Middle East Inside Line: Israel-Palestine Clashes at the Start of Yom Kippur

Receive our latest updates by email or RSS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis

Hours before the start of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, hundreds of Palestinian demonstrators clashed with Israeli policemen. The clash, which broke out after15 religious Jews tried to enter the complex known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary), injured 17 policemen and 13 protestors; 11 demonstrators were arrested.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgzYvHPfUr4[/youtube]

Jewish visitors need permission from Israeli police to visit this part of the site, and Palestinians were reportedly on alert Sunday for a "provocation" by Jewish prayers. Therefore, after policemen arrived amidst loud protests over the Jewish group's presence, Palestinians started throwing stones .

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klY5g8V-9_s&feature=related[/youtube]

There is a wider context for the confrontation.. The incident occcurred just after the Israeli military's decision to "close" the West Bank until the end of Yom Kippur due to security concerns. Criticism of the Israeli actions is coming in the wake of the inconclusive meeting between President Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas in New York.

On Sunday evening, chief Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erakat blamed Israeli officials for sabotaging the peace process and warned them not to repeat the provocation of Ariel Sharon's 2000 visit which gave birth to the Second Intifada. He said:

At a time when [U.S.] President [Barack] Obama is trying to bridge the divide between Palestinians and Israelis, and to get negotiations back on track, Israel is deliberately escalating tensions in Jerusalem... We've seen this before, and we know what the consequences are.

Providing a police escort for settlers who are against peace at all costs, and whose presence is deliberately designed to provoke a reaction, are not the actions of someone who is committed to peace, but of someone who will go to extraordinary lengths to scuttle all hopes of peace.

Hamas called the clash a "Zionist crime", and Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesperson, reportedly called for Palestinians to rise up against Israel.

Video/Analysis: Obama's Statement on Jewish New Year

Barack Obama’s Message to Muslims: “Eid Mubarak!”

Receive our latest updates by email or RSS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis

U.S. President Barack Obama's video on the occasion of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is important at a time when Israeli leaders are strugglingon many fronts. Obama's subtly-designed speech places the "responsibilities" of those leaders within a historical/religious context where their ancestors had always "extended compassion to those in need", "lived free from violence and oppression", and become "a light unto the nations".

Their  descendants should "heal old divisions, seek new understandings, come together and build a better world!" But what does this entail? Obama says: "Show empathy to others' [Palestinians'] sufferings", which means concessions on settlements and acceptance of a the two-state solution, - in return for a "Jewish Israel accepted by its neighbors and [living] in peace and security against any anti-Semitic initiative".

Obama gives a further push: "Jews have overcome extraordinary adversity". This time, by empathising with the adversity faced by others, they can stand on the "right of the history".

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzDRAZDR3ps[/youtube]

OBAMA: As members of the Jewish faith here in America and around the world gather to celebrate the High Holidays, I want to extend my warmest wishes for this New Year. L’Shanah Tovah Tikatevu – may you have a good year, and may you be inscribed for blessing in the Book of Life.

Rosh Hashanah marks the start of a new year – a time of humble prayer, joyful celebration, and hope for a new beginning. Ten days later, Yom Kippur stands as a day of reflection and repentance. And this sacred time provides not just an opportunity for individual renewal and reconciliation, but for families, communities and even nations to heal old divisions, seek new understandings, and come together to build a better world for our children and grandchildren.

At the dawn of this New Year, let us rededicate ourselves to that work. Let us reject the impulse to harden ourselves to others’ suffering, and instead make a habit of empathy – of recognizing ourselves in each other and extending our compassion to those in need.

Let us resist prejudice, intolerance, and indifference in whatever forms they may take -- let us stand up strongly to the scourge of anti-Semitism, which is still prevalent in far too many corners of our world.

Let us work to extend the rights and freedoms so many of us enjoy to all the world’s citizens – to speak and worship freely; to live free from violence and oppression; to make of our lives what we will.

And let us work to achieve lasting peace and security for the state of Israel, so that the Jewish state is fully accepted by its neighbors, and its children can live their dreams free from fear. That is why my Administration is actively pursuing the lasting peace that has eluded Israel and its Arab neighbors for so long.

Throughout history, the Jewish people have been, in the words of the Prophet Isaiah, "a light unto the nations." Through an abiding commitment to faith, family, and justice, Jews have overcome extraordinary adversity, holding fast to the hope of a better tomorrow.

In this season of renewal, we celebrate that spirit; we honor a great and ancient faith; and we rededicate ourselves to the work of repairing this world.

Michelle and I wish all who celebrate Rosh Hashanah a healthy, peaceful and sweet New Year.