The latest edition quotes Nadav Shragai of Israel Hayom, October 24, as saying that money from Islamic organizations around the world are funding the northern wing of the Islamist movement, headed by Sheikh Raed Salah. The movement is paid thousands of shekels to hundreds of women and men, specifically to stay on the Temple Mount and stir up trouble. The Al Aqsa Mosque has turned into a storehouse for light weapons, stones, Molotov cocktails and iron bars. The most prevalent weapon in Jerusalem is the fireworks, which Muslims launch directly toward the police, Jews and visitors. Fireworks are purchased with funding from the Fatah and Hamas, and smuggled into the sanctuary through the Muslim women's clothing, since they aren't inspected.
The strange thing is that Shragai didn't say most of that, unless his October 24 article was heavily edited since its original publication. Here is what he really wrote:
An intifada is breaking out in Jerusalem. Wednesday was its 112th day. It may be a (semi) popular movement but it has long not been spontaneous. The disturbances and continuous attacks on Jews in Jerusalem's periphery is organized and funded by elements identified with Fatah and Hamas.There is of course nothing racist about making such an accusation.
Many of the 900 arrested in this intifada enjoy legal defense funded by the Palestinian Authority. The huge number of incidents, more than 10,000, their wide distribution over Jerusalem's periphery, their nature, the use of "cold weaponry," such as stones, Molotov cocktails and fireworks -- are all reminiscent of the First Intifada.
This time there are no popular resistance committees, but many small organizations that operate on the neighborhood level. They all carry the slogans of a "popular resistance," preached to them by the Palestinian Authority its president, Mahmoud Abbas.
There is no doubt that stones, Molotov cocktails and fireworks are stored somewhere in the Temple Mount, probably in the mosque that Israeli police generally don't enter. We've seen videos of all of these.
The easiest way to get these weapons there is indeed under the clothing of the women, whose mass presence there are also a relatively new phenomenon, usually to harass Jews who are visiting. And it is certainly logical that the northern branch of the Islamic movement gets funding from external sources.
So while all of this makes sense, Shragai didn't say it.
Which brings up the question: could Wafa have written this because it is so well known by insiders to be the truth? By casting them as "racist" could this be an attempt to pre-emptively stop anyone reporting these accusations?
Seems weird, but I can't figure out why else Wafa would make it up.