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explained that, alas, this information
is not new, and that the successive
Israeli governments of Binyamin
Netanyahu, Ehud Barak and Ariel
Sharon have allowed these violations
to continue without raising any seri-
ous objection, even though Israelis
from left to right and secular to ultra-
Orthodox are united in their outrage.
Why, Stern was asked repeatedly,
does Israel allow this to go on, particu-
larly in light of the symbolic and
political ramifications of undoing the
Jewish presence at the Temple Mount?
For this he had no satisfying answer,
nor do historians and politicians, other
than the most obvious: that Israel is
fearful of the international Muslim
reaction if the Jewish authorities were
to stop the Waqf's illegal actions.
How else to explain why protests are
ignored from the Committee for the
Prevention of the Destruction of
Antiquities on the Temple Mount, made
up of prominent Israelis from all walks
of life. They include former Jerusalem
Mayor Teddy Kollek, leading archaeolo-
gists and academics as well as legal
experts andwriters like A.B. Yehoshua.
Also fruitless have been Knesset
votes and a 1993 Supreme Court rul-
ing citing numerous Waqf violations
as illegal and historically harmful.
Still, no Israeli government has acted.
Surely one would think that inter-
national outrage could be focused on
the Waqf's activities, much as the
world condemned the Taliban in
Afghanistan several years ago for
destroying ancient Buddhist statues
of great historical value.
Archeological Crimes
Perhaps one could argue that in the
scheme of things in Israel today, with
women and children being targeted
and suicide bombers on the loose,
ALPERT from page 31
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2002
ROSENBLATT froni page
The store for the Jewish community online'
the religious press. Documentary
films are aimed at the non-religious
public and suitable television pro-
grams are aired in prime time. Face-
to-face encounters are organized.
Among the unusual tactics
employed to reach the minds and
hearts of the youth is sponsorship
of a Maccabi Tzav Piyus soccer
team, in Netanya, with equal par-
ticipation of religious and secular
youth. No games are played on the
raising a ruckus about the displace-
ment or even destruction of old
stones is not a priority. But on the
contrary, the Waqf's archaeological
crimes speak to the heart of the con-
flict, of the Arab unwillingness to
recognize Israeli sovereignty of the
Old City and even to acknowledge
Jewish historical ties to the land.
How can there be parity and
mutual respect between two ancient
peoples sharing a land when the
Arabs insist the Jews are modern-day
usurpers who appeared a little more
than 50 years ago on the scene and
evicted them from their homes? The
brazen refusal to admit that the
Jewish people have historic ties to
the land underscores the Arab
emphasis on ideology over reality and
hatred over compromise.
It is understandable why so many
Jewish leaders, religious and other-
wise, have second-guessed Moshe
Dayan's decision 35 years ago to cede
control of the Temple Mount area to
the Waqf as a Muslim holy site.
"Handing over the keys of the
Temple Mount to the Waqf was a
major historic mistake over which
generations will weep," noted Israel
Meir Lau, Israel's chief rabbi.
The only thing we can do is raise
our voices about this matter, letting
the Sharon government know that its
uncharacteristic acquiescence on this
matter is unacceptable and harmful
to Israel and Jewish history.
We should be joined by historians,
archaeologists, legal experts and others
with a sense of fairness and a concern
about the truth, putting pressure on
the Waqf to cease their unholy quest
to make the Temple Mount area his-
torically Judenrein (free of Jews).
For centuries, Jews have prayed
daily for the rebuilding of Jerusalem;
the least we can do today is insist
that our holiest site not be under-
mined. ❑
Sabbath.
How effective is the program?
Thousands have taken part in the
contact meetings. Millions have
been exposed to the mass media
publicity. Spokesmen for Avi Chai
admit they have no way as yet to
measure their effectiveness, but they
believe the message is slowly pene-
trating. They plan to continue and
expand their efforts in the months
and years ahead, and fortunately
do not appear to be lacking in
means. ❑