Credit: Image courtesy of Canadian Jewish Heritage Network
By Yisrael Rosenberg
News Item: US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price condemns Israeli
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s visit Tuesday morning to the
Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the site of King Solomon’s Temple built 3,000 years
ago and the holiest place in the Jewish faith.
Freedom of worship is fundamental to the United States of America:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof …” (US Constitution First Amendment).
The biblical King David made Jerusalem the capital of the Israelite Nation 3,000 years ago. David’s son Solomon built the House of God on the summit of Mt. Moriah. This temple stood for some 410 years. Though the physical structure was eventually conquered and destroyed, its location has been the singular focus of Jewish worship and prayer ever since.
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price, commenting on Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s visit to the holy site Tuesday morning, said: “The United States stands firmly for preservation of the historic status quo …”
Let it be clear: the so-called “status quo” allows Muslims to visit the Temple Mount 24/7, while Jews are heavily restricted and are forbidden from even raising their voices in prayer at their holiest site. This is nothing less than perpetuation of a deep injustice that directly opposes the most sacred principles upon which America was founded.
Mr. Price: you are a respected civil servant. Aren’t you supposed to be promoting true American values, rather than denigrating them?
Yisrael Rosenberg
Operations Manager at the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, the Old City, Jerusalem.
