Via LEFTWING-CHRISTIAN.NET
Roy Tov discusses a pamphlet recently released by the Israeli military's rabbinate which seems to envision a Temple Mount minus the Dome of the Rock. How seriously should such a photo image be taken? Is it a presage for something to come?
PSYWAR: Military Rabbinate Plans Third Temple
Is the IDF promoting a terrorist attack on the Dome of the Rock?
By Roy TovThe Unbearable Slowness of War
Several years ago, while preaching in a Bolivian church, I was asked if Israel was planning the Third Temple in Jerusalem. At the time the idea seemed preposterous. There were isolated signs of plans promoted by individuals and organizations, but there was nothing that amounted to an organized effort by the State of Israel. For example there is a yeshiva college specializing in the studies of the Second Temple and the planning of the third one. Let me remind the readers that the construction of such a structure demands the demolition of the mosques on the site. Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock mosques are among the holiest places to Islam. Such a crime by Israel would probably end in war.
Yesterday, January 5, 2011, I found myself confronted with the topic again, following a very controversial publication by the IDF Military Rabbinate. It wasn’t the first time in recent times. In Ruin of Jerusalem: the Third Temple, I reviewed the inauguration of the Fourth Hurva Synagogue on March 2010 and its implications regarding the Temple Mount. On October 2010, I published Violating Jerusalem, which reviewed a plan of a tunnel entry to the Western Wall Plaza. Then, as recently as December 2011, I published Diskotel which reviewed the closing of the Mughrabi Bridge next to the Western Wall. When adding to this yesterday’s publication, I couldn’t help but realize that it seems the preparations for the building of the Third Temple are stepping up. This time, the State of Israel is behind them.
Happy Hanukkah!
A few days ago, Empire Celebrated Hanukkah. Many commemorative items were published for the occasion. One of these items was a printed package by the IDF Military Rabbinate given to IDF soldiers. As described in the abovementioned article, Hanukkah is the Jewish imperial festival. It is tightly related with nationalism, this became obvious in the shocking details of its celebration this year at Berlin’s Brandenburg’s Gate. The pamphlet issued this Hanukkah by the IDF described the Jewish revolt against Hellenistic rule. It included a section named “The Festival of Jewish Heroism,” which included an article and a quiz on the Jewish struggle against Hellenistic rule. In a picture accompanying it, the Dome of the Rock mosque had been edited out.
This can be seen in the “before” and “after” pictures reproduced above. The “before” shows the actual situation, with the Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall Esplanade. The “after,” which was taken from the pamphlet, shows only the Western Wall Esplanade. The Military Rabbinate deleted the Dome of the Rock.
The IDF Spokesman’s Office said in response to complaints that these were “absurd and biased, a fact which we can only regret; the educational packet included a photo meant to illustrate Jerusalem during the period of the Second Temple.”
On IDF Spokesman’s Office Odd Answer
The IDF Spokesman’s Office answer was odd. Looking at the picture, one can see the sumptuous houses of the modern Jewish Quarter. This is one of the four traditional quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem. It occupies the southeastern sector of the walled city, stretching from the Zion Gate in the south, along the Armenian Quarter on the west, up to the Street of the Chain in the north and extends to the Western Wall and the Temple Mount in the east. Roughly two thousand people live there. Several yeshivas and synagogues are placed in the quarter, most notably the Hurva Synagogue. The map above shows the quarter and its relative position within the Old City. The rectangular area in the tiny map of the Old City is the Temple Mount.
My point is simple. The Jewish Quarter houses seen in the Military Rabbinate pamphlet didn’t exist during the period of the Second Temple. Why didn’t the Military Rabbinate delete them as well? The picture is a picture of the future, not of the past.
Let me emphasize that such a publication must be approved by high-ranking officers. It wasn’t an error of a young military rabbi.
PSYWAR
The Cross of Bethlehem II (to be published before Easter) expands on the issue of PSYWAR. In this website, I touched on the issue in On Harassment Techniques. The pamphlet issued by the Military Rabbinate looks like a classical PSYWAR operation.
In Israel, PSYWAR became public after the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, when it became known the State of Israel used an undercover agent to brainwash the assassin before the event. Avishai Raviv was used to convey messages and manipulate Yigal Amir, the assassin. This was proven in Israeli court. Illegal surveillance and manipulation of citizens had become a reality we didn’t choose. Some of the techniques used by the state against individuals in their attempt to control civil populations and target individuals who harbour undesirable opinions or those whom the security services wish to perform certain acts are simply outrageous, opposing most liberties promised to the people.
The source of these methods is military. Military Psychological Operations, commonly known as Psychological Warfare, PSYWAR, are operations aimed to convey select information to influence the target emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and the behavior of organizations, groups, and individuals. PSYWAR is based on the understanding of the target’s motivations, beliefs, likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities. The form of communication chosen for a PSYWAR event depends heavily on the accessibility of the target. Attempting to influence the North Korean public through advertisements in Craigslist.com would probably fail. Using infiltration agents and spreading information out loud would work better, but it is difficult. Originally developed to address external enemies; PSYWAR has been willingly adapted to achieve domestic political goals. Nothing gives states the right to treat its populations like enemies. The current situation has undermined the legitimacy of modern states.
What are we seeing now? The State of Israel is distributing pictures showing the scene of the crime after the destruction the Dome of the Rock. It is distributing it to soldiers, who have access to the weapons needed to perform the crime. It is the same thing that happened with Yigal Amir when approached by Avishai Raviv, Israel’s agent. Israel seems to be hoping for what it later would be described as an “unpredictable crime,” and “an act of a wild soldier.”
Does Israel think anything but a mosque would be built if the actual site is destroyed? Yet, I fear the Israeli leadership is considering giving a try to this scenario; they personally profit from wars, and this event would bring a good one.
Galatians 4:25-26 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. Earthly Jerusalem symbolizes the Broken Covenant of the destroyed Kingdom of Israel; after two thousand years, it is time for the Jews to accept that, accept God, and renounce their indefatigable conspiracies.
Roy Tov is a former member of the Israeli Occupation Forces, who presently lives in exile. He is the author of The Cross of Bethlehem. His blog can be found at roytov.com.
Uprooted Palestinian The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this Blog!
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