Israel Hayom (Hebrew) reports:
In an unprecedented move, a significant change was decided in the status quo of the Tomb of the Patriarchs, while taking powers from the Palestinian Hebron Municipality and transferring them by the Civil Administration to the Kiryat Arba Hebron Religious Council - in order to promote structural changes in the complex, Israel Hayom has learned.
This is the first time that massive changes will be made to the Cave of the Patriarchs since the Shamgar Committee's decisions in 1994.
Palestinian and
Arab media are having a meltdown over losing control over the second most important Jewish site that Muslims had taken over. How dare Israel take away control of what they consider a Muslim only site?
But when you look at the reasons for the change, it becomes clear that the Palestinian Hebron Municipality has been doing everything they can to resist even the most basic changes needed for worshiper safety and comfort - simply because Jews wanted these things done.
Here are the changes listed in the article that the Palestinians have been opposing for years, sometimes decades:
- Put a new roof on the compound
- Build a roof over Jacob's Courtyard outside where Jews pray
- Install an advanced fire extinguishing system
- Install air conditioning
- Restrooms near the complex
These should hardly be controversial. But the Arabs fight tooth and nail against any change that Jews want. It took decades t
o install an elevator there so people in wheelchairs can visit, and the Waqf condemned it and
the PA called it a "racist, Judaizing, colonialist, Talmudic crime" even though it would have served Muslims equally.
This isn't a story of taking away Muslim rights. No one is saying that the status quo where Jews and Muslima have equal rights to pray there will be affected.
This is a story of stopping the antisemitism that made the holy site dangerous and uncomfortable.
The irony is that if the Palestinians wouldn't be so adamantly antisemitic, they would still be controlling the site.