Arye Sharuz Shalicar, the German-Persian-Israeli political scientist born in Berlin wrote in the “Jüdischen Allgemeine” on August 2, that Palestinian extremists had shot at a group of hundreds of Jews praying at “ Joseph’s Tomb”, wounding several worshippers.
This pilgrim’s site is based near Nablus in the West Bank, so that strict security measures are taken, with soldiers accompanying and protecting the pilgrims, who were subsequently evacuated. It was by no means the first time that this monthly visiting group was attacked. It has occurred several times before. Moreover in April the gravestone of the Jewish ancestor was destroyed and a fire started.
The author, who described himself as someone who was not religious, was concerned with another issue: the way the media reports on the complex Palestine-Israel question. Objectivity often goes overboard. In this case agreements were broken, yet this was scarcely reported. Unfortunately the peace efforts under the Oslo Accords between the two peoples were disrupted in year 2000. However, the accords exist, such as the agreement that both groups had free access to their Holy sites. Something the Palestinians have not honored.
Who ever recalls the Oslo Accords? And yet, as Shalicar points out, the agreement concerning the holy places would be great, if we could truly tolerate other religious groups. As he says, this is unfortunately something that apparently is a step too far when it comes to Jews. He writes that the attack on “Joseph’s Tomb” should have concerned the media, in view of the high level of interest in peace in the Middle east. After all this was an attack on exercising one’s religion freely, as well as on an international agreement. Yet there was no outrage. It was hardly worth a news item.
Which caused the writer to answer his own question as to the reason, by pointing out what would have happened, had Jewish extremists shot Muslim pilgrims in Jerusalem: there would have been massive coverage! In turn that caused him to ask for objective, professional reporting of religion, religious fanaticism and freedom of religion.
Without double standards.
A fair demand!