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The "Jews Are Defiling Al Aqsa" Narrative Is Inciting Anti-Semitism

(Jerusalem Post) Yifa Segal - As Jews and Israelis, we have gotten used to the fact that there are religious extremists, large and powerful masses of people, who passionately hate us just because we exist. A greater problem is the support they seem to have successfully enlisted from some in the West who accept without question the claim that the mere presence of a Jew on the Temple Mount is a problem. The presence of a Jew on the Temple Mount is seen as a defilement, and a Jew, just by being there, is causing a provocation. Their visits to the site are said to provoke Muslim worshipers to commit violent acts, which the Jews brought upon themselves. Our presence is seen as problematic. We can be Jewish if we insist, but we had better be quiet about it. Walking up to the Temple Mount, I couldn't stop thinking of my freedom to visit churches, pagodas, ancient temples, and even the Vatican in my global travels. Somehow my presence in Jerusalem, the capital of my country, is considered a problem that can justify violence. It should be totally unacceptable to restrict access to some based on their religion. If security guards standing at the entrance to the Western Wall inquired about a person's faith and denied entry to any non-Jew, denying them the right to pray, this would be considered outrageous. The writer is an International Director at UK Lawyers for Israel and the Founder and CEO of the International Legal Forum.
2022-07-28 00:00:00
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