Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem, just south of the Jerusalem city line, was the scene this morning of a major visit by government officials. Organized by MK Uri Ariel (National Union) under the theme, "We Will Not Abandon our Mother," the visitors, including Tourism Minister Benny Elon, came to emphasize the importance of the site to the Jewish nation and why it is critical that it remains under Israeli sovereignty. The matter has come to the fore once again with the construction of the security fence between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Proponents of the tomb of Matriarch Rachel, which is one of the most frequented Jewish holy sites in the country, want the fence to be placed along the border between Areas A and C, and not along the 1967 Green Line.
It should be noted that the government decided immediately after the Six Day War to include Rachel's Tomb in Jerusalem. The decision was never implemented, however, and the holy site ended up several hundred meters outside the municipal border.
Among today's visitors were MKs of Shas, UTJ, NRP, National Union, and the Likud. MK Meir Porush of United Torah Judaism told Arutz-7's Kobi Sela, "We want to ensure that what happened at Joseph's Tomb - and we've all seen the pictures of the desecration there - doesn't happen at Rachel's Tomb as well."
Proponents of the tomb of Matriarch Rachel, which is one of the most frequented Jewish holy sites in the country, want the fence to be placed along the border between Areas A and C, and not along the 1967 Green Line.
It should be noted that the government decided immediately after the Six Day War to include Rachel's Tomb in Jerusalem. The decision was never implemented, however, and the holy site ended up several hundred meters outside the municipal border.
Among today's visitors were MKs of Shas, UTJ, NRP, National Union, and the Likud. MK Meir Porush of United Torah Judaism told Arutz-7's Kobi Sela, "We want to ensure that what happened at Joseph's Tomb - and we've all seen the pictures of the desecration there - doesn't happen at Rachel's Tomb as well."