Kerry goes behind Obama's back re: leadership

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was in Amman, Jordan and met with King Abdullah II and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Kerry claims that Israel and Jordan have agreed on methods to reduce the anger and bloodshed at the Jerusalem holy site that Muslims are using as an excuse to kill Jews.

Kerry didn't say that, I did.

"All the violence and the incitement to violence must stop," Kerry ordered. "Leaders must lead," he said to reporters, not taking into consideration how his own so-called leader might fall short in that area. Perhaps Kerry bought into the idea that one can lead from behind.

Kerry, a former communist sympathizer and current leftist, outlined the steps that would allegedly reduce the violence. 

For example, 24/7 video monitoring (like we did in Benghazi) would help reduce violence. This was suggested by King Abdullah II and was accepted by Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister.

In addition, Israel's must reaffirm Jordan's historical and special role as custodian of the site, known to Jews since before the birth of Christ as the Temple Mount, and to Muslims since 637 CE (after they killed and conquered the Jews in Jerusalem) as the Dome of the Rock where they built the Al-Aqsa Mosque after the mount was abandoned.

Some very quick history on mosques and other houses of worship. If you would like to read more about triumphant  mosques go here.

After the capture of Jerusalem, it was believed that Umar, an Islamic caliph and big cheese among the faithful fighters, refused to pray in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre fearing, that by doing so, Muslims would later convert the church into a mosque, in spite of an agreement to leave it as a Christian house of prayer. 

Even Umar didn't trust his own people.

Jewish man killed while praying

So Umar initially built a small prayer house which later laid the foundation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.

In another case, the church of Job in Ash Shaykh Sa'd in Syria was taken from the Christians and converted into a mosque. Only Muslims were allowed in thereafter.

The second most holy site for the Jews was the Herodian shrine of Cave of the Patriarchs. It had been converted (against its will) into a church during the Crusades but eventually turned into a mosque in 1266. Jews and Christians were banned from entering it thereafter. It was restored to its original use by Israel as a synagogue after the 1967 war.

This is an example of how a 'triumphant mosque' returned to its original form. It is a rare occurrence.

Back to Kerry. He said that Israel has pledged to maintain the rules of worship at the site and Jordan will meet with Israeli authorities do discuss security matters. 

"I hope that based on these conversations we can finally put to rest some of the false assumptions, perceptions, about the holy site," Kerry said. "Those perceptions are stoking the tensions and fueling the violence and it is important for us to end the provocative rhetoric and start to change the public narrative that comes out of those false perceptions."

What Kerry was politically correctly referring to was how Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian officials were putting out a false narrative (a freaking lie, that is) that the Jews want to take control of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and that a 13-year-old Palestinian boy was executed for stabbing a 13-year-old Jewish boy and a Jewish man. 

The boy is in an Israeli hospital recovering nicely, and the Jews had no intention of taking over the mosque.

So Kerry outlined the understandings saying a) Israel "fully respects" Jordan's "special role" as custodian of the site; b) Israel will continue to enforce its current policy of religious worship, including "the fundamental fact" that it is Muslims who pray there and non-Muslims who visit; c) Israel has no intention of dividing the site and rejects any attempt to suggest otherwise; and d) Israel welcomes greater coordination between Israeli and Jordanian authorities to ensure visitors and worshipers "demonstrate respect and restraint." 

If these recommendations actually work, it would be a miracle on The Temple Mount. For centuries Islam has hated the Jews, didn't feel the love for Christians, and outright killed infidels. It isn't only in their DNA, it's in their scripture.

Let's hope this works, but I wouldn't bet on it. 

If these steps actually work and the violence ends in Israel (and I am proven wrong, which I honestly hope happens)  then Kerry deserves some of the credit.



Tweet