N.Y. Congressmen Attacked in Rock-Throwing While Touring Desecrated Jerusalem Cemetery
- Posted on February 25, 2012 at 4:04pm by
Sharona Schwartz
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From left, Malcolm Hoenlein, Rabbi Menachem Lubinsky, and Reps. Eliot Engel, Jerrold Nadler at Mount of Olives (Photo: Jewish Press)
Two U.S. congressmen viewing acts of vandalism that marred a historic Jewish cemetery in Jerusalem nearly became victims themselves to the violence they had come to see.
Visiting the ancient Mount of Olives cemetery on Friday, a group that included Reps. Eliot Engel and Jerrold Nadler, both New York Democrats, was attacked by an unidentified man who threw a large “baseball-sized” rock at the group, nearly hitting Nadler, Nadler’s spokesman said.
Photo from Arutz 7
Nadler’s spokesman John Doty told City and State:
“He’s fine. No one was hurt,” Doty said. “I think they were waiting for their bus, and then a rock was thrown…and then Israeli police officers chased the person away. They didn’t catch them. Then they got on the bus and left.”
Engel confirmed the story in a statement:
“As we were about to board the bus at the conclusion of our visit, I heard a rock hit a car about 100 feet from us. I saw police jump out of their vehicle to ensure our safety. I don’t know if the rocks were thrown at us or at the police. All I know is we heard a thud and later someone brought over the rock. We were told that incidents happen like this all the time, but it is disconcerting to actually have been a part of it.”
Nadler’s spokesman disputed an earlier report in The Jewish Press which stated that the group was attacked by a “rock-throwing Arab mob.”
Reps. Engel and Nadler describe their experience in this video from Israel National TV:
The group including Jewish American leaders was visiting the Mount of Olives cemetery just outside the Old City of Jerusalem which has been subjected to repeated acts of Arab vandalism.
The Jewish Press’ Managing Editor Yishai Fleisher, who guided the tour around the vandalized spots, told his newspaper:
“The attack the congressmen faced is part of the day-in day-out reality of Jewish communities who live in proximity to the ancient Jewish cemetery at the Mount of Olives and that is what we need to fight. However, when people ask me whether we are scared to live here, I tell them that while there is danger, it does not have to translate into fear. The enemies of Jewish rights in Jerusalem use terror as a tactic to keep us away. But we will not bow to the bullying.”
The incident in which the congressmen found themselves occurred on the same day Israeli police clashed with hundreds of Palestinians throwing rocks after Muslim prayers at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site.
One recent case of vandalism at the cemetery was recorded by security cameras in November. The Arab man seen toppling over Jewish tombstones in the video below was found guilty and sentenced to three months in prison for desecrating the cemetery. He told police he received 1,000 NIS ($370) to vandalize the cemetery, according to Israel National News. In response to the increased vandalism, the Israel Police decided in January to open a police station to guard against grave desecration and stoning of mourners and tourists, as the congressmen witnessed firsthand.
A public meeting was called for Saturday night in Jerusalem including members of Knesset, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon and Malcolm Hoenlein of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in order to address the recent acts of Mount of Olives desecration.
According to the International Committee for the Preservation of Har Hazeitim [Mount of Olives], the cemetery is 3,000 years old and holds 150,000 graves, including the final resting sites of the prophets Zechariah, Haggai and Malachi, leading rabbis, and former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
Though it is unknown who was behind the rock-throwing or who paid the November vandal caught on tape, Palestinians and their supporters frequently deny the Jewish connection to Jerusalem and other locations in Israel. Examples include rebranding Jewish holy sites as Muslim, denying the Jewish Temple ever existed in Jerusalem, and identifying Jesus as a Palestinian. Erasing the Jewish connection to the Mount of Olives can only serve the political efforts to bolster the Palestinian claim to the Jerusalem, while challenging Israel’s.
Watch the November surveillance camera that captured a vandal in action:
h/t: Israel Matzav
This story has been updated with new photo and video of the congressmen.
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Comments (101)
Magyar
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 6:50pmSee how brazen the world has become? THis is what happens when you govern from a position of weakness! AND that’s Obumler for sure! A Failure!
Report Post »asybot12
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 7:36pmYes and add to that the violence after the Koran incident in Afghanistan. What would have happened if one of the Americans would have thrown the rock back?. The foreign policy the last few years, the continuously trying to appease and “communicate” with these people is a lost cause. No matter what the so called peace loving Muslims say. Their radical leaders will kill their own if they do not follow their laws and I mean this all over the world. This is WWIII on a completely different level!! It will be fought with currency, oil, in cyberspace and ACLU type court cases, corruption and killings. Just try to tell me what the heck happened to the terrorist at Fort Hood ? Not a peep out of the justice department and now our justice system is allowing Sharia law to be used IN THE USA!!! What is happening to the Constitution??
Report Post »jhaydeng
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 7:49pmRocks hrown at Democraps? Must be a misprint!
Report Post »Grey Eagle
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 9:52pmMuslims want respect? Then they should show respect for others instead of riding rough shod over everyone who does not agree with them. I hope girls here in the US is not stupid enough to marry one of them.
Report Post »silentwatcher
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 12:30amMaybe Hillary Clinton can have the perps appologize to the the congressman. She’s REALLY good at that kind of thing…..
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 2:04amArab Mob? Before WWI, was not this area… of Syria, under the Turkish Caliphate?
Report Post »StonyBurk
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 9:53amAnd some Muslim Officer says they willnot be appeased by apologies for the burning of their Koran until they burn the White House.But their Brother is there organizing the surrender. And our local high school sings there is no truth but Allah because it sounds neat in foreign tongue. and I see the Islamic followers of Allah have carried out some 18,477 and counting deadly attacks since 9-11-01 while we Americans remain in the supine watching TV as our officials bow before ALLAH.
Report Post »Ayla_me
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 11:04amWe MUST stand with Isreal! Dear Lord Jesus, help us!!
Report Post »texanpatriot
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 6:47pmI am pretty sure that if Obama would apologize to the terrorists in Hamas this would never happen again.
The grovelling and apology in Afghanistan seem to be working wonders. Carter could not have done it better…
I can wait until November to dump this ROOKIE and his whole crowd. I hope we can also elect two conservative Senators here. I for one an sick of the two ineffective liberals we have now (Kay Bailey is not running again thank God).
Report Post »MidWestMom
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 6:44pmI’m still trying to figure out how “peaceful” equates with throwing rocks at people.
Report Post »disenlightened
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 6:42pmOkay, rock throwing is not a good thing. Especially when crazed Muslims are doing it. But, I was secretly hoping to read that knucklehead Jerrold Nadler might have took one in the cranium.
Report Post »carbonyes
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 9:42pmNadler is a nerd. Never has made a meaningful, constructive comment about anything. A rock in the head may have knocked some sense into him.
Report Post »GWillie
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 6:41pmFor the sake of Rose, a little history. There is no Palestine, there was a Palestine (spelled differently however) long ago when the Romans drove the Jews out of the land. That name didn’t survive the fall of the roman empire, the land shifted from ruler to ruler as a minor state of little note, a land of rocks and sheep. It was last held by the Ottoman Empire. When they fell after WW1 what was Arabia was divided and what we call Jordan and Israel was then the Palestinian Mandate, under the League of Nations a land that was open to settlement by both Jews and Arabs, the Arabs rejected this and attacked the Jewish settlers leading to the first 2 state solution. East of the Jordan river was now open only to Arab settlers, west was open to both Jewish and Arab settlers, the land west of the Jordan was sparsely populated, less than 1 million inhabitants. When Hitler began his “final solution” The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem volunteered and helped build an Arab SS division to fight with the Germans. They lost. With millions of displaced Jews the new UN found them a place in their historic homeland. They came, the Arabs fought and lost, and Israel was born… Now people call this land occupied and demand a second two state solution, or the return of millions to a land that only had thousands in exile, forced into exile by Arab aggression not Jewish action, there are also thousand of Jewish exiles in Israel expelled from their middle east homes but you never hear of them.
Report Post »Lucy Larue
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 7:32pmGWILLIE,
Report Post »MERCI! MERCI!
Everyone should know this. How many do?
Our own President and Secretary of State do not!
TRAGIQUE!
jwt
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 10:00pmyou need to go back to at least nebuchadnezzear to begim to understand the palestine- isreal conflict (500 bc)
Report Post »CommonSense41
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 1:45amYou are right! It is great post! Thank you.
Report Post »asybot12
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 3:34amthanks GWILLIE , great post mostly accurate but I guess besides the Romans there were Persians, Egyptians and other rulers for at least the last 4000 YES 4000 years. But keeping it simple might just work. The history and the survival of the Jewish nation is astounding but the persecution has not stopped. Look what is happening in Venezuela today from 60,000 down to only 5,000 in just the last few years thanks to the thug and his buddy from where Oh right Persia. And who says history does not repeat it self and this is not he only place it is happening again all over including Canada, the UK the US and other so called civilized nations!.
Report Post »Bronco II
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 8:22amThank you for truth I study scripture and that is how I knew you knew what was truth.Thank you very much.
Report Post »Zeke48
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 6:19pmIt’s ok he was a liberal jerk. I would throw rocks at him also.
Report Post »josh345
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 5:01pmTotally ignorant. So you’re making the assumption that all liberals are jerks? Just because people don‘t agree with you doesn’t mean that they are bad people. And also, he was clearly not a jerk because he was supporting Israel, something that most of you encourage.
Report Post »Vitalissue
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 6:02pmRosey Posy has not a clue why the land is called “Israel”
Report Post »abbygirl1994
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 5:51pmDo you think they would have thrown the rocks if they had been Republican’s???
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 7:31pmGrenades if they had them.
Report Post »UBETHECHANGE
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 5:44pmISLAMIC LIES & MYTHS by Ahmed Simon
Report Post »TheBurningTruth
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 5:40pmOne can tell it’s an election year when the Demoncrats start visiting Israel and expressing “shock and horror” as what’s been going on there for years.
It never ceases to amaze me that American Jews vote over 70% Demoncratic. I guess they’re getting what they voted for.
Report Post »Zipit
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 10:01pmBingo x2….
Report Post »Eaglesnest
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 5:25pmNadler thought the rock was a dinner roll and consumed it before it became a threat, got indigestion later on and blamed the entire sordid incident on Bush.
That is probably what really happened.
Report Post »universalphilos
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 5:24pm“Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone.”
Report Post »They all put down their stones.
Goldi
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 5:20pm“The group including Jewish American leaders was visiting the Mount of Olives cemetery just outside the Old City of Jerusalem which has been subjected to repeated acts of Arab vandalism.”
And they want us to turn over our most hallowed sites to this 5th century people?
Report Post »They werre supposed to love us. Why does obama get any marks for his foreign policy? The world is in turmoil and we will be in more peril than we ever have been, let alone what the Israelis are in. You can’t turn any territory over to these mad men, they have no idea how civilized people live.
TheObamanation
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 5:19pmI thought he was gonna fall over the edge …
Report Post »ZeroOff4impact
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 5:18pmRocks today bullets tomorrow .
Report Post »PINCHER
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 5:09pmDidn’t the congressman rush to blame themselves for the rock-throwing incident?
Report Post »Sister_Mary
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 5:00pmI guess they are SHOCKED by this .. JUST SHOCKED … just like the carpet ****** Clinton ….
Report Post »Sister_Mary
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 4:58pmHey Dems – go ask your NOBEL PEACE PRIZE winner how his love feast is going ???
Report Post »rose-ellen
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 5:05pmjerudsalem is illigally seeized land and should return to the [now called palestinians]arabs.either that or all ethnically cleansed arabs should be allowed to return to israel [properand live as israeli citizens.all arab palestinians would accept either scenario.This shows how israel is not a real enlightened democracy-there are real grievences that make living in israel precarious .The price for unjust land grab[67] and occupation./
PINCHER
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 5:12pmFeel like I need to apologize for Rose-Ellen’s incoherent and superfluously-misspelled screed. Her burqa probably doesn’t allow her to see the keyboard too well.
Report Post »Pendragon
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 5:21pmRose Sorry to bust your bubble but there is no occupation of Jerusalem..If you want to call it that then you should be willing to give up all of California to the Mexicans as well as AZ, TX,and NM Add in all land west of the Rockies then as we move east all land to the American Indians…Then you can live under their laws In a War the ones that have the upper hand no matter the case also get the land…In 1967 Israel Acquired the Land after being attacked by Jordan Syria and Egypt with the Help of Iraq and Saudi Arabia…Out Numbered 15 to 1 in people and 40 to 1 in Tanks Aircraft and Artillery on all fronts the Jews By the Miracle of G-d got the upper hand and the land Again after 2000 years was theirs in Addition to the Land they received from the British who Conquered the Turkish Empire who attacked them in World War 1 Again no occupation just the Greed and Hatred of the Muslims and the Jordainians who had a state called Palestine and never a country or people by race or ethnics So you’re lack of knowledge in history must be absolved by the fact of histroy
Report Post »GetRight
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 5:24pmhaha! Are you drunk RoseEllen? Kinda early, isn’t. Of course I don’t know where you live. It’s 5:00 somewhere, right?
Report Post »GetRight
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 5:27pmExactly right, Pendragon! I couldn’t have said it better!
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 7:43pmROSE-ELLEN is good form tonight. Haven’t stopped laughing yet. Not sure if she failed to take her meds, or has taken too much.
Report Post »carbonyes
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 9:46pmRose-Ellen, your idiotic comments concerning Israel shows your ignorance about the whole matter and your deference towards speaking untruths rather than finding out the real truth, which all too often, escapes you.
Report Post »Live_Free_orDie
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 10:58pmI think Rose Ellen is stroking out…
Report Post »pavepaws
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 4:56pmThe rifle seems useful after watching the video.
Report Post »Sister_Mary
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 4:55pmThe should have told the Congressmen to go down and talk to them .. they seem to think this is what they want .. hugs … go down Congressmen and talk to them .. I dare ya !!!! CATS !!!
Report Post »Arshloch
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 4:49pmBeing from N.Y., it would seem that the dems would be right at home with this type of action.
Report Post »Wes Hardin
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 4:46pmThe cops didn’t catch the guy because he was a Jew. That would have been very embarrassing!
Report Post »josh345
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 5:05pmOh I’m sure. That’s why he was trying to desecrate a Jewish cemetery. Makes perfect sense, right?
Report Post »Rightsofman
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 4:26pmJewish Americans for Obama – make sense?
Report Post »pavepaws
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 4:55pmIf a suppressed sniper rifle fires in a cemetary, does anyone here it?
Report Post »Thatsitivehadenough
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 6:53pmAbout as much sense as Jews for Hitler, Jews for Hamas, Jews for Palestine, Jews for Iran-gets-a-nuke, and so forth.
Report Post »mcgrawactor1
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 4:22pmThe Demorcrats are practicing the willing suspension of disbelief by ignoring the largely held world view and view most of their party holds: the Jews have no right to live and Israel is not a sovereign country. First they came for Israel, then they came for the Jews. They will soon be after you, Demoscrats! BELIEVE IT!
Report Post »Smokey_Bojangles
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 4:12pmGuess the Antisemitic forgot that the Democrats are on their side.
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 4:30pmEspecially the likes of Nadler. As for the rock thrower, talk about not being able to hit the broad side of a barn!
Report Post »texasoysterman
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 4:45pm@ RJJINGADSDEN
Report Post »I was thinking exactly the same thing! How in the h3LL could that guy have missed Nadler? My grandmother could have nailed that porker.
Claudia42
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 1:47pmYeah but isn’t Nadler Jewish? Especially one of the 78% that love Obama? Or is it down to only what….50% of American Jews that love the president .?? Muslims don’t need reasons to throw rocks or kill people, it seems to be in their DNA.
Report Post »