Pals start throwing rocks at worshippers at the Wailing Wall

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-09-12 04:54pm

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/339677.html

Jewish worshippers run for safety at Judaism's Western Wall after Palestinians hurled rocks at them from the holy site Muslims call al-Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) and Jews revere as the Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City September 12, 2003. Israeli police stormed the compound outside Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque on Friday after Palestinians angered by Israel's threats against Yasser Arafat hurled rocks at worshippers at Judaism's Western Wall below. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen

Police storm Temple Mount to disperse stone-throwers

By Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and The Associated Press

Angry Palestinian demonstrators clashed with police
after traditional midday Friday prayers at Temple
Mount in Jerusalem. Dozens of Muslims threw stones
at Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall.

Police stormed the mosque
compound and fired tear gas and
stun grenades at Palestinians
to disperse the demonstrators.
Two men were arrested by
police, on suspicion of
inciting the worhshippers.

They were protesting against the
Israeli government's decision
"in principle" Thursday evening to expel Palestinian
Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.

"After Palestinian youngsters on the Temple
Mount threw rocks, a police contingent burst on
to the compound," a police spokesman said after
the end of Muslim Friday prayers at the site.

Four policemen were lightly injured in the
disturbances. The commander of the Jerusalem
police district, Mickey Levy, said that he was
convinced that Palestinian Authority chairman
Yasser Arafat was behind the disturbances in
Jerusalem and throughout the West Bank.

Around 30,000 Palestinian worshippers
participated in Friday prayers on the Temple
Mount, among them youth who had prepared
stockpiles of stones to throw at Jews praying
at the Western Wall.

In Ramallah about a hundred Palestinians
demonstrated for the
Palestinian chief after Friday prayers.

Earlier Friday, Palestinians fired four mortar
shells at a settlement in the Gaza Strip; there
were no injuries, Israel Radio reported.

The Israel Defense Forces conducted an operation
in the West Bank city of Tul Karm overnight and
Friday morning, arresting 13 Palestinians and
conducting exchanges of gunfire with militants
that Palestinian sources said wounded three
people, the radio reported. An explosive device
blew up near the soldiers, but didn't wound
them.

Overnight, troops destroyed the house of Hamas
activist Izadeen Miseq in the West Bank city of
Hebron. Miseq commanded several Hamas groups in
the Hebron area, according to the report.

In the Gaza Strip, Palestinians fired anti-tank
missiles and shots at Israeli troops overnight,
but caused no injuries, Israel Radio reported

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-09-12 05:05pm

You seem to have forgotten the moratorium on Israel vs. Palestine discussions.

Jadeite · Post by **Jadeite** » 2003-09-12 05:15pm

In Sheppard's defence, its not a discussion yet, for now its just a news article.

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2003-09-12 05:24pm

I'm sure this crowd can limit it to a discussion of the article.

That's really super, I can't imagine anything that will soothe tensions more than a riot at this particular site! Police presence at Al-Aqsa alone is going to cause more of a shitstorm....

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2003-09-12 05:29pm

Ah shit, the Wailing Wall is probably the holiest site in all of Judaism. It would be like a bunch of Jews chucking stones at worshippers walking 'round the Kaabaah. There really isn't much that can be said in defense of the Palestinian kids besides "You fuck with our religion, we'll fuck with yours, we remember what the Jordanians did to our quarter of the city..."

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2003-09-12 05:30pm

Well that, and I was recently there. If some asshat started throwing rocks at me then I could guarantee that his corpse would be found flayed, vivisected, and still warm...

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-09-12 05:32pm

Stupid stupid fucks.. They bitch about people violating THEIR holy sites but then fuck with Jews in THEIR holy sites.. Bring the cleansing thermonuclear fire to Mecca.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2003-09-12 05:45pm

That's a really good way to screw themselves over. Let's violate the holiest site in Judaism. That's sure to make them see reason.

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2003-09-12 08:54pm

Stormbringer wrote:That's a really good way to screw themselves over. Let's violate the holiest site in Judaism. That's sure to make them see reason.

I don't think that their thoughts go past the "Let's violate the holiest site in Judaism..."

But I feel disgusted. Such a small minority of people make the large majority of nice, polite, hospitable, friendly, and otherwise really cool Palestinians seem like monsters.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-09-12 09:13pm

Sea Skimmer wrote:You seem to have forgotten the moratorium on Israel vs. Palestine discussions.

Well, in my defense, this isn't your typical rockthrowing vis a vis a Merkava,
but instead, attempting to stone worshippers at Judaism's most holy (or one
of their most holy sites). That's really bad karma, man.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-09-12 09:19pm

MKSheppard wrote:
Well, in my defense, this isn't your typical rockthrowing vis a vis a Merkava,
but instead, attempting to stone worshippers at Judaism's most holy (or one
of their most holy sites). That's really bad karma, man.

Yeah, but since when has stupidity has been in short supply in the middle east?

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2003-09-12 09:50pm

MKSheppard wrote:
Sea Skimmer wrote:You seem to have forgotten the moratorium on Israel vs. Palestine discussions.
Well, in my defense, this isn't your typical rockthrowing vis a vis a Merkava,
but instead, attempting to stone worshippers at Judaism's most holy (or one
of their most holy sites). That's really bad karma, man.

Actually, methinks it's Judaism's holiest site, since the Temple Mount is now covered by the Al-Aqsa mosque complex. My question is WTF are you doing reading Haaretz?!?

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-09-12 09:52pm

Frankly, the world would be better off if all of these fucking "holy sites" from all religions were destroyed, preferably by meteor strike so no one can blame anyone else. They're just another fucking flashpoint for conflict.

Montcalm · Post by **Montcalm** » 2003-09-12 10:10pm

Darth Wong wrote:Frankly, the world would be better off if all of these fucking "holy sites" from all religions were destroyed, preferably by meteor strike so no one can blame anyone else. They're just another fucking flashpoint for conflict.

That would be best,but the fundie freaks will still say the Americans did it.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-09-12 10:18pm

Darth Wong wrote: They're just another fucking flashpoint for conflict.

Nice way to sum up thousands of years of historic architecture and craftsmanship in a simple one line summation. This isn't what I expected
from you, Mike. I'M the one who should be saying simple ideas, not you

Your idea is no better than the Taliban's destruction of those buddhist
statues in Afghanistan. Even though I'm no Buddhist, I cringed when I heard
about those statues going up in a big boom.

And honestly, I would absolutely love to go to Mecca and take a geiger counter with me and some lead lined underwear to the Ka'Bah, to
prove a theory about it being a highly radioactive chunk of an asteroid.

Yeah, the Muslims who run the Ka'Bah won't let any non-muslims into
the place, much less scientists, but they've sat outside the area with
geiger counters and detected very elevated levels of radioactivity. This
jibes with the Ka'Bah being "warm to the touch".

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-09-12 10:23pm

MKSheppard wrote: Yeah, the Muslims who run the Ka'Bah won't let any non-muslims into
the place, much less scientists, but they've sat outside the area with
geiger counters and detected very elevated levels of radioactivity. This
jibes with the Ka'Bah being "warm to the touch".

You could always convert, though the battalion or so thats guarding the place might still object to the geiger counter.

Iceberg · Post by **Iceberg** » 2003-09-12 10:26pm

I never thought I'd agree with Shep, but... Mike, you do realize that a goodly number of these holy sites are fair-sized cities, some of which have influenced human history for thousands of years, don't you? Let's see, off the top of my head you'd be wiping out Rome, Delhi, Izumo and Kyoto at the very least.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-09-12 10:29pm

Sea Skimmer wrote: You could always convert, though the battalion or so thats guarding the place might still object to the geiger counter.

Bah, that battalion shall be no match for my crack team of ex-Spetsnaz
members - whats the going price for them on the market? 20 grand?

*begins saving up pennies*

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2003-09-12 10:33pm

Darth Wong wrote:Frankly, the world would be better off if all of these fucking "holy sites" from all religions were destroyed, preferably by meteor strike so no one can blame anyone else. They're just another fucking flashpoint for conflict.

Wait until you see the fucking huge-ass blocks at the bottom of the Temple Mount, at the point where they're still excavating. There's still a lot to be learned culturally from our religious sites, I for one wouldn't cut off my nose to spite my face.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-09-12 10:37pm

Iceberg wrote:I never thought I'd agree with Shep, but... Mike, you do realize that a goodly number of these holy sites are fair-sized cities, some of which have influenced human history for thousands of years, don't you? Let's see, off the top of my head you'd be wiping out Rome, Delhi, Izumo and Kyoto at the very least.

Nobody's fighting over possession of Rome, unlike Jerusalem's various places. And don't exaggerate; there are holy sites in these cities, but the entire city is not a "holy site".

As for their "influence", it's mostly been bad.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-09-12 10:40pm

Your idea is no better than the Taliban's destruction of those buddhist
statues in Afghanistan. Even though I'm no Buddhist, I cringed when I heard
about those statues going up in a big boom.

I think the Taliban's treatment of women is a bit more contemptible than the fact that it blew up a couple of Buddhas here and there. Guess which one merited more worldwide attention, though...

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-09-12 10:41pm

Darth Wong wrote: As for their "influence", it's mostly been bad.

Uhm, I would love to see them excavacate down to the level of the
Second Temple. Besides the religious significance (which is IMO, overrated),
you have all kinds of artifacts from the period of Israelite control over
that area, which is really very interesting, in the terms of how people
lived back then - sure, we have the Bible, but as you've said before, it
tends to..exaggerate.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-09-12 10:42pm

Durran Korr wrote:Guess which one merited more worldwide attention, though...

Meh, what's new about hardline Islamics treating women like Shit? It's
been like that for a long time in Saudi Arabia. The blowing up of said
statues was something new about hardline islamicism

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2003-09-12 10:45pm

Nobody's fighting over possession of Rome

Anymore.

What idiot Palestinian thought this stunt up? Are they intentionally feeding the Israeli PR machine? Now there's a conspiracy theory- this attack was deliberately set up by the IDF to increase foreign support!!! Teh black helicopters are coming!

I bet whoever planned this one out was fired/martyred.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-09-12 10:47pm

HemlockGrey wrote:
Nobody's fighting over possession of Rome
Anymore.

Didn't Mussolini spend part of his rabble rousing period ranting about the
evils of the Papacy and how he was going to conquer and nationalize
Vatican City, but when he got into power he quietly struck an agreement
with the Vatican