http://indymedia.org.il
Stopped Kleiner from going up to Temple Mount- and got beatenFriday 09 Aug 2002
author: Shabtai Gold ([email protected])
summary
MK KLeiner attempted to go up to the temple mount and cause rioting, which would lead to more bombings against ISrael. A protest against him, and one man's account of the insanity that is the Israeli right-wing. Plus- maybe a chance for peace after all.
Old City, West Bank.
A group of right-wing fanatics, mainly remnants of the Kahana group and other fanatical groups, met yesterday in the Israeli occupied Old City of Jerusalem in an attempt to go up to the Temple Mount, as they call it.
The group, of about 100 people, consisting of settlers and yeshiva students, followed MK Michael Kleiner (Herut), and paraded through the Old City, headed towards the temple mount area. A group of protesters, about 50, from Peace Now were present, and even after being treated horribly, by the police, while attempting to use their democratic rights, managed to have a productive counter-protest to the actions of MK Kleiner and his ad-hoc groupies.
The Temple Mount issue goes back 2 years to the night prior to the Intifada. Then Leader of the Opposition, Ariel Sharon, went up to the temple mount, and caused rioting, which eventually led to the Intifada. Even the biased Mitchell and Tennet reports, which favored Israeli heavily, admitted that what Sharon did was provocative and reckless.
Kleiner claims that it is his right to go up to the Temple Mount, especially since he has immunity as a member of Knesset. Since Sharon’s trip nearly 2 years ago, the Mount has been closed to all non-Muslims. Kleiner claims that this is un-democratic, and it is Jews’ right to go up. Kleiner does not recognize the term occupied territory, believes Israel’s control over the West Bank and Gaza is legitimate, believes in the “Grand Israel”, and is against the Palestinian State.
The Temple Mount site is home of the Dome of the Rock, El Aqsa mosque, and several other mosques. According to Jewish law, the “halacha”, t is illegal for Jews to go up to the Temple Mount. Hence, I find it difficult to understand what Kleiner and his followers want. The most probable answer is what they say they want: to build a Jewish Temple on the mount, and to remove the Muslims and the mosques. Once again, the Halacha states that the Jews cannot build the third temple until the Messiah comes. Hence, it really is difficult to figure his insanity out.
In any event, Kleiner and his cronies were met by another 50 or so people, down by the entrance to the Mount. This writer and a few other protesters, remembering what happened after Sharon went up to the mount, felt that Kleiner cannot be allowed up to the mount- even if he does have immunity. They staged a non-violent protest in front of Kleiner and the entrance to the Mount. Police, settlers, right-wing fanatics, and riot police beat this reporter, although he did not violate a single law. The police violated several Human and Civil rights, both in their treatment of the right-wing fanatics and left-wing protesters. It should be noted that the Police also violated the rights of journalists.
Although beaten, this writer did not give up, and even after being thrown out of the area by police, he returned to the area, in another attempt to stop Kleiner. This time it worked- Kleiner was stopped, and then the right-wingers and settlers started rioting. During the outbreak, Kleiner managed to start the climb to the Mount, but was stopped by police who were waiting for him at the top, and he did not cross into the area known as the Temple Mount.
The rioters continued to wreck havoc in the area, and once several of them were arrested. The rioters also cynically used children as shields against attempts by police to stop the riots. This writer was escorted out of the area by police after settlers attempted to beat him, with some of them claiming they would attempt to kill him. “I pray three times a day for you to die”, was what several right-wing fanatics and settlers cried towards this writer.
At the time this writer left the old city, the rioters had entered the Muslim and Christian quarter and started to wreck havoc. It should be noted that this is the second riot caused by Settlers in the past 2 weeks- the first one being in Hebron, in which one Palestinian was killed, and several others wounded.
The Israeli Knesset has removed the immunity of two Arab member of Knesset in the recent past- Ahmad Tibi, for going into Area A and visiting Palestinians, and of Azmi Bashara, for saying that the Palestinians have a right to resist the Israeli occupation- even in violent ways. Although Bashara did not, and in recent interviews as stressed, that he does not support attacks on civilians, and was only talking about resistance against soldiers, his immunity was removed. Although this writer does not believe in violence as an answer to any problem, Bashara did not violate a law, and was discriminated against simply for being an Arab. As was Tibi.
On the other hand, Kleiner will not lose his immunity, and will not suffer at all from his attempt to go up the Temple Mount and to cause more bombings against Israelis which would then allow for Israel to use even more force against the Palestinians, and in Kleiner’s mind, eventually allow Israel to transfer all the Palestinians out of Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza strip.
This writer, although bruised, both physically and emotionally, by the right-wing and by the police, and is beginning to question the Israeli version of Democracy, still believes there is a chance for peace in this area- if, and only if, both sides of the conflict remove all fanatics who want blood to flow and do not believe in peace- unless the other side is dead. These fanatics are people like Kleiner, and leaders of the Hamas. If the Israelis and Palestinians cannot follow through, and perform this step, there is no hope for peace. If however the warmongers on both sides are made impotent, peace will arrive in the area, faster than anyone can dream.