"The percentage of Christians in the Israeli population has steadily declined due to the immigration of Jews from all over the world. However, the absolute number of Christians has increased as Christians have entered Israel from Europe or areas in the Middle East. The Christian population of Israel has grown from 34,000 in 1949 to about 140,000 today. Israeli law provides for freedom of religion and religious communities have legal authority in matters such as marriage and divorce. Some Christians live in Israel because that is where Jesus lived and the central events of Christianity took place. Some maintain the Christian holy sites and keep them open and accessible to all. They are welcomed by Israel and there is no friction with Jewish residents. However, some Christians have come to Israel as aggressive missionaries and that is not welcome, giving rise to restrictive laws. Despite pro-Arab claims, however, there is no evidence of Jewish persecution of Christians in Israel." http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_current_christians.php http://www.c4israel.org/articles/Summer2006/html/A%20muslim%20in%20Jewish%20land.html

My last post did not pass moderation - but here are some links of Muslims praying at the Temple Mount. http://images.google.com/images?q=muslims+praying+at+al+aqsa+mosque&hl=en&btnG=Search+Images Can you imagine the situation being reversed, Jews in a Muslim country. How about in Saudi, Iran or even "moderate" Egypt? How about Syria? What about Jerusalem prior to 1967.

"Israel is home to Islam's third holiest site or shrine after those in Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia: The Haram al Sharif (Temple Mount) from which Muslims believe that Muhammad ascended to Heaven. This belief, not only by Israeli Muslims, but by all Muslims, raises the importance of the Dome of the Rock and the adjacent Al-Aqsa Mosque. They are therefore particularly sensitive to, and at times incensed by, that this site is under the control of the Jewish state of Israel. Israeli government officials understand the challenges they face in this regard and it can probably be said that Muslims are given complete freedom of worship and their mosques and holy sites are granted extra measures of protection as in the case of the Temple Mount which officially remains under the control of the Islamic Waqf, the Muslim administrative body currently responsible for the area of the Temple Mount."

You are indede worthy of praise and support. Remain stong my friend. Thank you for your support.

But I was talking about facts on the ground and not about axtracts from the Israeli Foreign Ministry, or some other propaganda website which fails to mention that by building a wall around the west bank, all its residents (moslems and christians) are not allowed free entry to jerusalem where they could practice their religious freedom.

To #28 you think that would be better? So no Jews or Christians would be able to go to the holy sites, for fear of being murdered or banner altogether. That would be 2 major religions not being able to go instead of one, by far the lesser or two evil's maybe if the Palestinians were a bit more comprimising it could be better.

Why dont you point out the errors in my statements rather than dismiss them as propaganda? :) Ah, if the facts do not match your revisionist ideas, it must be propaganda!! I got those writings from the reality, from facts on the ground and also from encyclopedias. Jews are not permitted to go up to the Al Aqsa Mosuqe. Jews have had stoned from Muslims on the Temple Mount while they prayed at the Western Wall below. Need I say more? By building a security fence around the Judea and Samarra, Israel has successfully stopped hundereds of mass murderers. That is a fact, not propaganda. If there were no attacks on Israel, there would be no need to build an ugly and expensive fence that nobody wants, it is there because it is nessessary. Jews, Muslims and Christians all get checked at checkpoints. Recently an Arab "Palestinian" man dressed as a religious Jew blew himself up - everyone is checked. We do not ask for your religion before you are checked for explosives. The fence does, however, seperate the majority Jewish population from the majority Arab population that is trying to murder them. How you can spout about lack of religious freedom in Israel is beyond me, as if I could walk into ramalah dressed as a religious Jew without being lynched. As if Arabs have ever, in their entire history - including your "golden-age" have given Jewish people true equaelity, the right to vote, to form political parties, to manage their own religious buildings. http://victorhanson.com/articles/thornton042606PF.html

I have no Idea what you mean and you have definately mis-understood what I wrote. I think it would be far worse if Muslims today were in control of Jerusalem. Israel is also not preventing Muslims, from praticing their religion. There are security precautions that have to be made in light of the current situation, however Muslims can pratice their religion freely. If Muslims were in control, using heindsight I feel that Jewish people, nor Christians would be able to freely pratice their religion, especially not any of the other groups that appreciate their freedom in Israel such as the Bahai religion.

Please excuse my typos, the biggist of which is: "Jews have had stones thrown at them from the Temple Mount, by Muslims, while they prayed at the Western Wall below. Need I say more? " My point being, if Muslims were so repressed as you are making out; so repressed that they can not even pratice their religion, how could the y get away with stoning Jews who are peacefully praying at the most sacred place to Jewish people in the entire world? Such an event would never have occured. The reality is that Israel cuts Muslims, in particular, a huge ammount of slack. You would expect that religious leaders that demand the death of the Jews would not be permitted to preach inside Israel, but we put up with it. (It happens so often all over the place, we are numbed to it. Whats the big deal if they shout it out in Jerusalem or Hebron?)

Memri: George Kattan discusses the discrimination against Christians in the Arab countries today, describing their deteriorating status and diminishing numbers in comparison with previous eras in the region's history. He warns that the Christian population of the region may vanish as Christians emigrate to the West rather than tolerate the backwardness and tyranny of their home countries. Further, he calls upon the Christian communities to stay put and fight for democracy and human rights in their own countries.

Well Steven, if you have a strong point you don't have to write a lot to make it clear. Building the wall did not stop the last blast in Tel Aviv, did it? It would never stop anything from happening, except showing the ugly face of the occupation, which it does splendidly around the world (your free world, the one you think accepts Israel as a member). If the Palestinians got their rights, including the right of worship in their own country, do you think they would kill anyone? Do you really think they are savages with no respect to human life, and that they kill for fun? If you are convinced of this twisted idea then there is no need for this discussion anyway. Jews not entering the Al-aqsa Mosque? Who told you so? They are not allowed to perform religious practices there, and that according to their Rabbis, not due to Moslem control, because it is forbidden for a jew as far as I know to walk around unless they determine where the sacred alter is according to jewish tradition. No jew is allowed to walk on it or its position, but I don't know to which jewish stream you belong. Everybody gets checked at checkpoints, that's true, but some are then allowed to pass freely, and others are told to go back from where they came, that's a huuuuuge difference. You walking in Ramallah? I can give you the names of tens of jews who came to Ramallah to have a drink and dance in one of its discos, or smoke argileh in its cafes prior to the year 2000, and Mr. Sharon's intimidating visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque (is he a jew or not?). Last but not least, Jews have had far more rights under Arab rule in their history, than in any European country, and if you deny that, then ask your Jewish Morrocan friends if you have any or the Djerba Tunisians why they are still living there instead of coming to Palestine?

Sam's lie #1: "Building the wall did not stop the last blast in Tel Aviv, did it? It would never stop anything from happening" It didn't that time, but it did many times before and still is. You never hear about prevented terrorist attacks, but they by far outnumber those that are not. Sam shows his vile and ugly nature "except showing the ugly face of the occupation, which it does splendidly around the world (your free world, the one you think accepts Israel as a member). " There is nothing needed to say about this disgusting propaganda rhetoric. It speaks for itself as to Sam's true nature. Sam's Lie #2 :If the Palestinians got their rights, including the right of worship in their own country, do you think they would kill anyone?" Palestinian Arabs in Israel have every right to worship. Palestinian Arabs outside Israel have every right to worship. But technically they don't have their own country, because they rejected it's creation. "Right to worship" is not what they are after. Only a naive or a duplicitious, anti-Semitic fool would suggest that. Sam's Lie #3: "Jews not entering the Al-aqsa Mosque? Who told you so? They are not allowed to perform religious practices there, and that according to their Rabbis, not due to Moslem control, because it is forbidden for a jew as far as I know to walk around unless they determine where the sacred alter is according to jewish tradition. No jew is allowed to walk on it or its position, but I don't know to which jewish stream you belong. " Non-Muslims are NOT allowed in that Mosque since 1970s. Period. Sam's Lie #4: "You walking in Ramallah? I can give you the names of tens of jews who came to Ramallah to have a drink and dance in one of its discos, or smoke argileh in its cafes prior to the year 2000, and Mr. Sharon's intimidating visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque (is he a jew or not?). " Sharon never set foot in the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Established fact. That was the propaganda used to initiate the Intifada. Apparently, Sam still didn't get the memo. Now interestingly, even if Sharon did, that would only work against Sam's point that Jews can visit the mosque, because we all know what followed after this supposed visit. So even lying doesn't help Sam's case.

It's mostly Arab Muslims who are sparking Anti Senitism all over the world. Something has to be done about this.

An excellent article. Perhaps more mindboggling is how Palestinian refugees are able to finance and organize their own team in a foreign country. As Chileans, should they not respect their new homeland and interact with Chilean society by playing for Chilean teams? I am curious if Palestino would allow Jews and Christians living in Chile to play for them. My understanding is that teams in professional sport are ogranized by city or town, not by racial or ethnic background. Insulting Jews or any religion is racism. Forming your own homogenous teams is equally discriminatory and should not be allowed.

Do you want to remain in the dark forever? Use that head of yours.