Freedom to Live

Last Thursday, April 21, 2022, the eve of the second festival of Passover, the eve of “Good Friday” for Christians, and during the Ramadan period for Muslims, a few demonstrators gathered in front of the building of the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles. Watching, I asked myself how ignorant, misled or self-deluded people can be, even here in the United States.

The demonstrators in Los Angeles may have looked innocent and well-meaning, but their chants were far from that. They chanted “Long Live the Intifada,” which is a call for violence. They chanted “We don’t want Two States! We Want all 48!” and “From the River to the Sea Palestine Will Be Free,”—none of which support peace, co-existence and a two-state solution, but instead express the rejection of the existence of the state of Israel within any borders. They call for the elimination of Israel. Period. That is far from innocent.

If their demonstration is presumed to support the rioters at Temple Mount, then at the least they should understand what they are supporting.

The events at the Temple Mount were instigated by Muslim extremists, supporters of the Hamas terrorist organization and Islamic Jihad. They executed a hostile take-over of the Al Aqsa mosque, and then proceeded to block the freedom of worship of well-meaning Muslim people during the Ramadan. The rioters abused the sanctity of the mosque by using it as a base to incite violent riots. They desecrated the mosque by hoarding rocks, cinder blocks and weapons inside and then throwing rocks, fireworks and Molotov cocktails within the mosque and from the mosque to the courtyard of the Temple Mount. They endangered the safety of Muslims in the mosque and Jews at the Western Wall who wished to worship peacefully. The intention of the extremists was to inspire a spread of violence across the country.

Israeli law enforcement authorities were deployed. They waited with restraint until the end of the time of prayers, and only then did they enter the Temple Mount in order to disperse the violent outbreak, and allow freedom of worship at the mosque and at the Western Wall. They acted with the intention of restoring the sanctity of the mosque and reinstating law and order.

They acted with the intention of restoring the sanctity of the mosque and reinstating law and order.

Imagine if a violent extremist group raided a church or a synagogue anywhere in the United States, and acted violently in the same manner—hurling rocks and Molotov cocktails in a place of worship. In any such scenario, it would be regarded as the responsibility of the local law enforcement authorities to act immediately. It is even anchored in international law. Yet, that basic commitment to restore law and order, accepted globally, is questioned when it comes to Israel. Israel does not request any special favors. Israel only expects that it be judged by the same standard by which any other country would be measured.

In such a confrontation there is a physical front and a public relations front, and they are intrinsically linked and fuel each other. The blind support extended by Israel haters, intentionally or unintentionally, guarantees a win-win situation for the extremists.

Even if the rioters desecrate a sacred mosque, riot and rampage, intimidate and prevent fellow Muslim devoted worshippers from praying peacefully, throw Molotov cocktails, ignite fires on the Temple Mount, hoard rocks to pelt at Jews praying at the Western Wall—all of these actions will be disregarded and ignored. After all, there is a greater cause: defaming Israel. In serving that cause, the tables will be turned on the factual sequence of events and truth will be distorted.

After all, there is a greater cause: defaming Israel.

The Muslim extremist rioters know well in advance—even before they throw the first Molotov cocktail or smoke grenade—that they will receive the sympathy and solidarity of unwitting populations, the likes of which are the demonstrators in Los Angeles, and some media outlets.

Al Jazeera reported the events with the title “New Israeli raid at Al Aqsa mosque leaves Palestinians injured.” The Democracy Now site carries the title “Colonial Violence is the norm: Israel raids Al Aqsa Mosque.” The lack of context, in such misleading titles, guarantees a win-win situation for extremists.

If Israel refrains from responding, then the extremists enjoy a perception of victory simply from initiating the chaos and undermining Israel’s commitment to law and order. In this equation, if Israel responds with force, in order to preserve peace and order, then Israel will be immediately vilified and wrongly accused of instigating the events. That is the win-win situation for those who seek to destroy Israel, and it’s exactly what empowers them.

Wild unfounded accusations will be spread regarding Israel’s intention to desecrate the mosque, curb religious worship or change the status quo on the Temple Mount—none of which is true.

Israel has stated time and time again that it has no intention of changing the status quo on the Temple Mount in any way. Any misleading information contrary to that is disinformation. Many of the videos spread on social networks, depicting sinister Israeli intentions on the Mount or attacking innocent Palestinians are fake videos that do nothing more than feed anti-Israel sentiment.

Despite the violence and unrest by Hamas supporters, hundreds of thousands of Muslims prayed at Al-Aqsa mosque over the first two weeks of Ramadan, and more than 90,000 Muslim worshippers entered the Temple Mount for prayer, even on the day of the riots, fully exercising their right of freedom of worship at the Al-Aqsa mosque. This was guaranteed by Israel. Israel will always ensure the freedom of worship of all religions.

In leading up to these events, in a period of one week, Palestinian terrorists and rioters attacked Jews in prayer shawls walking to prayer, stoned buses carrying young Israeli children near the Western Wall and twice vandalized the Jewish site called Joseph’s Tomb. In the week before, they enacted four terrorist attacks that murdered 14 Israelis.

We should understand that this is an ideological battle in the Middle East. Those who support Israel, support co-existence, freedom of worship, freedom of the individual. The freedom to live. Those who support the Hamas activists, support chaos, death and devastation. Every individual should decide wisely which side they support.

Hillel Newman is the Consul General of The Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles.