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November 13, 2016

International Business Times Pulls a UNESCO on Temple Mount

In a headline and accompanying first paragraph, The International Business Times takes a page from UNESCO's book on the Temple Mount, casting Judaism's holiest site as Islamic only. "Israel Wants Jews To Pray at Muslim Mosque in Jerusalem: Temple Mount Tensions Grow in Middle East" is the grossly misleading headline about some Israeli lawmakers (not "Israel") who seek Jewish prayer rights at Judaism's holiest site.

Likewise, the article's first sentence depicts the site as Muslim only, ignoring the reason why Jews would want to pray there:

Some Israeli lawmakers want to allow Jews to pray at an Islamic holy site in Jerusalem, a contentious proposal that is opposed by Middle Eastern leaders and could stroke tensions between Jews and Muslims in the Israel. Israel Parliament speaker Yuli Edelstein joined three cabinet ministers and three lawmakers Monday to demand Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “open the gates�? to the religious complex and rescind a year-long ban on Israeli lawmakers from visiting the site, the Times of Israel reported.

Not until the end of the second paragraph does reporter John Walsh acknowledge: "The compound sits on tops of the Western Wall in Jerusalem and is considered to be Judaism's holist [sic] site." How many readers, however, will make it past the misleading headline and first paragraph to get to the key information that the Israeli lawmakers are seeking Jewish prayer rights at the site because it is Judaism's holiest site?

Other media outlets which reported on Jewish visits to or aspirations to pray at the Temple Mount, while describing the site as Islamic only and ignoring its status as Judaism's holiest place, include Agence France Presse, The New York Times, The Telegraph and Times of London, all of which subsequently amended their misleading passages thanks to CAMERA and its British blog, UK Media Watch.

Ironically, The International Business Times article, with its skewed headline and first paragraph, is accompanied by an IBTvideo about UNESCO's decisions which ignore Judaism's connection to the site.

CAMERA urges The International Business Tribune to amend its headline and first paragraph to reflect the fact that some Israeli lawmakers are seeking Jewish prayer rights at the Temple Mount because it is Judaism's holiest site, and not because it is a "Muslim mosque."

Posted by TS at November 13, 2016 03:25 AM

The enemy has always lied to us, but as time races forward, I think the lies will increase in numbers and size. It is so important to know what God's Word says in every situation and announcement. We cannot go blindly trusting at all. This is not just regarding media either. Be careful what you hear from pulpits and well meaning Christians circles. The enemy will use everything at his disposal and some of our closest and trusted sources may be fooled. Many have dropped to the wayside already. Blessings.

Posted by: Margaret Smith at November 13, 2016 01:05 PM

There is also this, within the article itself: "erasing possible Jewish and Christian roots to the historical site". This use of "possible" - to cast doubt in the reader's mind - is comparable to the use of "alleged" to refer to attacks on Israelis, despite the existence of clear and indisputable proof of these, whether on film or in the form of irrefutable witness testimony. The numerous and diverse sources which attest to the age-old Jewish historical connection to these sites include Islamic ones - which should also be regularly invoked, by Israel's defenders, official and unofficial.

Posted by: Paul Leslie at November 14, 2016 05:56 AM

What can you expect from a religion"that holds a majority in the GA? UNESCO fronted this initiative at a time marginal Christians and socialists tell the same sorts of lies about what Christianity is. They are seeking global unity based on constipated myths about our religions to pacify Islamic revolutionaries who they regard as "socialists". It is through the UN and the UNHRC the OIC attempted to have passed a Resolution to make criticism and ridicule of Islam declared a crime. Many western states are already acting in accord or submission to this false doctrine and assault on western democratic institutions. After all many of these western socialists looked the other way when Stalin, Mao, Ho Chi Minh, Hussein waged genocide or genocidal warfare on their own people. It has left liberals like Obama scratching his head loathe to taking more direct action to end genocide by the Islamic State. After all if we did that where would it end? Many Islamic states are committing genocide against religious other minorities and using Marxist constipated myths about western colonialism to justify themselves and their Islamic revolutions. But the truth is they are conditioned by centuries of Ottoman tyranny and dependence on their slave trade that only ended at the beginning of the last century less than a hundred years ago or less.

They can not learn lessons from their own history when it starts with the Balfour Declaration moves forward on a false narrative to 2016 and ends in the 7th century.

What's easier?

Debate the hermeneutics of the Torah, Bible, New Testament versus the Koran or just burn and destroy the originals? and the people who believe the documents Muslims consider heretical? The socialists answer since the Bolshevik Revolution and Nazi library parties.

Posted by: jeb at November 20, 2016 12:38 PM

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