It’s a common error in the media that HonestReporting has got corrected on numerous occasions – the misconception that Jerusalem’s Western Wall is Judaism’s holiest site.
In fact, the holiest site in the world for Jews is the Temple Mount, the location of the First and Second Jewish Temples.
For the last several hundred years, Jews have prayed at the Western Wall because it was the closest accessible place to Judaism’s holiest site and is the holiest site that Jews are allowed to pray. (It is forbidden for Jews to pray on the Temple Mount in order to maintain the delicate status quo on the site that is administered by the Muslim Waqf. This in addition to conflicting interpretations of Jewish law as to whether prayer is allowed there today.)
The error is important as it reinforces Palestinian efforts to delegitimize Jewish historical ties to the Temple Mount.
It’s disturbing then to see Peter Beaumont, an experienced journalist for The Guardian, make this error not once but three times (so far) in the space of two days.
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We’ve requested corrections from The Guardian. Not only is this a factual error but, particularly in the week where we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem after the Six-Day War, it is important that the media and the world understand the Jewish connection to the city and its holy sites.
Photo by Sebi Berens/Flash90.
