Palestinians pull claim to Western Wall after U.S. State Department objects
Following condemnation from the U.S. State Department and others, the
Palestinian government has pulled a report stating that Jews have no
historic connection to the Western Wall.
The study, which was
prepared by Al-Mutawakel Taha, a well-known writer and official with the
Palestinian Ministry of Information, stated that the Western Wall—the
holiest site in Judaism—is actually part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex,
Islam's third holiest site.
On November 30, the U.S. State
Department called the report "factually incorrect, insensitive and
highly provocative." A State Department spokesman said his agency had
"repeatedly" told the Palestinian Authority to "consistently combat all
forms of delegitimization of Israel, including denying historic Jewish
connections to the land."
