Netanyahu: Israel will not change status quo at West Bank holy sites

(WARNING): Article contains propaganda!

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Jerusalem - Israel will not make changes to the status quo at the Cave of the Patriarchs, a shrine in the occupied West Bank sacred to both Muslims and Jews, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday. Israel has placed the ancient building in the southern West Bank city of Hebron on a list of "national heritage" sites which it wants to renovate, sparking outrage amongst Muslims.

"We have no intention here to change prayer arrangements or to change the status quo," he told a special Knesset (parliament) session called by the opposition to debate his government's policies.

"The Cave of the Patriarchs is among the first sites of the people of Israel. (It is) the grave-site of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs; Abraham, Isaac, Sarah, Rebeccah and Leah, and not far from there is Rachel's Tomb. These are part of our heritage," he said.

Netanyahu, of the nationalist Likud party, recognized that Muslims "also have a connection to the Cave," but he argued that as the building's Islamic section had already undergone renovations, "there is a need to do the same to the Jewish section."

The international community, including the US and UN, have expressed concern at the Israeli move, noting the shrine is in occupied territory, where Israel has no right to change facts on the ground.

Palestinians regard renovations in the Jewish section also as changes to the status quo.

They have warned the move could threaten indirect negotiations which US envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell had hoped to begin this month.

Netanyahu blamed the Palestinians for the failure to resume peace talks since he took office just under one year ago, charging they were raising preconditions they had not demanded of previous governments. He was referring to President Mahmoud Abbas' demand that Israel stop all construction in both the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

"It looks like the conditions are ripening for the renewal of talks according to the formula of proximity talks between us and the Palestinian Authority," he said, adding however, "it is still not happening now."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/312348,netanyahu-israel-will-not-change-status-quo-at-west-bank.html.