Israel's President Isaac Herzog lit the first flame of the Chanukah menorah in Hebron, at the Tomb of the Patriarchs. He emphasized that the Jewish connection to Hebron is beyond question, but Muslims are also descendents of Abraham.
The historic connection of Jews to Hebron, to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, to the heritage of the patriarchs and matriarchs, is unquestionable. Recognition of this connection must be beyond all controversyYou won’t agree about everything, but we need to remember that ‘we are all one man’s sons.’...We all have shared roots from this cave. Alongside that, we have to remember that our roots are not the only ones that go back to this cave. Especially today, and especially here, in this holy space dedicated to all sons of Abraham, we have to continue dreaming of peace, between all faiths and creeds in this land, and to condemn any type of hatred or violence.
Then we saw a repeat of a theme we've seen countless times before.
Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh denied any Jewish connection to Hebron, as Wafa reports:
Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh rejected the claims of Israeli President Isaac Herzog that the Jews have a historic right to the city of Hebron.Shtayyeh stated that Herzog's statements are an attempt to impose more false facts in the Arab Islamic city, as a prelude to Judaizing and extending control over it, and subjecting its original inhabitants to the apartheid regime whose features are evident in the streets and lanes of the Old City, which is subjected to ethnic cleansing and racist discrimination. .Shtayyeh condemned Herzog’s provocative intrusion into the Ibrahimi Mosque, warning of its dangerous repercussions, and called on the United Nations and UNESCO, which placed the Haram al-Sharif on the World Heritage List, to take urgent action to stop these violations of Islamic and Christian sanctities, especially in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. And the Ibrahimi Mosque in the city of Hebron.
Jews accurately say that a holy site was theirs first, and they are willing to share but not forfeit their rights. The Palestinians say that the Jews have no historic rights to anything in the region and are trying to steal it all from them.
Facts don't matter - the Palestinians take a political position, that they are the only people with a legitimate claim to the region, and they twist history and archaeology and common sense to their bigoted, antisemitic viewpoint.
It happens all the time. But Westerners cannot grasp the concept that Palestinians lie so openly, contradicting what Muslims have themselves admitted for centuries. So the false Palestinian claims get enshrined at UNESCO because no one wants to upset them.
