From: Charrl-AT-aol.com
Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2002 01:51:07 EST
Subject: Re: holy cities


Kamran,

Your post of the 4th contained a surprising assertion I had never heard and 
could not have imagined: that non-Israeli Jews were free to visit the wailing 
wall in Jerusalem in the years before the Six-Day War of 1967.  I am old 
enough to remember that period of time, and can tell you that Jews - any 
Jews, Israeli or not - thought it about as possible to visit the wall as it 
would be to visit Mars.

A state of cold war existed between Jordan and Israel during this period, but 
an armistice had been signed between the parties, ceasing active hostilities 
in 1949.  One provision of the armistice agreement was that a committee be 
set up to establish procedures for Jewish access to the wall and other holy 
sites in Jerusalem.  I don't believe anything ever came of this, and I think 
the granting of those Jordanian visas was conditional on the production of 
some kind of baptismal certificate (which neither Israeli nor diaspora Jews 
would have possessed).

Concerning access to the Temple Mount today, I believe this area is under the 
management of Islamic religious authorities, and that many, if not most, 
visitors are Moslem.  Orthodox Jews are not at all likely to visit this area.

You also mentioned the issue of Palestinian refugees, certainly a tough and 
complicated issue.  Why not also mention the hundreds of thousands of Jewish 
refugees created following the establishment of the Jewish state?  These 
Jews, whose families had lived for centuries in various countries in the 
Middle East and North Africa, were forced from their homes.  If you open up 
for negotiation a right of "return" for Palestinians, what makes you think 
you would not also have to negotiate settlements for those Jewish families 
who lost their properties, or had to urgently sell them for a pittance, in 
various Middle Eastern countries?

Charles Orlowek


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