RAMALLAH (WJC)–The Palestinian Authority (PA) has removed a controversial report claiming that the Western Wall in Jerusalem is not holy to Jews from its official website. The paper by a senior PA official had sparked world-wide criticism and was condemned as incorrect and provocative, including by the US government.
The five-page ‘study’ was authored by Al-Mutawakil Taha, deputy minister in the PA Information Ministry, who told the news agency AP that he stood by it. Taha claimd in his study that the Western Wall had never been a Jewish site and had always belonged to the Muslims. He argued that it is actually the western wall of the Al-Aksa Mosque.
The Western Wall (Kotel) is the holiest place where Jews can pray. It once formed a retaining wall of the compound where the two biblical Temples stood until their destruction nearly 2,000 years ago by the Romans. The Al-Aksa Mosque, Islam’s third-holiest site, is built on the ruins of the Temple.
On Tuesday, State Department voice strong criticism of the PA report “We strongly condemn these comments and fully reject them as factually incorrect, insensitive and highly provocative,” spokesman P.J. Crowley said.
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Preceding provided by World Jewish Congress