It would be insane to give in to the threats of violence. Before you know it, the PA will threaten against anyone going to the Kosel.
Setting aside for the moment all other pros and cons, I think that from an Arab point-of-view this is even more Chutzpah’dig than the Arab’s rejecting Jews visiting Har-Ha’bayis.
They think that Jews lost forever Jewish claim to Har-Ha’bayis, but what’s their excuse for the Meoras HaMachpela?!
After all, they know that they have only 1 set of ancestors buried there. While the Jews have 3 sets!
(Not including Adam and Chava.)
since when does the plo or hamas own MEORAS HAMACHPELA. Do they think they are dealing with obumma?
Unless he really wants to cause rioting and bloodshed, he should stay away until after the elections. He has already poisoned the relationship with the U.S. Administration, does he really want to have blood on his hands for a few extra votes??
The Jewish PM CAN & should visit anywhere that he desires, anywhere that JEWS live & anywhere that JEWS are buried.
Of course he can go & should go. It’s not even in pa controlled territory. It’s not theirs even according to them. Makes no sense at all.
Whether he CAN and whether he SHOULD are two different questions. Of course the PM (and any other Jew) has the right to visit a place that’s under Israeli rule (even if not sovereignty).
But that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Remember that Sharon’s pre-election photo op on Har Habayis was used as a pretext by the Arabs to start the 2nd intifida. Why give them a pretext for more violence?
If this were a visit to daven at kivrei avos, that would be one thing. But let’s not use a makom kadosh for political grandstanding, please.