Ladies and Gentlemen,
Please find enclosed a position paper of several Swiss Christian associations.
THE TEMPLE MOUNT CRISIS IN THE MIDST OF EASTER
The current crisis concerning the Temple Mount has been deliberately and strategically orchestrated to provoke international opposition and hostility towards the State of Israel. The nations must not be fooled and deceived by the machinations of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, and their radical supporters led by Iran. In the midst of the celebration of the Passover holy days, it is inconceivable that Israel would undertake actions to materially alter the status quo on the Temple Mount. It is clear that the Palestinian radicals have brought numerous weapons, including stones and firecrackers, into the Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to cause unrest, restrict the freedom of worship of Muslims and launch provocative actions.
It should not be forgotten that although the Temple Mount is the holiest and most sacred place in Judaism, since 1967, the government of Israel has consistently implemented policies and measures relating to freedom of worship at this site. In contrast, from 1949 to 1967, while the nations remained silent, synagogues were destroyed, cemeteries were desecrated and, in violation of the 1949 Armistice Agreement, Jews were completely barred from entering the Old City of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.
The current crisis over the Temple Mount once again highlights the predisposition of so many nations to denigrate Israel without justification or legitimate reason.
At this time, in order to avoid a dangerous deterioration of the situation in the Middle East, it is essential that nations stand up for truth and justice and condemn the misdeeds of those involved in the provocations, as Israelis and Jews around the world attempt to observe Passover. In addition, the hostile actions of a few interfere with the celebration of Ramadan on the Temple Mount by other Palestinian Muslims.
As Christian associations in Switzerland we call on the leaders of our country to take a responsible stand.
Text written with the collaboration of Dr. Jacques Gauthier, international lawyer, author of the thesis "Sovereignty Over the Old City of Jerusalem", Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, 2007.
Since this paper was written, other events have occurred, including the triple murder of the Dee family on April 10 by a Palestinian terrorist in the West Bank.
The sources of all these events are the same: a reversed reading of history on the question of Israel's legitimacy in the territories of Judea Samaria and a desire to destroy Israel.
We condemn all these terrorist acts and are deeply concerned about the lack of knowledge and truth when it comes to the question of the legitimacy of the Jewish people to live in the so-called "occupied territories" or when it comes to the inherent rights of the Jewish people to live in peace in the land of their ancestors.
The Jewish people are not the only victims of this arbitrary hatred fueled by movements that do not want peace. It is the whole of the populations living in Israel and in the territories under Palestinian authority who suffer from this war which is not a war of liberation, but a war of destruction.
We invite you to listen to Dr. Jacques Gauthier's lecture on the question of the sovereignty of the territories of Judea Samaria and East Jerusalem, from the point of view of international law. He is probably the best specialist on this issue.
Conference by Dr. Jacques Gauthier at the Beau-Rivage Hotel on November 23, 2022
Thank you for your attention.
Richard Pittet
President and co-founder of the Gesher Ha'haim Association
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