AJC Praises Firm U.S. Stance on Palestinian Rejection of Western Wall Tie to Jews

NEW YORK, Nov. 30, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- American Jewish Committee (AJC )welcomed the Obama administration's crystal-clear denunciation today of an official Palestinian report denying any Jewish connection to the Western Wall.

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"We have repeatedly raised with the Palestinian Authority leadership the need to consistently combat all forms of delegitimization of Israel, including denying historic Jewish connections to the land," said State Department spokesman PJ Crowley.

The strong response came after a senior PA official, Deputy Minster of Information Al-Mutawakil Taha, issued a report asserting that the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem has no religious significance to Jews and is holy Muslim property.

"We strongly condemn these comments and fully reject them as factually incorrect, insensitive and highly provocative," Crowley said.

AJC Executive Director David Harris praised the Obama Administration for its firm response. "Maintaining historical accuracy and integrity is critical, and the Western Wall's origin as the outer wall of the Jewish Second Temple is irrefutable," he said.

Neither PA President Mahmoud Abbas nor any other Palestinian official has rejected the report, which Taha told the Associated Press represents the official Palestinian position.

"On top of suspending direct talks, and thus stalling the peace process, the Palestinian Authority has escalated its insidious campaign of denying any Jewish roots in Jerusalem, the cradle of Judaism and Israel's capital," said Harris. "Denigrating the Jewish connection to the land, which the late Yasir Arafat turned into an art form, surely is not the path to peace and coexistence," said Harris, who called on President Abbas to undo this travesty if there is to be hope for a two-state solution.

"This episode is yet another tragic reminder that the core of the conflict is what it's always been -- namely, the refusal to recognize the Jewish people's rightful presence in the region," Harris said.

Media Contact: Kenneth Bandler, AJC Director of Communications, 212-891-6771

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

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