but Palestinians who were born there and whose ancestors have lived there since time immemorial are barred. What a country!

Yerushalayim is not for sale. Thanks MBD

reality. If you believe they are not going to attempt conversions of Jews you should plug the leak in your head. G-d gave Israel to the Jews. G-d didn't say the Jews owned Israel until the Romans came or until the Greeks came, G-d gave Israel to the Jews FOREVER. Other cults may come along and claim parts of Israel and make irrational arguments that come to "We stole it last," but Israel will always belong to the Jews. If some people were not so filled with hate, not so dedicated to stealing all of Israel from the Jews, they could come and visit just like the civilized people of the world who love being tourists in the land of the Jews.

Learn the history of Israel stupid! http://www.sullivan-county.com/id3/palestine.htm

To begin with I am a Jew and although I am not religious I follow and attend an Orthodox synagogue. Yizhak should learn some manners. Didn't he have a mother? Is he from New York? Doesn't he get out much? And doesn't he know any Mormons? He could check this stuff out. Mormons are good friends of the Jews and of the State of Israel. We can not alienate them. First of all Mormons don't do pilgrimages--that's the medieval Christians in general or their modern counterparts the Evangelicals. There are others in other countries too--Florence, Provence, Paris, etc. The advantage of not doing pilgrimages is that we also don't have to do crusades or pogroms. If you do one, you have a tendency to do the others--or that's what history teaches us anyway. The program at BYU is one of several "Study Abroad" courses offered by the Church's universities. It's not a religious devotional journey for the purpose of saving one's soul or fulfilling a vow or obtaining a plenary indulgence. It's a university course given on site in an interesting and stimulating place. It's a bit of an adventure, a holiday, a course for credits towards a degree, and a vacation all wrapped in one--and usually Dad pays for it. And of course, it's in Jerusalem where there are always spiritual things to be felt and seen and experienced; but not a pilgrimage! And if someone is respected as a prophet by the adherents of a religion, I don't think "dubbed" is too polite. Is it a verb a believing Jew would use with Moses? He doesn't have to accept the prophet himself, but he should perceive that others do and have some respect for that. And then after showing no respect for President Hinckley, he does a half-turn and puts down all members of the Church who like mindless sectarians "follow his orders with no objections". That's real efficiency. He manages to insult a religious leader and condescendingly demean all of his fellow members as mindless brain-washed sectarians in one short sentence. It's a sort of perverse talent--or else he's plagiarizing the old anti-Mormon literature. That's usually the province of the right wing American protestants. We don't usually see it from Jewish commentators. Maybe Yizhak is a Baptist in disguise? Also Mormon is a nickname we don't mind so much, but a journalist worth his salt will use the full name of the Church in the first reference to it in an article. So this is not more poor upbringing in the home, it's poor journalist training. He also can't spell intifada (also Intefadah or Intifadah; from انتفاضة intifāḍah "shaking ...) He took two swings at it and missed both times even though there's three acceptable anglicizations and one Arabic transliteration. Maybe I'm too hard on the boy? Is he an amateur? Is this just a neighbourhood blog?

When was it founded and by whom? What were its borders? What was its capital? What were its major cities? What constituted the basis of its economy? What was its form of government? Can you name at least one Palestinian leader before Arafat? Was Palestine ever recognized by a country whose existence, at that time or now, leaves no room for interpretation? What was the language of the country of Palestine? What was the prevalent religion of the country of Palestine? What was the name of its currency? Choose any date in history and tell what was the approximate exchange rate of the Palestinian monetary unit against the US dollar, German mark, GB pound, Japanese yen, or Chinese yuan on that date. Have they left any artifacts behind? Do you know of a library where one could find a work of Palestinian literature produced before 1967? And, finally, since there is no such country today, what caused its demise and when did it occur?

Why are the Mormon students competing for space at Hebrew University, if they are already at Brigham Young University in Jerusalem? Unclear.

you are da dude

Your list of questions show wilful ignorance. You might not be in love with the Palestinian leadership but a list of stupid questions to try and prove your point only proves the point that that live in deep and abiding ignorance. Have they let artifacts behind? What was the language? Come off it, Da Dude - you ought to be ashamed to show off your ignorance. "Do you know of a library where one could find a work of Palestinian literature produced before 1967?" What a waste of time and space you are.

righteous gentiles are always welcome in israel.

the questions r great u just cant find any answers cause u got an empty head try to find one and get help from ellen u too make a great pair of assholes trust me i know one when i see one

the same qustions. should be asked by the other side (palastinian), in our history books we know exactly who they are, where they come from, and what do they want. but they are ignoring all of our rights, history and so. open a school book of their childrens and look what is written, open the terroists "agenda" and look what is written. they even not mentioned that the holiest place in the world for jews is jerusalem. they don't mentioned that th jews sat here a long before them, they don't care of anything. the questiones of "da-dude" are right, because we know about them but they don't want to know anything about us, for example: http://www.edume.org/reports/1/toc.htm http://www.teachkidspeace.org/doc121.php what do you think now?

You said "u too make a great pair of assholes". Great intellectual comment. so I suppose you too are so immersed in your own prejudice and wilful ignorance that you believe no Palestinian wrote a book until 1967. The level of the discussion started by Da dude and continued by you is so ridiculous that you'd both be chucked out of any primary school. I repeat, Da dude insinuates not very subtly that Paestlans have no language, have no culture, have no civilisation, have no body politic, have nothing worth talking about. I would also repeat - you should be ashamed of yourselves for repeating old canards which were used against Jews in Europe a few decades ago. This constant attempt to denigrate your opponent (you live in Canada?) is simply an own goal on your part. You can argue until you are blue in the face, until your veins pop - but it will not detract from the reality that a Palestinian nation exists and that Palestinians lived on the land until the great catastrophes of 48 and 67. I believe you will also find that hte Israeli foreign ministry studies Palestinian texts, documents, social history etc. Obviously then, according to you and Da Manyuk, the Israeli state is wasting many resources studying something which actually does not exist. Have a lovely weekend.

The fact is that you have decided to play at the same ridiculous game long ago. Israeli textbooks, literature, history is full of racist depictions of "the Arabs", and if you are worried that Israel doesn't appear on Palestinian maps, then where does Palestine appear on Israeli maps? Where do the eradicated Palestinian villages appear? Are there signposts within Israel to these bulldozed villages? Is Islam portrayed in Israeli textbooks in a neutral manner. Every single one of your accusation can be levelled against Israel and worse. I remember walking into Jaffa and reading a plaque on the wall about how Jaffa was liberated in 1948 (yes, liberated from whom, if the Palestinians are no more than a figment of our imagination) and mentioned that it was first resettled by "primitive Bulgarian Jews". Oh, it's really Kafka-land and had mine own eyes not read the plaque I wouldn't have believed it. It seems to me that before you start throwing out these racist value judgments, you should look at your own community and the way you (whoever you are) consider treating the original inhabitants of the country. As Ben Gurion said, it is by the way that Israel treats its minorities that it will be judged - as with most countries of the world they are judged by the way they treat the least "privileged" members of their society. So I suppose now you'll start calling for the elimination of gypsies in the Czech republic because you think they wrote no literature or the Bosnian Moslems... Quite honestly, it is really comforting to think that so many of the people posting here have positions of absolute zero power and influence because if they did Fox News would have a more difficult job doing the dirty PR for more racist regimes.

Israel should practice freedom of religion and not ban prostelyting. What a load of crap, restricting people from sharing they're beliefs. Sounds like a cult when you can't listen to other beliefs. Also(to the author), Nice phrases you use in your article, i.e.;"dubbed", and "his orders with no objection". You need to show more respect for mormons, those are disrespectful terms. Pres. Hinkley is president of the church and a prophet. Its members choose to following him and he doesn't give orders, God does. Its no wonder most countries are in the dark ages still. God sent us to this earth with free agency, countries should wake up and quit taking away the rights of its citizens from the freedom to choose, the inalieable right given by God to choose what and whom they want.

The Mormons are NOT considered "Christian" by those of us in the evangelical church. They have an agenda other than coming in the pretense of supporting Israel.....believe me.

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This church is now the 4th largest church in the United States. It is not a small sect as ignorantly stated in the article. I personally have great respect for the Jewish community and expect reciprocating respect. My wife and I have visited 41 countries in our travels. Our visit to Israel is our favorite. In fact, we plan to visit again soon. We teach our five children from the scriptures daily. Our children love the old testament scriptures. This is part of their life. As our family gets older we plan to take our family to tour Israel. We have been welcomed by many wonderful people in Israel in the past and will be welcome again on our next visit. The member of our church love and support the people and land of Israel.

"Your list of questions show wilful ignorance. " You are right, I am 'ignorant' of ancient palestinian history. I am asking simple questions, and trying to get answers. But currently no one has answered them with anything except with responses like yours. " You might not be in love with the Palestinian leadership" That is to put it FAR TOO MILDLY "but a list of stupid questions to try and prove your point only proves the point that that live in deep and abiding ignorance. " So since I'm so ignorant, and your so knowlegeable, answer the questions. If you can? "Have they let artifacts behind? What was the language? Come off it, Da Dude -" So what was the official language of ancient 'palestine' and what artifacts did they leave behind? It's an easy question answer them and the others aswell. " you ought to be ashamed to show off your ignorance." I am in search of answers, so give them to me. I have nothing to be ashamed of when in the search of the truth. You on the other hand find knowledge and facts to be something ashamed. It seems to speak greatly of the current British society. ""Do you know of a library where one could find a work of Palestinian literature produced before 1967?" What a waste of time and space you are. " So prove me a waste by ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS! It's amazing that people whenever it comes to answering these always attack these questions. But yet seemingly cannot answer them. These are VERY SIMPLE questions to answer of a society. Why are you afraid to answer them? Why can't you answer them? Why do you refuse to answer them? Why do you instead of answering them, do you go off on a superiority complex driven diatribe denouncing me, when you in your post have done nothing to prove your claims that I am ignorant, a 'waste of time and space' and etc. Simply answer the questions, your simply a waste of skin for the fact that you assume that these questions are self evident, because if they were they wouldn't need to be answered. "

"so I suppose you too are so immersed in your own prejudice and wilful ignorance that you believe no Palestinian wrote a book until 1967." So where are these great literatures, name some authors, and etc. "The level of the discussion started by Da dude and continued by you is so ridiculous that you'd both be chucked out of any primary school." Ahh yes, becuase YOU SAY SO, right? Your using an arguement only heard in primrary school. It's true because you say so. "I repeat, Da dude insinuates not very subtly that Paestlans have no language, have no culture, have no civilisation, have no body politic, have nothing worth talking about." So what makes a palestinian in nablus different liguistically, culturally, by it's civisational standard, type of politics from an arab in saudi arabia, syria, morrocco and etc? "I would also repeat - you should be ashamed of yourselves for repeating old canards which were used against Jews in Europe a few decades ago. " No, the old canards agaisnt Jews were that they ruled the world, banks, and etc. No ever questioned a Jewish ethnicity. They even forced upon those who were Jewish by the fact of bloodline. In the case of Europe they had forced upon Jews a completely different ethnicity. Much like England when it threw out it's Jews. "You can argue until you are blue in the face, until your veins pop - but it will not detract from the reality that a Palestinian nation exists and that Palestinians lived on the land until the great catastrophes of 48 and 67. " So again it must be asked about this nation; What was the name of its currency? Choose any date in history and tell what was the approximate exchange rate of the Palestinian monetary unit against the US dollar, German mark, GB pound, Japanese yen, or Chinese yuan on that date.? And the rest are in post 8 above. I must also ask if the palestinian nation exists why does no one recognize it, if by your revised history, it existed in 1948 and before? "I believe you will also find that hte Israeli foreign ministry studies Palestinian texts, documents, social history etc. " That is true, but it is only studied from 1967 till today, Explain?

"The fact is that you have decided to play at the same ridiculous game long ago. Israeli textbooks, literature, history is full of racist depictions of "the Arabs"," Which ones? or are you just going to generalize everything about Israel and every Israeli? "and if you are worried that Israel doesn't appear on Palestinian maps," I'm not "then where does Palestine appear on Israeli maps? Where do the eradicated Palestinian villages appear? Are there signposts within Israel to these bulldozed villages?" You mean the villages that they left in the hopes that the invading arab armies wouldn't perpetrate genocide on them by accident? I don't know I don't care. It's the same to all the Jewish villages in north africa and the fertile crecent, they were demolished and there isn't a sign of them anymore, yet nobody takes a damn about them. "Is Islam portrayed in Israeli textbooks in a neutral manner. Every single one of your accusation can be levelled against Israel and worse. " Really? Prove it. "I remember walking into Jaffa and reading a plaque on the wall about how Jaffa was liberated in 1948 (yes, liberated from whom, if the Palestinians are no more than a figment of our imagination) and mentioned that it was first resettled by "primitive Bulgarian Jews"." Which street? "It seems to me that before you start throwing out these racist value judgments, you should look at your own community and the way you (whoever you are) consider treating the original inhabitants of the country." So could you please tell me about English treatment of the Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Indians, and where ever the hell you colonized? "As Ben Gurion said, it is by the way that Israel treats its minorities that it will be judged - as with most countries of the world they are judged by the way they treat the least "privileged" members of their society. " 1. The arabs in Judea & Samaria and Gaza have no Israeli citizenship and have no rights in Israel. 2. Considering that arabs are in pretty much every part of the society, I'd say they are doing pretty damn well. Better than an Irishman in Britain. "So I suppose now you'll start calling for the elimination of gypsies in the Czech republic because you think they wrote no literature or the Bosnian Moslems..." Czech = Gypsy, and you obviously know nothing of Balkan history. "Quite honestly, it is really comforting to think that so many of the people posting here have positions of absolute zero power and influence because if they did Fox News would have a more difficult job doing the dirty PR for more racist regimes. " Don't The Vast Right Wing and Zionists Conspiracy (TVRWZC) will get you later!!!!!

Reading the majority of these talkbacks allows me to see that most of you people don't practice your own religions very well. I have yet to read in any religious text the part where it says "bitterly and blindly hate all religions that are not your own." If we all practiced our own religion, there would be a lot less hatred in the world. Or you can continue to be miserable and hate filled. I think I will choose happy and tolerant.

Bunnie - my extended family is Jewish and I attended the BYU Study Abroad in Jerusalem for 5 months. Your views on Mormons trying to convert Israelis are as baseless as the belief that Jews stole the Holy Land from the Muslims. We were taught strictly to do no preaching or even answering questions about our church. Doing so would result in expulsion from the program. Don't listen to me or any other Mormon if you don't want to, go ahead and ask Rabbi Rosen who lives in Israel and was the chief Rabbi of Ireland and South Africa about us. He lectured at the center. Or better yet call the Israeli ambassador or the Mayor of Jerusalem who visited us repeatedly. But I have found that truth is rarely adhered to and that emotions typically rule us. That said, I hope the hate in your heart for us melts away and you realize that we are your friends and not your enemies.

Yeah, and Christ will not consider those that as friends who say they knew him too. Their lips say they know him but their hearts are far from him...

I was a student at BYU's Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies and delighted studied the faith and culture of my Jewish and Islamic brethren. Such understanding has enriched my dialogue and perceptions when interacting with friends of these faiths. Ours is a religion (not a sect or cult)of following one of your own in the middle east, Jesus Christ, who Isaiah prophesied would be the "Prince of Peace." With regards to "stealing Israel", be careful with your assumptions. In On October 24, 1841, Orson Hyde an Apostle in our faith, dedicated the land of Palestine for the return of the Jews, from atop the Mount of Olives. The first Aliyah took place in 1882. The Church built and donated a memorial garden to the city of Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives in the 1980s to commemorate with Mayor Teddy Kolleck, a friend. While we believe that the Land of Israel is destined for the re-gathering of the Jews, we also believe that God intends no atrocities to accompany it. The return of the Jews does not preclude Palestinians from also living in the Holy Land. The battles among the Jews and the Palestinians have been tragic, and by no means mandated by God. We love and honor each people for their righteous living of their religion, and their efforts to live peaceably with one another.

That's OK, Pattie, "Mormons" don't have to consider evangelicals Christian either. As a Latter-day Saint (i.e., "modern Christian") I would like you to know that I believe in Jesus, but the only person whose opinion of my Christianity really matters to me is Jesus of Nazareth.

Yes, and He similarly says in Matthew 7 "not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." The key to our discussion though comes earlier in that chapter: "judge not, that ye be not judged." Let's call a truce and agree to let the Lord judge us.

How nasty you sounded Bunnie Honey. LDS is a religion. I'm sure glad your not a "Judge in Israel".