by Ram ben Ze'ev
Control of the administration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound (known as the Jerusalem Waqf) an organ of the Jordanian government, should immediately be withdrawn and returned to Israel
On the 7th of October 2023, during Shabbat and at the conclusion of the seven-day-long festival of Sukkot, we, the Jewish people, were tragically reminded of the evil of the Arab terrorists in Gaza, Judea and Samaria, a fact now known to the entire world.
Exactly 50 years after the start of the Yom Kippur War, thousands of Arab terrorists in Gaza launched an unprovoked attack against Israel, resulting in the loss of more than 1,200 innocent Israeli lives (השם יקום דמם) and severe injuries to over 4,300 Jewish people.
This brutal assault spared no one, including the elderly and young children and infants. Shockingly, over 150 Israelis, including small children, have been kidnapped and are now being held hostage in Gaza by these savages, and one can only imagine the depth of suffering experienced by these captives.
Although the situation for these innocent hostages is undeniably dire, we have confidence that the Israeli government will spare no effort to locate them, especially as our soldiers initiate a ground offensive within Gaza.
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Having said that, I am urging the Israeli government to address a statement made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (בנימין נתניהו) in 2015, where he suggested that Israel could easily destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
If the Arab terrorists do not return the innocent hostages taken from their homes within 48 hours (the government will need to address the timeframe) Israel should follow through with Netanyahu's comments and dismantle the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Nonetheless, I suggest that the longer we postpone using our leverage, the less likely it is for us to ensure the safe return of our citizens.
As previously mentioned, moving forward, regardless of the fate of these innocent Israeli hostages, control of the administration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound (known as the Jerusalem Waqf), an organ of the Jordanian government, should promptly be withdrawn and returned to Israel.
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Bill White (Ram ben Ze'ev) is CEO of WireNews and Executive Director of Hebrew Synagogue