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Fayyad Criticizes, Israel Defends, Decision on National Heritage Sites

(Ynet News) Ali Waked - Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad called on the international community on Tuesday to pressure Israel to renege on its decision to add the Cave of the Patriarchs and Rachel's Tomb to the list of national heritage sites. He added that the media had ignored the fact that Israel also declared Jerusalem's walls as heritage sites. "The Old City's walls are inside eastern and occupied Jerusalem, which will be Palestine's eternal capital." Vice Premier Silvan Shalom responded: "This is insolent and outrageous and another attempt to rewrite history. The Cave of the Patriarchs, like Rachel's Tomb, are Jewish heritage sites pointing to the deep 3,700-year affiliation of the people of Israel to their land. The people of Israel's affiliation to the land did not begin - as the Palestinians are trying to claim - in the past 100 years, but when the Cave of the Patriarchs was bought by Abraham from Ephron the Hittite for 400 silver shekels and Rachel's Tomb was purchased for a full price in the Benjamin region. They are both still mentioned in the Torah in the Book of Genesis, and no one can take that away from the people of Israel. The wild Palestinian attack is aimed at trying to cut off the affiliation and rewriting history. This is a continuation of their ideological objection to recognizing Israel as a Jewish state."
2010-02-24 07:48:33
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