(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Rami Aziz - The mishandling of the Palestinian issue by the Palestinians themselves, and the permitting of a number of different countries and groups to use their issue on the basis that it represents a religious war between Muslims and Jews, has not only damaged the issue but completely derailed it. The inciting of hatred and resentment against the other on the basis of religion has not and will not succeed in establishing a Palestinian state. As for those who try to exacerbate the situation by selling lies about religious sites and Al-Aqsa Mosque, the U.S. president's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has stressed the U.S.' respect for the current situation in the Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount) and Prime Minister Netanyahu has explicitly stressed that there would be no change to the status quo of the holy sites. For decades, since the return of Jewish control over Jerusalem, millions of Muslims have visited and prayed in Al-Aqsa Mosque freely without anyone stopping them. It was in Jerusalem where President Sadat gave his famous speech 40 years ago and not in Tel Aviv or Haifa. So why is it astonishing that the U.S. recognized Jerusalem as the capital, when it in reality already was the capital? The writer is an Egyptian researcher and political analyst, working on his doctorate from the University of Rome.
2017-12-22 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive