Editorial: Dangerous times for Jerusalem

Issue of Nov. 14, 2008 / 17 Cheshvan 5769

Jewish control over the city of Jerusalem is in grave jeopardy – perhaps as much so now as ever before. The Bush administration is in the throes of its predictable lame-duck race for the prize of a Mideast peace agreement, though Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has conceded that an agreement before Inauguration Day is not likely.

While the incoming Obama administration is hardly likely to be as poisonous for Israel as the President-elect's detractors would have us believe, it's reasonable to expect that it also won't be quite as friendly as the previous administration usually proved to be.

And that could certainly be a problem.

The Muslim world's abysmal record of safeguarding the holy sites of other religions is well known – what used to be the narrow alleyway next to the Kotel was a garbage dump before 1967; and eight years ago Muslim forces gained control of the tomb of Yosef HaTzadik in Shechem (Nablus) after a gun battle and reduced the building to smoldering rubble – just to name a few notable facts. Jewish visits to Joseph's Tomb are now limited to a recently negotiated one day a month.

But it would also be highly worthwhile to note a news item of the past week and to keep it in mind in conversations with those who would again divide Jerusalem and place portions of the city under Muslim or international control.

Israeli police arrested two monks, representing two of the six Christian factions that control the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, after a brawl that disrupted a religious parade. Christians revere the church as the traditional site of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Christ.

The different factions have been warring over the church for centuries, each refusing to concede any point in the slightest way, for fear of retreating from whatever slight advantage might be held over the other groups.

A ladder placed over the single entrance in the 19th century has never been removed because no one can agree on who has the authority to do so.

And speaking of a single entrance, Israel has long wished to install an emergency exit to protect the many thousands of pilgrims and tourists who visit each year, but no agreement on where to build it has been reached.

How could such people be counted on to protect and administer Jewish holy sites? Answer, obviously: they can't.

Addendum: Last week in this space we noted progress made in awakening public discussion of the scourge of child molestation. Praise due to several internet outlets for their efforts was glaringly omitted — most notably the blog Failed Messiah, which has conducted investigations into several cases; and the news website vosizneias.com, which bucks strong public opinion against such coverage in the chassidic community it was created to serve.