Editorial

Recent stabbings in Old City

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Israel should not ban Palestinians

Israelis and the Palestinians have been in conflict for decades. There have been multiple developments in recent weeks. According to USA Today, there have been several outbursts of violence near Jerusalem’s Old City, a sacred place revered by Jews and Muslims.

In response to this problem, Israel banned Palestinians who are not living in the Old City from entering it. USA Today expressed this reaction to be unprecedented. More recently, Israel banned all men under the age of 45 from entering the Old City.

We The Threefold believe that Israel should not have banned Palestinians from the Old City and that this will only escalate the violence. Instead, Israel should increase security around the Old City and not restrict people simply based off of their ethnicity.

On Friday, almost a week after the Palestinians were banned, USA Today had a story entitled “Israel struggles to contain wave of stabbing attacks.” This article reveals that the violence has spread from the Holy City all the way to Gaza.

Also, according to the USA Today article, much of the conflict is caused by restrictions to holy places, specifically the Hilltop compound. Currently non-Muslim guests can only enter at specific times.

The article continued by stating, “Many Muslims view these visits as a provocation and accuse Jewish extremists of plotting to take over the site. Israel has promised to ensure the delicate arrangement at the site and insists it will not allow the status quo to be changed.

Though the two issues may seem unrelated, The Threefold believes some people may see the restriction on Palestinians and others as a possible foreshadowing to an attempt to take over the hilltop sight.

Furthermore, restricting someone’s entrance because of their country of origin, their age and/or gender is ethically wrong. If having a terrorist from your country or around your age is grounds for restriction, then based on this criteria, everyone should be restricted. To prove that all Palestinians are not at fault and are undeserving of this restriction, USA Today describes the attacks as independent and not representative of the nation as a whole and its citizens.

The Threefold understands and realizes this measure is taken in order to protect Israeli citizens and that many people on both sides have been killed. However, banning Palestinians seems to only be adding to the violence rather than resolving the conflicts.

Therefore, We The Threefold believe Israel should increase its security around the Old City and not restrict people based on ethnicity or religion.

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