Palestinians have fiercely criticized the symbolism behind US ambassador’s sledgehammer swinging as an endorsement of occupation and colonial practices, while the Israelis argue that history and archeology speak for themselves.
Several prominent US figures participated in the unveiling of the 2,000-year-old archeological site known as Pilgrims’ Road right next to Temple Mount, with Palestinians furious over the idea of Americans hammering beneath their homes in East Jerusalem’s neighborhood of Silwan.
Footage of ambassador David Friedman symbolically breaking down the final wall, accompanied by Mideast negotiator Jason Greenblatt, was called a “disgrace” to US diplomacy by Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Saeb Erekat, who compared the American delegation with “extremist fanatic Israeli settlers.”
The Greenblatt and Freedman are doing everything that would bring prosperity to the apartheid colonial settlement.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry slammed the ceremony as another act of ‘Judaization’ of Jerusalem, claiming that Friedman and Greenblatt were “faking history” for “colonial purpose.” American actions are a “blatant aggression against international law,” chief justice Mahmoud al-Habash, said in a separate statement, calling on the international community to preserve the Palestinian heritage of the city.
Meanwhile Greenblatt hit back at “ludicrous” accusations, claiming on Twitter that archaeology has proven that Jerusalem belongs to the Jewish people: “We can’t ‘Judaize’ what history/archaeology show.”
The ancient pilgrimage road which dates to the Second Temple period was discovered in 2004, when a sewage pipe burst. The pathway connects the Siloam Pool, where Jewish pilgrims used to purify themselves before ascending to the Temple, to the Western Wall.
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
Source : RT - Daily news
History or disgrace? US envoy smashes wall with SLEDGEHAMMER at archeology event under E. Jerusalem
History or disgrace? US envoy smashes wall with SLEDGEHAMMER at archeology event under E. Jerusalem
