Comments on: NY Congressman demands better security for settlers

By: Jake in Jerusalem

Jake in Jerusalem — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:39:17 +0000

I am adding this note, a few months after the previous exchanges. Since Mary’s last comment on Palis being “the most gracious hosts I have ever met” Julian Mer-Khamis and Vittorio Arrigoni have both been barbarically murdered by the very Palestinians that they had been working so hard to help. There are many, many cases of Arabs raping female (and male!) volunteers who have come to help them, including UN staff. It has everything to do with the Arab sense of “honor” – which is entirely different from the Western concept of honor. (You have to understand this to understand honor-killings; to Arabs, it actually makes sense to kill one’s sister as an act of honor.) Also, the ISM website explicitly cautions female volunteers for the Palis of the tendency of Arab men to sexually attack unaccompanied women, even if they are radical Leftist volunteers and “useful idiots”. See Juliano and Vittorio as examples. The sheer audacity of the anti-Israel propaganda never ceases to amaze me. Perhaps people who believe the “gracious Palestinian host” propaganda and are then “burned” by their involvement in the “Palestinian cause” deserve what they get.

By: Mary Hughes-Thompson

Mary Hughes-Thompson — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 22:00:43 +0000

How sad to read comments from people such as Jake who try to give the impression that “Palestinian friends” should be suspect. I have travelled extensively in Israel and Palestine, and I never fear I could be in danger from any Palestinian, who are the most gracious hosts I have ever met. Having been personally attacked, robbed and beaten by Jewish settlers living illegally in the West Bank, and having been shot by trigger happy IDF soldiers, I know it is soldiers and settlers who create dangerous situations, and it is soldiers and settlers who carry the weapons of death.
Tamar, I am sure you have nothing to fear when visiting your father’s grave. Lucky for you that you are Jewish and not Palestinian.

By: Jake in Jerusalem

Jake in Jerusalem — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 10:45:03 +0000

Mairav,Tensions are not high in Jerusalem because of anything the Israelis have done. Arabs have been attacking and killing Jews there since long before the unification of the city in 1967, since before the establishment of the state in 1948, since before the massacres of Jews in 1936, since before the massacres of Jews in 1928… NONE of those hostilities had anything to do with what Jews did or did not do. It had EVERYTHING to do with Muslim/Arab hostility to Jews (and, eventually, to everyone else). Also note that Jews might want/need a security escort when visiting Arab neighborhoods but Arabs don’t need anything like this when visiting Jewish neighborhoods. And you want “respect and equality”??? Which side has to deliver on this???

Tamar, if you have a “Palestinian friend” who will take you to the cemetery, you don’t need a security escort. Be careful. Many parts of the cemetery often have very few visitors so be careful when you go there with your “Palestinian friend”.

By: Tamar

Tamar — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 08:36:56 +0000

Thank you Jake and Mairav for answering my specific question on logistics of reaching the cemetery at Har HaZeitim! Jake, would you have handy the contact information for the Chevra Kadisha responsible for the cemetery? I have the precise location of the grave, where I have been, and this time I will ask an Israeli-Arab/Palestinian friend if he would be willing to drive and accompany me.

By: Mairav Zonszein

Mairav Zonszein — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 16:44:38 +0000

Hi Tamar,

I have been meaning to reply to you – I was actually in transit when you wrote the comments and simply haven’t had the chance. I may not be the best person to confer with over your specific trip – and it seems Jake who is not very fond of my article just left you a comment with advice on how to go about it.

I can tell you that overall, there should be no problem with your visit, as daily life continues for better and worse in Jerusalem and all over Israel. However, my point is that tensions are high specifically because Israeli authorities are not taking into consideration the public peace or the interests of the residents in East Jerusalem over which it is responsible, yet neglects and discriminates against. The need for armed escort to visit your relative’s burial site is quite sad, but this is the reality of a conflict-ridden city and Israel has chosen, instead of negotiation, respect and equality to fill its capital with security cameras, guards with loaded guns, walls and fences.

By: Jake in Jerusalem

Jake in Jerusalem — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 16:20:11 +0000

Tamar, I get to the cemetery at Har HaZeitim (the Mount of Olives) typically several times a year. You can make a reservation for a security patrol to accompany you. Contact the Chevra Kadisha, the burial society responsible for the cemetery. I think there might some relatively small charge for this service. They will meet you just outside the cemetery and will provide an armed escort during your visit to the graves of your loved ones. There really aren’t many cemeteries that can provide armed escort for visitors; this tells us something about life (or even death!) with Arab neighbors. Note: it is a large cemetery, and an ancient burial ground, so you better know precisely where the gravesite is. It is very difficult to just wander around there, searching. Also, you will have to arrange transport to the cemetery. There is no regular bus service to the cemetery; taxis will usually go there (be careful if you don’t know your way around and get an Arab driver…). If you drive, you will have a choice of driving through one of several Arab neighborhoods to get there (depending, also, on which part of the cemetery you have to get to). They are usually safe, though they look threatening. However, with Arabs, one never knows when they will erupt. (Witness Egypt, Libya, etc today.) I have had a few stones thrown at us once, but that is all. If it’s hot weather, take a bottle of water! You’d be amazed how hot it gets with the sun reflecting off the stones.

Mairav’s article, though, sounds like the usual stoooopid Leftist blabber – non-factual, propagandistic and deliberately misleading. Har HaZeitim is an ancient Jewish burial ground of especial significance. Jews who live nearby cannot possibly be “settlers” – anymore than Sioux, Cherokee or Navajo living in North America could be called “settlers”.
Muslims have desecrated this cemetery in the past, dug up many, many graves, dispersed bones and stolen and broken many gravestones. This will be easy to see in most any part of the cemetery that you visit. Arabs continue to vandalize and desecrate Jewish graves at Har HaZeitim and elsewhere to this day. Mairav still doesn’t get it.

By: Schlesinger

Schlesinger — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 10:47:08 +0000

On his own webpage, Rep. Nadler fiercly opposed a possible US alignment with the UN Security Counsels condemnation of jewish settlements:
“I was extremely shocked and dismayed to learn today that the U.S., a critical ally and friend of Israel, may be considering supporting a U.N. resolution at the Security Council critical of Israeli settlement policies. The U.N. is a hotbed of anti-Semitism and anti-Israeli sentiment, and the U.S. must not act to further such hatred [...]”
http://nadler.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1603&Itemid=132

By: Carolyn

Carolyn — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 21:10:33 +0000

Gee, Tamar, you must not be a New Yorker.
In New York, if we have to travel in more dangerous neighborhoods, we travel in pairs or groups and keep our eyes open. Goes with the territory, buddy. You can thank Bibi & company for the escalating tensions in East Jerusalem.

By: Tamar

Tamar — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 19:17:57 +0000

My question/issue is apolitical, and I’m asking: How can I reach my father’s grave with assurance, if possible, of my physical security? If Mairav or someone can suggest how I can accomplish this aim, I’d be most grateful. In this case, I’m not interested in references to or links on the subject of desecration. The issue of possible harm to visitors is not one I care to debate. Thanks.

By: sh

sh — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 13:50:32 +0000

Tamar, the complaint was about vandalized graves, not harmed visitors to them. Desecration of cemeteries is unpleasant and disrespectful, but not necessarily dangerous to living human beings. And consider this: there’s a Museum of Tolerance going up in a Muslim graveyard in downtown West Jerusalem. It’s the brainchild of America’s Simon Wiesenthal Center and its founder, Rabbi Marvin Hier.

This is not to excuse the desecration of cemeteries but to supply further context. Two links that might help to flesh out the picture:
http://www.rhr-na.org/resource/mamilla-cemetery-and-museum-of-intolerance

http://www.veteranstoday.com/2010/02/19/jerusalem-families-defend-ancestors-graves-desecrated-by-simon-wiesenthal-center/