By Andrew Friedman and Khaled Elomar
It would be hard to think of a more painful way to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the lead up to the Jewish holiday of Shavuot than the senseless clashes that have battered the holy city of Jerusalem, and especially the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, in recent days.
As usual, both sides have been quick to ascribe blame, and equally quick to eschew responsibility. Palestinian activists lit up Twitter with charges that “Israeli Occupation Forces” were “brutally attacking” Muslims and accusations that Israel is trying to “ethnically cleanse” East Jerusalem by allowing members of Nahalat Shimon, a far-right Israeli nationalist organization, to take possession of properties in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem.
Israelis were equally quick to point the finger, saying the riots were little more than an excuse for Palestinians to attack police and security forces under the guise of a religious festival. In this view, the violence is only the latest Palestinian anti-Israel “terror” campaign; this one sparked mainly by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ decision to push off parliamentary elections that had been scheduled to be held later this month. With little opportunity to criticise or change their own government, many Israelis believe – and resent – the Palestinian custom to focus their anger over their own failed leadership at Israel.
It is not the intention of the authors to assign blame for the violence. Emotions run deep in Jerusalem, possibly more than any other locale on Earth, and victimhood – rather than responsibility – is the currency that both groups believe they have a monopoly on. In the zero-sum tragedy that is modern Israel-Palestine, neither group appears capable of conducting a painful process of self-criticism before slinging mud at the other side, or even considering the possibility that both play a role in perpetuating the ongoing crisis. Finger pointing is the polar opposite of taking responsibility.
The physical cost, as usual, has been high: Hundreds injured; rocket fire and arson balloons from Gaza aimed at civilian communities in Israel; activists on both sides seething with anger and hate, burning to take revenge.
But the damage has not been limited to the physical realm: For both Muslims and Jews around the world, the violence in Jerusalem has served only to dampen spirits at a holy period of the year. For Muslims, concern for our brothers and sisters in Palestine and for the holy sites at the Haram al-Sharif has made it difficult to capitalise on the spiritual power of the holy month: Speaking properly to and about others; connecting with God; reading the Koran, trying draw out the best versions of ourselves we can.
Rather than exulting in Prophet Mohammed’s PBUH revelation of the Koran on Laylat al-Qadr, celebrating the final days of Ramadan and preparing for the joy of the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holiday – which begins this week – our focus has turned from the disciplined spiritual work of repentance and ethical behaviour to shallow worry and deep sadness about a Ramadan drained of so much joy.
So too for Jews. The clashes in Jerusalem have both marred the seven-week period between Passover and Shavuot (Pentecost) a time of year known as the Counting of the Omer and cast a dark pall over Shavuot, the annual holiday marking God’s presentation of the Torah to Moses at Mount Sinai. Like Laylat al-Qadr, Shavuot marks the Divine revelation of our holy book, optimally celebrated with a pilgrimage to Jlem and the Temple Mount.
Perhaps nothing points to the political, rather than substantive, nature of the exhausting rounds of fighting over Jerusalem is the close theological connection between Islam and Judaism. In contrast to Christianity, which is far more difficult to reconcile as a religious doctrine with either the Torah or the Koran, Muslim and Jewish practices and theology complement one another in a myriad of ways. This is evident on multiple levels, from the linguistic similarities between Arabic and Hebrew (the Jews’ ancient temple was known in Hebrew as Beit Hamikdash, nearly identical to one of the Arabic names for al-Aqsa Mosque, Bayit al-Maqdis) to the custom of bowing in prayer (Muslims every day; Jews on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) to the outright rejection of the notion that God could take a physical form.
To cite but one example: The psalms of King David implore us to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” while the Hadith (Islamic legend) quotes Zaid Ibn Thabit, personal secretary to the Prophet PBUH: “The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Tuba [a prayer for glad tidings] for Ash-Sham.’ So we said: ‘Why is that O Messenger of Allah?’ He said: ‘Because the angels of the Merciful One spread His wings over it.’”
Perhaps worst of all is the ability of extremists on both sides to the lowest instincts of both communities to fan the flames of suspicion and hatred, and the inability of well-intentioned groups and individuals to overcome the anger they create. Grass-roots organisations such as Roots, Abrahamic Reunion, Interfaith Encounter Association and others work tirelessly to build trust, respect and relationships, but the nature of their activities can’t compare to headline-grabbing statements and activities of Knesset members identified with the bigoted Rabbi Meir Kahane, who work in concert with Hamas leaders to ensure their malignant brands of religion and power remain relevant.
Ultimately, however, faith means nothing if not the belief in things unseen. Brotherhood, justice and harmony will ultimately trump bitterness, discrimination and divisiveness.
Insh’Allah. Be’ezrat Hashem.
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Khaled Elomar is a native of Lebanon and an active member of the Islamic community in Sydney, Australia.
Andrew Friedman is an Israeli journalist and the founder of Efrat Debate Workshops, a platform for 9-14 year olds to develop logic and public speaking skills.
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It seems to me that in order to apply some rational clarity to an otherwise deeply irrational situation everyone should cease to use the word “holy” when referring to anything to do with this benighted piece of contested real estate – beginning with any reference to this real estate as the “holy land”.
When was the last time that anything which could in any sense be called holy occurred in this part of the world? Ceaseless murder and mayhem has been the disorder of the day for most of the time.
And, furthermore all of the so called “holy” sites are now just archaic relics of what are now archaic and essentially useless archaic “religious” tribalistic and oft-times zenophobic mythologies which are very much past their useful use by date.
Furthermore the one thing that will always prevent any kind of reconciliation on the part of human beings who define themselves as Jews and thereby play the inherently destructive game of identity politics is the irrational cultic mythology that the vast power and intelligence that created/creates (aka God) and sustains the Earth-world and the countless numbers of other worlds that exist
in the vast Cosmic domain with all of its different planes and paradoxes of space-time has somehow given what was at the time a small very aggressive expansionist tribalistic cult exclusive (forever) owner ship of a piece of real estate,(the so called holy lands).
And who were somehow chosen by this vast power and intelligence to be called the “chosen people” for special (forever) consideration and favors.
Uhm ….. I hink we have overlooked the present political problems of PM Netanyahu failing to form a coalition government for now over tow years. He needs to cling to power because there are outstanding civil Court matters that will remain. Therefore, in the emotionally sensitive climate of Ramadan for the Fascist ultra-right wing Zionists to encourage an international incident that will demonstrate once again that (when provoked) Palestinians allegedly want to destroy the Jewish States.
A sceptical view from Australia would have the Zionist Fascists seeking elimination of native Palestinians for the pecuniary benefit of Fascist Zionists ”settlers” seizing established residential premises for their own use. Meanwhile, Netanyahu continues as Israeli Prim Monster kow-towing to the US multinational oil corporations and NE military industrial complex supplying arms into the black hole of MIddle East politics.
The West continually calls out China for human rights failings and yet turns a blatant blind eye and is reticent in calling out the systematic and orchestrated atrocities of massive human rights abuses and violations whilst intergenerational Apartheid is also being perpetrated against Palestinians by the Israeli government. Is it because it shows the failings of a Democracy?
A well informed mate of mine, who has been ‘zionist watching’ for decades, describes Israel as a Terrorist State.
As do a couple of Jewish folk of my acquaintance.
On the face of things, that would seem to be a reasonable description.
DrakeN, Israel has been a terrorist state since its inception. In November 1947 the UN recommended the partitioning of Palestine into separate Arab & Jewish states. In May 1948 the British abandoned their Palestinian mandate, which they’d held from 1920, after it was granted by the League of Nations and which had conferred effective rule over Palestine & Jordan following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after the end of WWI in 1918.
David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the State of Israel on Britain’s departure, but four years earlier, Menachem Begin, the leader of Irgun, the Zionist militant group and later to become the sixth Israeli prime minister, proclaimed a revolt against the British and began a campaign of violence to force them out to the territories.
He was the original Jewish terrorist, having studied both the Irish War of Independence and the Indian Independence movement in order to devise guerilla strategies of harrassment to humiliate the British and damage their prestige.
Attacks occurred. Assassinations of British took place. And in late 1947, following the UN partition vote, Irgun behan a campaign of assaults & massacres against the Palestinians.
To say Begin was a murderous little bastard is a massive understatement. That he was later to become the leader of that country demonstrates the rank hypocrisy of the Jews that began at the outset of their occupation of Palestinian lands and continues to this day.
Yes indeed, Israel is a terrorist state, as it has amply demonstrated time and again. They were the protagonists behind the 9/11 felling of the twin towers in New York. They attacked the USS Liberty. They committed war crimes in Lebanon.
Considering Israel is one of the largest recipients of US foreign aid, that’s quite an act, to attack their patron repeatedly. I guess terrorism runs in their Jewish veins, their mendacity seemingly knows no bounds. And as per the Palestinian ‘question’, time and again they have met the opposition of rocks and stones with all the might of the military hardware gifted them by the American taxpayers. No wonder they’re a guilt-ridden society, drenched in the blood of innocents as they are.
Until the total acceptance of resolution 1325 the little boy’s wars will continue to use religion and the god of Abraham for political purposes.
Meanwhile,the highly questionable Bibi has no qualms about murdering as many Palestinians,including children,as it takes to keep him in power and out of jail.Provoking World War 3 ? Well, it’s a Biblical Prophecy and he’s just doing his bit to fulfil it.The world is currently full of dangerous people with the power to destroy everything.The Middle East is still the flashpoint.
Have to agree with all the above comments. My school days were spent with the children of Jewish refugees in 1950s. At that time Jews were not admitted to private schools so selective High Schools had large numbers of highly motivated bright students. We knew their religious practices were different to ours but there was never any intolerance or bigotry. Their families were hard working, nothing like the religious parasites who spend their days at the wailing wall, or displacing Palestiniens and seizing their land. One Jewish lady whose family home had been seized by the Nazis was ashamed of her Israeli government. When asked when would the conflict end she replied « When enough Jewish blood has been spilt. » if she was right, the Palestinians will be wiped out well before that happens. And the world just sits back and watches.
Does anyone notice any inconsistency?
* Human rights last week- we have no right to criticise the human rights abuses in China
* Human rights this week- look at Israel, they are breaching human rights!