Dichter’s theory was quickly borne out by the sudden reappearance of Ehud Olmert on the political scene. Just a few hours after Dichter’s remarks, Olmert attacked Prime Minister Netanyahu for not graciously accepting Abbas’s “words of peace.” Olmert, who is considering running for office despite having been recently convicted of breach of trust, and despite the Holyland Compound trial currently ongoing against him, said Netanyahu’s government has “strengthened Hamas and weakened Fatah.”
Abbas also made “concessions” regarding Jerusalem during his controversial interview. “Palestine for me now is ’67 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital,” he said – supposedly indicating that he is giving up his demands for western Jerusalem. Much of the world does not know that if these words were true, it truly would be a major concession, because the Palestinian Authority has never truly acknowledged Israeli sovereignty even over western Jerusalem.
However, let us not forget what Arafat said in the Johannesburg mosque: “Our main battle is Jerusalem. Jerusalem. The first shrine of the Muslims. This has to be understood for everybody…. I have to speak frankly, I can’t do it alone without the support of the Islamic nation. No, you have to come and fight and start the Jihad to liberate Jerusalem, your first shrine…. What [the Israelis are] saying is that [Jerusalem] is their capital. No, it is not their capital. It is our capital. It is the first shrine of the Islam and the Muslims.”
Actually, Jerusalem is not an Arab or Muslim capital and has never been; see our previous articles that explain the lack of ties between Islam and Jerusalem and detail the ancient bonds linking the Jewish people and Yerushalayim. Suffice it to say that the Jewish nation is now closer than ever to seeing the fulfillment of its millennia of daily prayers for the rebuilding of and return to Jerusalem.
Sign up for our bus tours of the capital, take part in our Jerusalem advocacy efforts, and keep abreast of Keep Jerusalem’s activities at www.keepjerusalem.org.