Looks like we're saying "Eff you" to Israel

Is it? because I don't get it. What's the fundamental misunderstanding? What does Israel inaccurately think?

 

Name your favorite Arab/Muslim country.

How many Synagogues -- or Churches -- do they have? How safely do Jews or Christians live and worship there?

Is there any question that if Hamas/Fatah had their way, that every Synagogue would be torn down and that the Jewish Torah and the Christian Bible would be illegal to possess?

Yet, in the heart of Jerusalem, on the very Temple Mount stands an Islamic Mosque. Do you think the Muslims would allow something like this to stand if the situation were reversed?

If you do, I have a number of former Churches that I'd like to show you throughout the Islamic world that are now Mosques.

The fact that Jerusalem is even considered the third holiest site in Islam is a joke. Mohammed never set foot in Jerusalem. It's all based on some silly, supposed dream that he had in which he was brought to the "Furthest Mosque".

Muslims were trying to glom onto the significance of Jerusalem as a Holy City to both Judaism & Christianity.

There is no reason that a Mosque should stand on the Temple Mount. If the Jews treated the Muslims like they would be treated by them, they'd bulldoze the Mosque -- Mosques actually, there's two of them on the Mount -- and rebuild their Temple.

 

Just to put a monkey wrench into system I think the Christians should stand up and lay claim to Bethlehem.

 

A religious symbol/city/place of worship is based on something silly dreamed up by someone? No way. That is certainly unique to Muslims and Jerusalem.

 

Egypt is somewhere between 6 and 20% Christian, FWIW, just to give one example. And Indonesia, the world's most populous Islamic country, also recognizes Protestantism and Catholicism among several other religions.

 

I don't understand your reference. I'm talking about the settlement construction this week, a middle finger at Washington if there ever was one, and the deliberate, televised insult of the Turkish ambassador back in January.

 

I've been to Bethlehem. Went to the Church of the Nativity.

It's a crazy pain in the ass to get their.

My cabby took me from my hotel to the "border". Their i was met by the guys from "Johnny's Souvenir Shop". They took me by van to, well, to "Johnny's Souvenir Shop".

There I was given mint tea and encouraged to shop before they would bus me over to Manger Square.

After a while and a couple of cups of tea, I was taken by van to the Square.

The situation in Bethlehem is not good. Most Christians have moved out. It would absolutely be a better place, if it was run by Christians.

I would be in favor of it being administered by the Vatican or some consortium of Christian Churches.

 

You should read up on the situation of the Copts in Egypt. It's not good.

Indonesia has mostly been separated geographically by religion, if I'm not mistaken.

The situation there is getting worse for Christians.

If those are your two best examples, you've failed miserably.

 

I'm sure there's religious tension in every country in the Middle East, and that the situation for Christians in those countries isn't as good as for Muslims in the West. But we're long past the point where any religion gets to play innocent. Everyone's just sticking fingers in everyone's eyes now.

Heck, we're barely past violent tensions between two different kinds of Christians in Ireland.

 

So do you think they should build the settlements, but just shouldn't have announced them during Biden's visit?

 

Tension? Is that what you want to call it? You're being absurd to the point where it isn't even worth engaging you.

"Not as good as?" Honestly, are you being serious.

The comparisons to Ireland are also off base.

If you believe the situation is as minor as you describe, I'm not surprised you're not alarmed by it. It's a shame the world isn't as how you see it.

 

The situation in Israel/Palestine is obviously serious. But it's far beyond just simple religion. Each faction is just exercising petty grudges at this point and I don't feel compelled to pick a side.

The Ireland example wasn't meant as a direct analogy. There are different reasons for the two conflicts. But it's simply to point out that circumstance and intractability doesn't originate with the Middle East conflict.