World Jewish Congress (WJC) Vice-President Rabbi Marc Schneier defended Israel against a diatribe by Palestinian Autority’s chief Islamic judge, Sheikh Taysir al-Tamimi, who told an interfaith forum in Doha that Israel was "illegally occupying" and "Judaizing" Jerusalem.
Schneier said that "Jerusalem represents Jewish hopes and dreams. For millennia, we have prayed toward Jerusalem. We pray at the Western Wall, we mourn the destruction of our Temple 2,000 years ago, and we tell each other 'Next year in Jerusalem."
He added that "Jerusalem has always been the capital of the Jewish state, ancient or modern. It is therefore an insult to all of us to accuse us of illegally occupying the city.
"At the same time, he said, "we respect that Jerusalem is a holy place for Christians and Muslims as well. We know that the status of Jerusalem is at the forefront of peace talks, but denying the other side's right to be there is wrong and counter-productive."
The 8th Doha Conference of interfaith dialogue opened on Tuesday in the in the Gulf Emirate of Qatar.