US Slams Palestinian Nonsensical Claims, But Ignores Underlying Reality

It's nice the Obama Administration recognizes the craziness of Palestinian Authority claims that Jews do not have any historical claims to the Western Wall and Temple Mount.

The State Department said the US rejects the claim as "factually incorrect, insensitive and highly provocative." Spokesman P.J. Crowley said statements of that kind damage US efforts to revive stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and could incite violence.

"We have repeatedly raised with the Palestinian Authority leadership the need to consistently combat all forms of de-legitimization of Israel, including denying historic Jewish connections to the land," he told reporters.

"As the United States has long maintained, the status of Jerusalem must be resolved in final status negotiations between the parties," Crowley said. "We recognize that Jerusalem is a deeply important issue to Israelis and Palestinians, to Jews, to Muslims and to Christians everywhere."

Last week, a senior Palestinian official endorsed a study stating that the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, is Muslim property and has no link to Judaism. The study has drawn fierce criticism in Israel but Al-Mutawakil Taha, deputy Palestinian information minister, said the document is the official position of the Palestinian Authority.

That bit about damaging the peace process is typical diplomatic speak. The truth is that these claims show exactly how and why Israel lacks a partner in the peace process and that until Palestinians accept Israel and a Jewish state at that, there will be no peace. The US can't broker a peace deal when one side - the Palestinians - refuse Israel's very existence and rights to the land.

As this is the official position of the Palestinian Authority it shows that the Palestinians are interested only in revisionist history to suit their propaganda purposes and de-legitimize more than 3,000 years of Jewish ties to Israel and Jerusalem.

What this shows is that despite the overwhelming evidence against Israel having a partner in peace, the US diplomatic corps will continue engaging in pseudoreality to try to keep a nonexistent peace process alive. It's time for the US and the rest of the world to stop with the charade and expose the Palestinian Authority for what it is - and that includes it not operating with the best interests of Palestinians in mind either.