I am a Jewish liberal. This means that I am in favor of religious pluralism in Israel, and I am in favor of fair treatment of Palestinians. My support of the Women of the Wall is an extension of my religious and political identity.
Yes but…
In 1967 Israel crossed over the Green Line into Jerusalem – the city that Palestinians claim as their capital – and reached the Kotel.
At the time in front of the Kotel there was room for a few hundred worshipers at most.
Within a few days of the end of the war, the Kotel Plaza was created. This large open area, that allowed for many thousands of Jews to celebrate and worship at the wall, was made possible through the demolition of hundreds of Palestinians homes.
The entire plaza was once the Arab Maghreb Quarter of the Old City.
Should we support the rights of Women of the Wall to worship at the Kotel?
Or should we avoid visiting the site of the destruction of others’ homes?
Why? Why not?
