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Source: http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=264040
A March of Folly to Jerusalem
(Jerusalem Post) Ron Prosor - On Friday, some of the world's most notorious terrorists, tyrants and radicals are organizing a mass attempt to violate Israel's sovereignty, calling it a "Global March to Jerusalem." Iran, Hamas, Hizbullah and the Muslim Brotherhood are bankrolling the event. They accuse Israel of "Judaizing Jerusalem" - but these accusations come about 3,000 years too late. Ever since King David laid the cornerstone for his palace in the 10th century BCE, Jerusalem has served as the eternal capital of the Jewish people. While Jews were once forcibly removed from the city, they restored a clear-cut majority in the mid-19th century and have maintained that position ever since. In other corners of the world, such an event would draw laughter instead of participants. Can you imagine a march on Capitol Hill to accuse Congress of Americanizing Washington? Last month, PA President Mahmoud Abbas made another stop on his extended vacation from peace negotiations with Israel, traveling to Doha for a conference on the so-called "Defense of Jerusalem." In his keynote address, Abbas declared that the narrative of Jewish history could not be proven, especially the existence of "what [the Jewish people] call the Temple." Speakers lined up in Doha to accuse Israel of "ethnic cleansing" in Jerusalem, even though the percentage of Arab residents in the city has grown from 26% to 35% since 1967. While the world puts a magnifying glass over every "Jewish" apartment block built, 2,500 homes in Arab areas of the city have recently been approved in addition to community centers and hotels. The truth is that under Israeli rule, Jerusalem has enjoyed unprecedented prosperity and equal rights for all of its inhabitants. Holy sites that were once sealed off along religious lines are now permanently open for worship by all peoples. By trying to erase the Jewish people's connection to their ancient homeland, Arab leaders are undermining the foundation for future coexistence, as the seeds of intolerance are being planted in the next generation. The writer is Israel's ambassador to the UN.