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Israel Applauds Egyptian Writer's Remarks on Jerusalem
(Al Jazeera) The Israeli embassy in Cairo has expressed gratitude for an interview broadcast on Sunday, in which Youssef Ziedan, an Egyptian novelist and scholar, said that the al-Aqsa Mosque is not located in Jerusalem's al-Haram al-Sharif compound and that Jerusalem is not a holy city. Citing scholars, Ziedan said that the structures of al-Haram Mosque and al-Aqsa Mosque were "on the road from Mecca to Ta'if" in Saudi Arabia and that "neither we [Muslims] nor the [Jews] have anything to do with it." The embassy said on Tuesday: "We are pleased to hear the words of writer and historian Youssef Ziedan and his description of the deep-rooted relationship between Jews and Muslims that existed even before Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him. And at how he pointed out that the origins of the ongoing conflict between the two sides stem from extremists." "There is no doubt that Ziedan's interpretation entails the need to abandon the culture of hate between the two sides, and this in our view is an important message. Cooperation between Jews and Muslims would benefit Egyptians and Israelis and would be beneficial to the two sides' rising generations."