Jewish Settlers are not budging from Arab neighborhood home

     This is a critique of an article written by Danna Harman for the Associated Press which appeared in the September 17 1997 Star Ledger of New Jersey.

     Danna Harman reported that "Jewish extremists showed no sign of heeding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's appeal to leave an Arab neighborhood of Jerusalem"..."But in a move that could help defuse tensions, the Israeli police announced they would prevent any more settlers from moving into the Ras al-Amud neighborhood."

     Ruth and Nadia Matar the leaders of Women for Israel's Tomorrow in a recent message on the internet reveal something that you would never guess by reading Danna's article. They reveal that Ras al-Amud is the Mount of Olives. They explain "This property has been owned by Jews for at least the last hundred years, and is in an ancient Biblical area closely associated with the Jews for thousands of years. Despite the fact that the house in question is directly across the road from a vast Jewish holy burial site where thousands of illustrious Jews are buried, the reporters persist in calling the area by what the recent migrating Arabs call it, Ras Al Amud, rather than its Biblical name, the Mount of Olives. By doing this they try to create the impression that this neighborhood is being invaded by the Jews, even though this particular area, even today, is sparsely settled by Arabs. Interestingly enough, aerial photographs taken of the area following the Six Day War in 1967 show the area to have been at that recent date virtually vacant and barren."

     The Women for Israel's Tomorrow came to show solidarity with the settlers and were interviewed but their views were censored. In contrast widespread coverage was given to a Husseini led small Arab protest and to comments of left wing Israelis against the settlers.

     Danna describes the residents as "extremist" when all they did was move in to Jewish owned property on the Mount of Olives. She says the preventing of Jews from moving in could help defuse tensions yet does not report the contrary view of the residents which is that yielding to Arab demands would signal to Israel's enemies that violence is worthwhile.

 
					Submitted by: 
 
					Mark Feinstein 

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