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Monday, January 10, 2011

The stupidity of the EU

I just saw the actual document that Ha'aretz was referring to in my previous post.

It proves beyond any doubt that EU diplomats are clueless about Arab goals. They are so caught up in their diplomatic bubble that they are willfully ignorant of how Arabs really feel, and they can therefore publish complete rubbish.

For example:

Developments at the Haram al-Sharif, or Temple Mount, are significant in several respects - they are a cause of tension locally between the various communities, but also receive attention globally,such as the large demonstrations by Muslims whenever they perceive the Muslim position in Jerusalem to be undercut. For this reason, this site is one of the most sensitive in Jerusalem and therefore, any event happening on it or around it is likely to have serious repercussions.
In 2010, the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount area continued to see heightened tension and inflammatory actions which led to riots and demonstrations in Palestinian neighbourhoods. Repeated provocative visits of the Haram area by Jewish radical political and religious groups, which continue to occur during 2010, are highly problematic. On several occasions Israeli forces entered Al Aqsa Mosque and confronted stone-throwing Muslims. The perceived threat to religious places promotes rumours which in turn can lead to violent encounters between the various groups.
This is a great example of subconscious liberal racism towards Arabs. Every Israeli action is "provocative" and every Arab riot is an understandable result of Israeli actions. As is always the case, Arab violence is justified and even inevitable, while Israeli and Jewish actions are designed purely to anger Arabs. Only the Jews have the ability to be responsible for their actions - terrible, awful actions like wanting to peacefully visit their own holiest place, or to support archaeological digs that show the Jewish history in the holiest city on Earth. How provocative! From the EU diplomats' perspectives, violent Arab reaction to such events is inevitable and Arabs are not responsible.
The disputes regarding various construction projects (e.g.“archeological tunnels”, recent plans to alter of the Western Wall plaza) serve as examples of a lack of consensus-building by Israel around those projects in sensitive areas of the city.
Do they honestly think that the Islamic religious leadership would allow Israel to do anything at all that tacitly accepts that Jews have the right to live in Jerusalem? How clueless can you be?
Work on the Mughrabi Gate has proven a particular example of this in 2010. The Waqf, the Islamic body responsible for the Haram al-Sharif compound, has expressed concern regarding the construction by the Israeli Authorities, without their agreement, of a new bridge to replace the collapsed ramp leading to the Mugrabi Gate. Work on the Mugrabi Gate, the passageway between the Wailing Wall Plaza and the Temple Mount / Haram al Sharif, started again in September after the Jerusalem District Court's decision to authorize the work. The Waqf believe that the damage caused to the ramp is negligible and could be fixed without replacing the whole structure. They suspect this may be used as an opportunity to undertake new excavations under the ramp or as seemed to be originally planned (prior to the Court’s ruling against it) to expand the area of the Wailing Wall Plaza. A new plan for the Mughrabi Gate, revealed in November this year, seems to be less far-reaching in the sense that it does not include any expansion of the Plaza. The Waqf, however, was again not consulted in the process.
The rocket scientists of the EU diplomatic corps want to give veto power to the Waqf - an organization that is as extremist and anti-semitic as possible - over everything that the municipality of Jerusalem undertakes for the good of the city. Strengthening extremism against moderation - what a great diplomatic initiative!

Did the EU, even once, say anything against the criminal bulldozing of priceless archaeological treasures by the Waqf on the Temple Mount? Or is the Waqf allowed to act unilaterally, while only Jewish decisions can be vetoed by the Arabs?

If it was up to the Waqf, the Western Wall and the Old City would be Judenrein. But the EU wants Israel to consult a racist hate organization before doing anything.

Unbelievable.