Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) commended the Obama Administration for its robust condemnation of the recent report prepared by the Palestinian Authority (PA) denying that Jerusalem’s Western Wall (Kotel) is a Jewish holy site.  Nadler asserted that such falsehoods are both outrageous and offensive, and are extremely harmful to the peace process on which both Israelis and Palestinians are depending.  He issued the following statement:

“I commend the Obama Administration for taking responsible action and condemning, through the State Department, the recent report from the Palestinian Authority (PA) which asserts that the Western Wall is not a Jewish holy site and has no historical connection to the Jewish people.  This is nothing more than a transparent attempt to delegitimize Israel.

“This outrageous report, which flies in the face of all historical facts, is a direct threat to the Middle East peace process and is part of ongoing efforts to threaten Israel’s very existence.  Written by Al-Mutawakil Tata, the PA Deputy Minister of Information, the report contends that the Western Wall is actually part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and that it was only due to Islamic tolerance that Jews were able to worship there, with such worship beginning early in the 20th century.

“Deputy Minister Tata’s report could not be more wrong and malicious.  The Western Wall, built in part during the time of King Herrod, surrounds the Temple Mount on which the First and Second Temples stood before they were destroyed.  Jews have worshipped at the Temple Mount and its Western Wall for thousands of years and, beyond its historical significance, the Wall is the holiest site in Judaism.  As Jews and their friends and allies know well, the Kotel is at the very core of Jewish history and religion.

“This report is a direct assault on the Middle East peace process.  It shows the PA to be willing to deny historical truths to suit its own political ends and it discredits the PA as a good faith negotiating partner.  Instead of antagonizing Israel, the PA should focus on becoming a genuine partner in the peace process.

“Additionally, by denying the historic ties between the Western Wall and the Jewish people, and by suggesting that the site is properly considered a mosque, the PA is seeking to undermine the very foundation of Israel as the home of the Jewish people.  Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev put it well:  ‘If you deny the Jewish connection to the Western Wall you are in fact denying the Jewish connection to Jerusalem and the land of Israel itself.’  Attempts by the PA to delegitimize Israel must be identified for what they are and denounced.”

(YWN Desk – NYC)