The saga of 'anti-Palestinian metal detectors' at the Temple Mount continues (see below). The outrage caused by these metal detectors frightens Israel's leaders. They don't know if they should keep the detectors in place or take them down to appease 'Palestinian' leaders and local Islamic clerics (Raphael Ahren, Dov Lieber, "Amid protests, Israel weighs taking down Temple Mt. metal detectors", timesofisrael, July 19, 2017).
While our Jewish leaders fiddled with this question, Arabs in eastern Jerusalem threw rocks and firebombs at police (Stuart Winer, "Rioters clash with police around Jerusalem over Temple Mount metal detectors", timesofisrael, July 19, 2017). The Fatah organization, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, called for 'Palestinians' to march on security checkpoints in Judea-Samaria (ibid)--essentially, calling for mass disturbances against security forces.
If you advocate peace through a two-state solution, please note that the Arab-Israel war is far from over--and is much
farther from a peaceful resolution than you realize. This 'metal detector' story proves how far away peace really is.
The 'metal detector' uproar is 'fake news'. Metal detectors throughout Israel are a non-issue. But now, 'metal detectors' becomes a 'Palestinian war-cry' to provoke rioting.
In Israel, metal detectors are almost ubiquitous. They stand at entrances to all kinds of buildings, especially in Jerusalem. In the city where I live (outside Jerusalem), I have to pass through a metal detector--a process that includes a baggage search--every time I go into our community shopping mall. There are no exceptions.
I have never seen anyone--Jew or Arab--put up a stink while going through our metal detector. I have never seen anyone--Jew or Arab--complain about having a bag searched or pockets emptied.
I see the same thing in Jerusalem. That is, I have never seen anyone in Jerusalem--Jew or Arab--put up a stink about any metal detector anywhere. Everyone I have ever seen at these devices passes through them acting as if they understand/accept the need to use detectors to help create a 'safe place' for them.
This doesn't mean no one ever complains. But it does say that this one person's experience is clear: so far as I can see, metal detectors are not a problem.
It's not like Israel is the only place Muslims see a metal detector. Arab governments use them, too.
For example, in 2011, the Saudi government announced it would install metal detectors at Mecca's Holy mosque (Riazat Butt, "Explosives detectors to be installed at gates of Mecca's holy mosque", guardian, August 15, 2011). There were no Arab protests or violence over this announcement (Zvi, "The hypocrisy of denouncing metal detectors at the Temple Mount", elderofzyion, July 17, 2017).
No Arabs protested when metal detectors were installed for certain Christian sites in Egypt (ibid). No Arabs protested when metal detectors were installed for other Christians in Qatar (ibid).
More to our point here, no Arabs complained that the Saudi metal detectors at a revered Islamic holy site (in Mecca) had 'humiliated' them. No Arab complained that the Saudi metal detectors were a 'collective punishment' against Muslims (Ali Waked, "Exclusive: Fatah official: Israeli metal detectors at Temple Mount are 'collective punishment' of Muslim worshipers", breitbart, July 18, 2017). No Arab politicians called for a Day of Rage anywhere in the Arab world because of new metal detectors. No Arab cleric anywhere in the Arab world announced that metal detectors are religiously unacceptable because anyone who passes through them will have their prayers to Heaven nullified (see below).
The King of Saudi Arabia (Salman) has spoken out about the Israeli metal detectors. He said metal detectors aren't a problem at holy places (Hana Levi Julian, "King of Saudi Arabia personally intervenes in Temple Mount Crisis, says metal detectors routine in holy places", jewishpress, July 18, 2017). They are, he said, routine in holy places because of the threat of terror (ibid). When he heard about metal detectors at the entrance to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, he expressed no reservations about them (ibid).
These comments by the Saudi King are significant for three reasons. First, the Saudis have used metal detectors at their own holy site for almost six years with no reported outrage from anyone; second, the holy site in question (in Saudi Arabia) isn't an anonymous holy place which few know about, or a holy place considered to be less holy than the Temple Mount. That Saudi holy place is the holiest Islamic site in the world; and third, the Mecca site isn't a seldom-visited shrine where few would have to walk through a metal detector. It's the largest gathering site in the world (Kate Nelson, "Haj 2016: when is the annual Mecca pilgrimage? Who goes? Is it safe? Everything you need to know", theindependent, September 6, 2016). It attracts millions of Muslims each year (ibid).
So if Muslims accept the metal detectors at Mecca without complaint, how do Muslims in the Palestinian Authority react to Israel installing its own metal detectors at the entrance to the Temple Mount after a terror attack? They
claim it 'humiliates' them ("Palestinian Authority says aim of Temple Mount metal detectors is to humiliate worshipers", elderofzyion, July 17, 2017).
'Humiliation' to an Arab isn't a small thing. It's a very big deal. 'Humiliation' and 'honor' may be as important to Arabs as Shabbat observance is to Jews--perhaps even more important. Arabs tend to define their entire reality--and justify much of their violence--through the concepts humiliation and honor (Mahmood Delkhasteh, "Humiliation: the catalyst for Arab's revolutions", huffingtonpost, no date, retrieved July 20, 20). The sense of humiliation especially has been said to lie at the core of Arab violence (ibid).
The practical result of this 'ideology of humiliation' is that when Jews install metal detectors to protect against terror, PA Muslims declare, "humiliation!" They become violent. They riot. They howl with rage:
-The Jordanian Parliament called for Jordan to cancel its 1992 peace agreement with Israel because Israel installed these detectors (Dalit Halevi, "Jordanians: cancel peace agreement with Israel", arutzsheva, July 15, 2017);
-The Jordanian Parliament praised the killings (Deborah Danan, "Jordanian Parliament praises Temple Mount terror attack", breitbart, July 17, 2017);
-Fatah, PA leader Mahmoud Abbas' ruling political party, called for violence because Israel installed the detectors ("Fatah calls for violence and rage following terror attack", arutzsheva, July 16, 2017);
-Hamas, Fatah's partner in governing the PA, called for Israelis to be murdered because of the insult Israel had given to Muslims by installing the detectors ("Hamas calls for more violence after Temple Mount attack", ynet, July 15, 2017);
-Fatah declared the metal detectors to be a 'terrorist procedure' . For that, Fatah called for an Islamic 'Day of Rage' (Fatah calls for Day of Rage amid new Temple Mount security in wake of attack", timesofisrael, July 18, 2017);
-No less an Islamic cleric than the Mufti of Jerusalem issued a religious edit: the prayers of any Muslim who goes to the Temple Mount through the 'Zionist' metal detectors will be rendered invalid in Heaven (Jameel, "Mufti: allah won't accept prayers through a Zionist metal detector", jewishpress, July 18, 2017).
The Palestinian Authority wages war against Israel. On the diplomatic front, this war is white-hot ("Arabs call on ICC [International Criminal Court] to investigate Israel", arutzsheva, July 20, 2017). On the religious front, the heat of PA Jew-hate almost melts the pavement in Jerusalem.
By July 19, 2017, the US Administration became alarmed by the rage. It expressed 'concern' over the Temple Mount troubles (Eldad Benari, "White House 'concerned' over Temple Mount", arutzsheva, July 20, 2017). The US said it was 'monitoring' the issue (ibid).
Some in Israel have become frightened by this 'concern'. They begin to panic (Nitsan Keidar, "Will Israel cave on Temple Mount security?", arutzsheva, July 20, 2017).
Will the PA win this battle? It could. Metal detectors at the Temple Mount are a horrific, unacceptable 'Zionist' 'humiliation'. For the PA, there's only one cure for such humiliation--violence, rage and rioting.
In Jerusalem, there is no peace between Arab and Jew. There is only the 'humiliation' of metal detectors.
Thee will be no peace in the Arab-Israel war.
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