Palestinian Media Watch Bulletin, August 19, 2009.
A Palestinian Authority (PA) university lecturer is the latest PA academic to
rewrite history and deny Jewish history in Jerusalem – in particular, the Jewish
people’s connection to the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) of the Jewish Temple.
Shamekh Alawneh, a lecturer in modern history at Al-Quds Open
University, says the Jews invented the connection to the Wall for political
purposes, to convince European Jews and Zionists to come to “Palestine.” It
was broadcasted of official Palestinian Authority TV (under control of Fatah) on
August 11, 2009.
Denying Jewish history in Jerusalem and the existence of the Jewish Temple is
a central component of PA political ideology. This denial started with Yasser
Arafat and continues to be reiterated by academics, politicians and religious
leaders. PA leaders systematically distort the ancient history of Jerusalem,
ignoring the vast historical documentation and thousands of archeological finds
related to Jewish history that have been found in Jerusalem.
Following is the transcript of the interview:
Interviewer: “There are plots against this Wall that seek to harm the
Al-Aqsa Mosque, and there is an attack on history, theft of culture, falsification
of facts, erasure of the truth, and Judaization of the place . . ..”
Shamekh Alawneh: “The goal in giving the name ‘Wailing Wall’ to this
Wall is political. . . The Jewish Zionists had no choice but to invent
an excuse to spread among the Zionists or the Jews in
Europe, to connect to something concrete from the past about Jerusalem. They
made false claims and called the ‘Al-Burak Wall’ the ‘Wailing Wall.'”
Interviewer: “Can we understand that this term and this
strange interest concerning this place are new, with no historical
roots?”
Alawneh: “Absolutely. It has no historical roots. This is political terminology to
win the hearts and the support of the Zionists in Europe, so they would
emigrate and come to Palestine. Nothing more!”