Arab community holds protest

Trevor Lorenzo Mizzi

Apr 8th 2010, 20:14

@ N Shawish,

Because controlling the entire Old City of Jerusalem (and not just Church properties) and being able to build whatever they want on Mount Zion is critical for the program they have planned to put into play in the capital city. The deal that it has signed with Israel via Yossi Beilin and Shimon Peres (in secret and without the approval of the Knesset) gives The Church not only extraterritorial status to their properties (which is what the bi-lateral agreement the Israeli government signed with the Vatican on December 30th, 1993, put in law) but of control over the entire city as "custodians" under UN presence. In this way the Jews will give up control over the Old City. To the Vatican the Israeli people would have a problem with. To the UN, they would say, "we had no choice".
It can't be that the Vatican is only interested in "access to their Holy Sites" in Jerusalem. They already have that as well as legal jurisdiction under Israeli law for their institutions and assets in Jerusalem. Also, when these "Holy Sites" were under the jurisdiction of the Jordanians from l948-1967, no Pope demanded the "internationalization of Jerusalem"

N Shawish

Apr 7th 2010, 15:34

Handing over of Jerusalem to the Vatican? If it is so, then why have successive Israeli governments always insisted that Jerusalem is not negotiable and claim that it is the united, undivided capital of Israel? In accordance with international law, Jerusalem is an occupied territory and must be given back to the Palestinians, unless Israel is above the law and not bound by United Nations resolutions.
On the other hand, what is wrong with a peaceful demonstration as long as it is not violent? When people resort to suicide bombings and violence they are called “terrorists”, yet, it seems that even when demonstrating peacefully, some people are not happy with that either. Please give them a chance to express their suffering and the injustice endure during the past 60 years.

M. Cassar

Apr 7th 2010, 10:20

In his book ‘the roots of Middle East conflict’ Mr. Margalit says: ‘"This is not an internal conflict. You [the EU] are part of this conflict," he added. "I am talking about terrorism. I am talking about another London, about the clash of civilisations. The clash of civilisations started in Jerusalem and it will end in Jerusalem," Mr Margalit said, referring to the tube bombing in the UK capital in 2005.’ http://euobserver.com/9/29089/?rk=1 My point, the creation of Israel (a border less country for so many decades) per se makes Israel a no country and more like an ugly accident in history. Unless an agreement on two states solution is reached and the victim of the victims of the Holocaust gets their occupied lands back, talking about peace and most importantly security will remain an illusion! By the way Mr Margalit is a Jew (not a Zionist)
Any way no occupation last forever as long as there are peoples asking for their rights with the support of both history and geography.

J Farrugia

Apr 6th 2010, 23:48

Arabs have no right to protest in Malta. Dont insert us into your equation. First learn to co-exist with the Israeli citizens and then ask for your own territory. We dont protest in your arab countries not even when our national interest where at stake like the recent visa ban in Libya. We didn't go to libya to protest. So let's not have any more arab protests in Malta. Malta is for the maltese.

Leah Micallef

Apr 6th 2010, 22:31

Those children are so adorable!!

Eric Gahn

Apr 6th 2010, 21:48

Peace loving people dressing babies in camoflage suits.

J Callus

Apr 6th 2010, 21:40

Is it morally accaptable for children to carry placards? What if they refuse?

Ryan Dalli

Apr 6th 2010, 20:50

It was not only the Arab community, but there were various other Maltese present, and that includes me.
The protest was not only about the Al Aqsa Mosque, but it was about Jerusalem in general, and the treatment of the Palestinians (Christians and Muslims) under the hands of the illegal occupation of the Israeli state (according to the International community) - their expulsion from Jerusalem, the settlement in Jerusalem, the Judaization of Jerusalem and so on.

Ryan
Stand4Palestine-Malta

D.Bonello

Apr 6th 2010, 20:45

Did they have a permit?

Trevor Lorenzo Mizzi

Apr 6th 2010, 18:58

They are barking the wrong tree.
In a 1993 letter to the Pope, Shimon Peres promised to internationalize Jerusalem, granting the UN political control of the Old City and the Vatican hegemony over the holy sites within. This was confirmed by the Italian newspaper La Stampa. In March 1995 the Israeli radio station Arutz Sheva was leaked a cable from the Israeli Embassy in Rome, confirming the hand over of Jerusalem to the Vatican.