Please read and review this blog’s previous posts on the Possible Handover of Mt. Zion –Dovid HaMelech’s Kever to the Vatican.
Leading into where this story is holding now; Please check out this story from
Ha’Aretz;
Report: Israel to Hand Control of Jerusalem Holy Site to Vatican
Excerpt;
“President Moshe Katsav and Pope Benedict XVI are to announce the historic real estate deal during their upcoming meeting in Rome, the reports claimed.
The Foreign Ministry has dismissed the reports as ‘nonsense,’ but they have already aroused stormy reactions from religious factions warning against a change in the fragile status quo in relations among Christians, Jews and Muslims.”
Date: Sun, 06 Nov 2005 12:53:01 +0200
Subject: Disturbing update (The deal is not dead)
From: “Ellen W. H.”
To: “Save Mt. Zion”
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Apologies for a rather lengthy, but VERY VITAL update:
A lot of us breathed a semi sigh of relief last week, and declared a cautious victory after receiving official word that Katsav denied any deal with the Vatican over a room in the same building of Kever Dovid Hamelech and the Diaspora Yeshiva.
http://www.isfsp.org/zion10.html
MK Rabbi Benny Elon had lauded the news of a denial by President Katsav and a papal representative as a remarkable acheivement resulting from public pressure.
http://www.israelnn.com/print.php3?what=news&id=92330
We remained vigilant and held a small demonstration outside of the President’s Residence on Friday. Jerusalem City Councilwoman, Mina Fenton was in attendance. She expressed great concern over the issue. http://www.isfsp.org/zion11.html
After Shabbat, a number of disturbing news items began to surface:
According to AGI online, The Vatican has sent Cardinal Walter Kasper to Israel to draw up terms for the return to the Catholic church of the site of the last supper,
http://www.isfsp.org/zion-news.html
It now appears that when the previous pope visited Israel in 2000, Ehud Barak or other government officials made some kind of verbal promise (maybe written) to give the room to the Roman Catholic Church. http://www.zenit.org/english/archive/0003/ZE000323.html#item1
Negotiations of a formal pact were on-again-off-again (visas, tax laws and other red tape).
Progress (sic!) was made when Avraham Poraz (Interior Minister/Shinui) visited Rome in September of 2004. http://www.isfsp.org/zion20.html
Gary Krupp of Pave the Way Foundation came in to facilitate in the final negotiations of the deal.http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/word012005.htm
Negotiations may have been completed and Katsav was to sign, as a formality, when he goes to Rome this month.
This also explains the report I received after a prominent rabbi, who met with President Katsav, reported that everything we reported was true. The President of the State of Israel didn’t deny a thing in that meeting.
For an astonishing and IRONIC look at the how the church has viewed this issue: Take a look at a New York Times article from 1949, in which the “The Vatican accuses Israel of having refused to return seized property” http://isfsp.org/1949.gif. The Vatican considers the “Last Supper Room” (Cenacle Shrine) to be their “most precious of treasures”.
It’s important that the public fully understand that this issue didn’t just pop-up, but that is has been an ongoing source of tension between the church and Israel since the founding of the State of Israel. The church is essentially demanding that “stolen property” be returned.
In a desperate attempt to buy the Pope’s friendship, it seems that Israel is about to comply.
Between 3-4:00 today, This matter will be discussed on the Tamar Yonah show on
http://www.israelnationalradio.com/
Join the Yahoo Group on the issue at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/savezion/
Recent articles online from our activists;
We’re Being Robbed!
http://web.israelinsider.com/Views/6947.htm
http://www.a7.org/news.php?id=127402 (IN HEBREW)
Call fax or email the Prime Minister, Mayor of Jerusalem, President Katsav, Religious Affairs Ministry, Ministry of Tourism, and the Israel Lands Authority
Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski TEL:(02) 629 7997 FAX (02) 629 6014
Minister of Tourism Avraham Hirshenzon TEL: (02) 6664331 FAX (02)
6514629
Israel Lands Authority – Ehud Olmert
President Katsav: TEL: (02)6707211 FAX (02)5631926
Call, fax, or email Maariv, Yediot, Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post and ask them why this is not an issue.
Call your rabbis and get a written condemnation of these plans, an halachic ruling on the sanctity of Eretz Yisrael or an endorsement of our efforts. Email your results to
Do you want to hear the sounds of Torah study, Tehillim, the Diaspora Yeshiva Band and Niggunim on Mt. Zion, or would you rather hear Gregorian chants? You decide!