Predictably, the Arabs are blaming Israel for yesterday’s incident in which Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher was attacked by PLO Arabs.
The Waqf (Muslim religious trust) on Tuesday blamed Israel for the incident, after interfering in the ministerís program. Waqf’s chief executive, Adnan al Husseini told Israel Radio on Tuesday, “unfortunately as always, the Israeli police and the Israeli security, always try to be involved in everything, to show that they have the sovereignty of the place.”
He said that the minister was meant to come to the mount at 2.45 P.M., but only arrived at 4.45 P.M., entering through the Mugrabi Gate, which is generally an access route for non-Muslims, rather than the Lionís Gate as planned. He said that this created many difficulties for the people who wished to greet him. When asked whether the delay was not because of Maherís talks with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Husseini said that the Israeli frequently disrupt visitorsí programs.
Husseini said that the fact that Maher entered the mount from the opposite side disrupted the Waqfís step-by-step secured plan for the visit. “When it [the visit] starts from the other side,” he said, “it was unsecured.” He accused Israel of creating problems for themselves and the Waqf by ìalways having to be involved.”
Husseini said that numerous Waqf representatives were due to meet the minister at the northern Lionís Gate, adding that “we know that the police know about that. From the very beginning, they speak about that side.” He said that the delegation had to walk some 800 meters to the other side to greet Maher when he came in from the southern Mugrabi Gate. He said that Israel wanted to prove that it has sovereignty over the Temple Mount, “but they will never have any sovereignty on the place, this is an Islamic place and it will continue to be an Islamic place.”
How about blaming the PLO Arabs that attacked him? I guess the Waqf won’t blame them because it doesn’t think that they attacked him.
He said that it was a few, “crazy” people who launched themselves at the minister. He claimed that they simply wished to speak with Maher, but that the manner in which they tried to do this was disrespectful.
Disrespectful? You mean like this:
According to some witnesses, Maher was attacked by Muslim extremists who attempted to choke him. Other witnesses reported that he was shoved and heckled, and that items were thrown at him in reaction to the fact that he climbed the mount via the Mugrabi Gate, which is generally an access route for non-Muslims.
It seems that the Arabs are confident that their lies will be believed by the mostly Israel-hostile world. The sad thing is that in most cases, they are.
Update: Al-Crapeeza state that Maher was “jostled”. No mention of flying objects or choke attempts. They also state that “Mosque guards formed a human chain around him as he left the scene”, with no mention of the Israeli police who helped him leave the scene, nor of the involvement of an Israeli ambulance and hospital.
The Palestine Media Center are also speaking of mere jostling.
