Netanyahu heritage declaration is all about annexation of territory

While the New York Times and other major U.S. news outlets have highlighted competing religious claims to understand the tension arising from the "Israeli national heritage plan", Barghouti compellingly articulates the political rationale of the Netanyahu announcement. Barghouti called it a "clear cut provocation" and continuation of policy.

And what about the argument that this is simply "about renovating important historical and religious sites of the Jewish people," as Netanyahu’s spokesman Mark Regev has said, and affirming the importance of these sites to Jewish heritage?

The problem with this logic is that land in Hebron, Bethlehem, or anywhere else in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is not Israeli national territory. Israel has no more right to unilaterally nationalize Jewish heritage sites in the West Bank than it does to unilaterally nationalize The Great Synagogue of Florence in Italy. While no one would take seriously a unilateral Israeli decision to declare a synagogue in Europe as Israeli national property, such a declaration in Occupied Palestinian Territory inflames the conflict and jeopardizes the very notion of any prospects for future Palestinian sovereignty over Palestinian territory.

Barghouti points out that what is particularly provocative is the fact that this declaration comes after a series of Netanyahu’s claims of entitlement to annex Palestinian land...

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http://mondoweiss.net/2010/04/netanyahu-heritage-declaration-is-all-about-annexation-of-territory.html