Palestinian prime minister Shtayyeh is afraid of a bunch of religious Jewish women

Palestinian prime minister Muhammad Shtayyeh opened up his weekly cabinet session with his usual roundup of important items.

For example, after Israel announced the discovery of a giant Second Temple-era dining hall and possibly city hall, he called on UNESCO to review the issue, knowing that according to UNESCO, all the archaeological digs in Jerusalem are illegal. 

But one of his statements was even more interesting.

Before he tackled the topic of Covid-19, Shtayyeh "warned of the dangerous repercussions of repeatedly allowing the so-called 'Women for the Temple' to hold Talmudic rituals in the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque."

This is a more specific concern than the usual condemnations of "settlers" - meaning Jews - visiting the Temple Mount.

The Women for the Mikdash is a group of women who study the laws of the Temple as preparation for its rebuilding. They study how to properly bake the showbreads, how to create the dye for the various Temple curtains and coverings, and other topics. 

Like other Jews, they visit the Temple Mount regularly.

Somehow, this group of women preparing for the messianic age - who do not give a hint of violence - is frightening Palestinian leaders. 

It isn't Israelis they are afraid of. It is religious Jews. Because they know that people hold on to what they believe in, and that the Jews who have a sacred connection to the past are the ones who will be the most tenacious in keeping Jewish holy sites in Jewish hands.

And very often, women are more spiritual than men.

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