Hater CJ Werleman is beginning to feature more and more on this blog, ever since he first appeared on my radar – because, quite frankly, he keeps on spreading what appear to be malicious lies about the Jewish state.
His latest: This video of “demolition work” on a mosque in Tiberius, characterizing it as “ethnic cleansing.” (hat tip: Tommy)
And now for the truth: The mosque is Al-Omar Mosque, and the bulldozer is in use as part of it’s renovation project (translation of Hebrew follows):
Renovation of Al-Omar Mosque
Launch of the renovation project of the Al-Omar Mosque (the mosque’s courtyard)
As part of the joint project of the Municipality of Tiberias, the Economic Board and the Government Tourism Board, extensive renovation work is currently under way in the compound of the Al-Omar Mosque, located in the heart of the city. In addition, work is being done to upgrade the appearance of the yard, renovate it, install lighting fixtures and rehabilitate the sewage and drainage infrastructure. In addition, the arcade columns will be covered with stone, gardening work will be carried out and Jasmine bushes will be planted. The goal is to encourage business owners in the yard to establish tourism businesses, cafes and galleries.
In other words, the plan is to beautify the mosque, not demolish it, in order to encourage tourism to the area.
The mosque has not been in use since the Arab minority of Tiberias was evacuated by the British in April 1948. This is what it looked like inside:
In other words, the video does not show ethnic cleansing. The opposite – Israel is keeping and upgrading the mosque, even though it has not been in use for over 70 years.
Compare this to how Jordan treated our synagogues, when they were in control of the eastern part of Jerusalem.
While Christian holy sites were protected, and Muslim holy sites were maintained and renovated, Jewish holy sites were damaged and sometimes destroyed. According to Raphael Israeli, 58 synagogues were desecrated or demolished in the Old City, resulting in the de-Judaization of Jerusalem. Oesterreicher, a Christian clergyman and scholar, wrote, “During Jordanian rule, 34 out of the Old City’s 35 synagogues were dynamited.” The Western Wall was transformed into an exclusively Muslim holy site associated with al-Buraq. 38,000 Jewish graves in the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives were systematically destroyed, and Jews were not allowed to be buried there. This was all in violation of the Israel-Jordan Armistice Agreement Article VIII – 2 “…; free access to the Holy Places and cultural institutions and use of the cemetery on the Mount of Olives;….”
CJ Werleman recently took issue with me calling him a Jew hater. He has said what we are doing is worse than what the Nazis did, and constantly spreads lies about the Jewish state, refusing to retract and apologize once caught. You can all form your own conclusions about whether I am correct in my opinion.
Update: Instead of promoting hatred towards Jewish Israelis, Werleman would be well served learning about Daher al-Omar, who built this mosque:
What made Daher al-Omar unique among all the various Muslim rulers was his attitude towards both Christians and Jews. During his rule, he facilitated the building of the beautiful Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth; the decorated wooden iconostatis (chancel screen) in this church is one of the most spectacular of its kind. He also re-established the Jewish community of Tiberius, by inviting the celebrated Rabbi Haim Abulafia of Istanbul to set up a synagogue there. No doubt this also helped him in his relations with the Ottoman authorities, with whom the Istanbul Jewish community had some influence.
