JERUSALEM —A long-running battle over worship at the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest shrine, was rejoined Thursday as Israeli police arrested five Jewish women who wore prayer shawls at a morning service, contrary to Orthodox practice enforced at the site.
The arrests came two days after disclosure of a potentially groundbreaking plan that could allow for non-Orthodox services to be held in the area on an equal footing with those conducted according to Orthodox tradition.
President Obama is in a very delicate international situation right now as Palestine prepares to ask the UN to recognize its statehood. The United States will vote against this measure in the UN Security Council and in doing so, will piss off most of the Arab nations. However, Palestinian Statehood must come about through peaceful negotiations with Israel, not a UN decree.
Meanwhile, candidates Romney and Perry really need to back off political commentary during this critical period. There cannot be two or three heads of state. Both men, embolden by a recent win in NY-9, are obviously pandering to the normally democratic Jewish vote in an attempt to lure votes away for the Republicans. The posturing needs to stop until these negotiations are over. Further instability in the middle east is not needed so Romney and Perry can pick up a few more votes.
