The crown jewel of Jerusalem is Palestine's glorious Dome of the Rock. It was completed in 691-692, making it the oldest existing Islamic building in the world according to wikipedia. The names of the two engineers in charge of the project are given as: Yazid Ibn Salam from Jerusalem and Raja Ibn Haywah from Baysan.
Israel lists tourist sites in occupied territory, such as the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, as Israeli. Photograph: Michele Falzone/JAI/CorbisRE: Can the OECD stand up to Israel? The upcoming OECD tourism summit in Jerusalem will test its member countries' commitment to international law by Sam Bahour and Charles Shamas
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/oct/12/israel-oecd-tourism-summit
Dear Sir,
Thank you for publishing the revealing article "Can the OECD stand up to Israel?" concerning the fact that the upcoming OECD tourism summit in Jerusalem will test its member countries' commitment to international law... and Palestine.
It is quite troubling to read of this upcoming tourism conference considering the fact that as of this week Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now refusing to stop Israel's settlement activities in the illegally occupied territories unless Palestinians agree to recognize Israel as a "Jewish state." Hussein Ibish rightly points out that "Netanyahu's “Jewish state” demand is ultimately about Jerusalem.
Time and time again modern man made Israel has done all it can to harass, displace, discredit, divide, demoralize and silence the native non-Jewish men women and children of historic Palestine. Economics, institutionalized bigotry and ignorance play a large part in how Jews-preferred Israel has been able to disenfranchise and oppress the native non-Jewish Palestinians on both sides of that ugly Israeli made Apartheid-Security Wall.
Zionist tours are often arranged for American politicians and businessmen, giving a very skewed picture of what really is going on. Israel's own school children are also victims of this skewed picture: Last year, the Israeli educational ministry banned the use of the word "Nakba" in school textbooks as part of a larger effort to promote Jewish identity. Last month Israeli officials harassed the principal of an Israeli school for using the textbook "Learning the Historical Narrative of the Other" which covers both Israeli and Palestinian views of the violence around the time of Israel's birth in 1948.
Ending the Israel/Palestine conflict with a secular two state solution in line with international law and The Universal Declaration of Human Rights really should be a top priority for all who value the lessons learned from history, as well as good business practices.... and The Golden Rule. Be wary of disingenuous Zionist propaganda: International law and The Arab Peace Initiative really do provide the best guide posts for travelers and residents who wish to help empower a just and lasting peace for everyone's sake.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
Growing Gardens for Palestine
The Golden Rule... Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
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