According to the CNN headline, another miracle occurred here in the Holy Land today - "Joseph's Tomb site catches fire."
How could this happen? Perhaps this was a case of spontaneous combustion? Most likely, I thought to myself, this was due to a "fire from heaven" such as the one called down by Elijah during his duel with the priests of Baal (I Kings Ch. 18:38-40).
Sadly, it turns out that this was just a mob of Palestinian arsonists who decided to upset the "status quo" by burning down a Jewish and Christian holy site. According to tradition, Joseph, son of the patriarch Jacob (i.e. Israel), was buried here after he was brought to the Holy Land following the Exodus.
Although these acts of desecration of non-Muslim holy sites are all-too-common both here in Israel and in Islamic States, President-for-life Mahmoud Abbas snapped into action and promised a full investigation. For the record, he stated that "These kinds of acts, or any other acts that violate the law and order ... offend our culture, religion and morals."
First of all, I am happy to see that Abbas is actually capable of condemning violence. It is just too bad that he has, to date, been unable to similarly condemn the stabbing of innocent people. I guess what that means is that the wave of stabbings we have experienced over the past ten days do not offend Palestinian culture, religion, and morals.
Read all about it.
PS After a few hours CNN did a stealth edit of the Headline. It seems that even they realized their own ridiculousness.
