Banning the Kotel

It is obvious that this high ranking UN officer should have the sense to be neutral when it comes to Israel and Palestinian terrorism. He reports the retaliation of Israel for Palestinian terror strikes but excuses the Muslim Terrorists for their initial bombing or murder of Israelis. He believes that Arabs are forced to retaliate against the State of Israel for oppression. I say nonsense! They have been killing each other, fellow Muslims, for thousands of years. When Jews were given the blessings of the UN to start a legitimate nation in 1948 Israel was immediately attacked by 5 of their Muslim neighbors who were intent on pushing the Israelis into the Mediterranean Sea, Of course this did not happen and Israel was forced to develop a strong army to defend themselves since the entire nation is so small it must defend against all the Muslim nations around them. Now they must keep this advantageous position in order to function as the great nation that it has become.
All of the land including Judea and Sumaria belong to Israel. It was given to them by God forever. Why should the land be carved up to give enemies a place to call home when their agenda is destroying the Jews and Israel itself. Peace cannot ever happen when Israel is not even recognized by Palestinians. It is impossible to deal with them.

I am not Jewish nor an Israelite. I say NO!. This wall is part of Jerusalem as East Jerusalem is. Hashem in His word said he would put His name in Jerusalem. Jerusalem belongs to Israel, not anyone else. I feel compassion for all involved, I do not want to see anyone suffer, but the Palestinans need to understand once and for all that area does not belong to them. If there is a way that people can live in peace and harmony helping one another Great! I am all for this but. Israel belongs to the Jewish people. His Word is clear about His anger being stirred at anyone dividing His land. This is the one thing I wish my country USA would stay out of it. People need food, meds and help we should be there. But for us to say give them this land or that, NO! Jerusalem is not to be an international city. I am a born again christain. Yhsua is who He says he is. But as I christain I am neither entitled to, or deserving of imposing our will over Israel. I think people need to adopt this thinking. When I hear these things it makes me crazy. I did a study of Mt Moriah in the Bible. Abraham sacrifced there, David bought it! Solomon dedicated there. Ha Shem has His name there! NO WAY, NO WAY NO WAY.

I the international community so stupid as to believe that Israel would ever surrender east jerusalem including the Kottel (Al-Buraq. The last remaining wall of the 2nd temple) to the Palestinians to be their future capital of palestine. Jerusalem was never the capital of palestine. The Romans in order to humble the jews even more changed the name of jerusalem to Aero-Capitolina, Judea and israel was renamed as palesrina, after Philistia the philistines whom were conquered by the hebrews in biblical times, they were a greeco-island people who originated possibly from crete and lived on the coast as they were a seafaring people.

Keep in mind that Britain did in 1290, drive out of the country Jewish people. Bigotry once again rears its ugly head. It has always been there and it has just surfaced again. Further, Jerusalem is and will always be a huge part of Israel. If it were not, why is there a kotel that used to be Beis ha Mikdash? Ignorance is bliss and Britain is blissful again. I choose to not forget about these kinds of things and pray for a united Israel and the return of all Jews to Israel.

Some people like the Jews, and some do not. But no thoughtful man can deny the fact that they are, beyond any question, the most formidable and the most remarkable race which has appeared in the world." -- Winston Churchill

How did some Advertising banned in England become responsible for the Iceland volcano? OMG people, there are volcanos erupting all the time, and there are earthquakes shaking the world since time began. Mt. St. Helens was a killer too. Surely Iceland and England each have 10 good men. ---------- Matityahu #26 makes good points in his comment, and I think though that the western wall is also for Gentiles as was part of the great temple area designated for Gentiles. Truthfulness in advertising could be unerstood in this way too....The Vatican and St. Peters is another huge tourist attraction within Italy but separate from Italy, and is beautifully pictured in thousands of tourist advertisements, but never pictured with a synagogue in the background.

Had I bewen born in England I would now regret it-how on earth can such a coutry have the unmitigated gall to castigate Israel in such a way. Didn't it do enough harm to Israel during the earlier days of Statehood and before? When will it learn its lesson not to mess with Israel, G-d has His own way of dealing with such maggots! See what is being done now with the volcanic eruption!

I cannot believe this advertisement, yet I am not surprised. Why is it that some people just can't recognize and respect Israel for everything the state deserves to be recognized for instead of all the negative stuff?

Will you ban flights to Israel? dont bother. No one is leaving your country or coming in. God took care of that. Dont mess with Jerusalem.

What other religion is not allowed to use in advertisements in the UK except the Jewish Religion? This is therefore actually a discriminatory attack on Judaism itself. I dare the ASA to show otherwise. Shame on them. My father risked his life in the RAF bomber command in WWII. I am beginning to wonder why?

"Hopefully British common sense, justice, and truth.... "Since when has the UK had justice and truth.British history is rife with anti-samitism and Jewish perscution.

Get ready everyone; Any time soon our enemies will blame Israel, Mossad and the Jews for the Icelandic volcano eruption as revenge for Britain's ASA idiotic ruling, just as they did for 9/11. After all, isn't the Icelandic president's wife Israeli? Mossad agents are everywhere!!

Who gives them the right to tell us what is part of Israel and what isn't. Fine if we want to play by their rules, our part of Jerusalem ends where Jerusalem touches the boarder of the next nation. I highly doubt the ASA is smart enough to know that Israel controls Israel and the West bank like it or not.

Jerusalem will always be the undivided CAPITAL of ISRAEL as it is Hashem's Holy City and His Country, as for the Jewish People they are His People. The whole world seems to forget these facts but His Hand will ALWAYS protect them. This annoise without any doubt the world, like it annoied Hitler, but eventhough the Shoa brought great suffering, the Jewish People have survived and they always will. Israel will live forever as this is God's will and NOBODY can change that. Happy Birthday Israel and may you always be blessed!!!

This act of the ASA is totally ridiculous!! It is however clear where this view comes from seen that Britain is infestated by Muslims. One day they will repent for letting them in but then it will be too late. Why doesn't England get out of Ireland first before judging Israel on such an irrelevant fact? Wherever the English have been they have created a mess.

shame on them. i would say to ASA look in the mirror after all you done to ingenius people taken their languige away pushing them out off their land trying to totaly asimilate them how dare you are? nobody where throing rackets at you or comited suisides trying to kill your children. shame on you

I´d like to know if ASA bannes pictures of the Falkland Isles that argentinian call Islas Malvinas, or Gibraltar. But really, what cen we expect of british?

The New York Times just published a report (Monday, April 19, 9:15 PM EST) with the headline, "New Ash Cloud Appears Headed Toward Britain": http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/world/europe/20cloud.html

Irwin (#22) and all, take a look at this: http://lazerbrody.typepad.com/lazer_beams/2010/04/the-long-arm-of-hashems-justice.html And happy birthday, Israel!!!

Uh,, Steve, Those 1948 borders you mention? They weren't borders, not according to the Arabs. In 1948, the Arab leaders were very explicit that the lines separating Israel from its Arab neighbors were just lines on a map--Armistice Lines--and NOT permanent borders. They only started referring to the Armistice Lines as borders after 1967. The green line only became a border after it no longer separated the Israelis and the Arabs.

When Jews stop thinking that the holiest place on earth is a tourist attraction, the Mashiach will come. No church would allow 30 Jews to enter their sanctuary with cameras on Easter or Xmas and take pictures while bumping into worshippers and knocking (what they think are) holy things to the ground (equivalent in their minds to tallit and siddur). When will Jews realize that the kotel is not for tourists? The world of goyim understand that it is the holiest, why not the Jew?

Starting with Britain, then the rest of Europe, covered with a cloud of ash, like in Pharonic times! 6 million people cannot travel? Neither could 6 million Jews except to Auscwitz, Birkenau et al. And this happened in Holocaust Memorial week! Makes you think! "...And he who curses you, I will curse". British people need to think seriously who they elect next month.

Jerusalem is Israel's undivided capital! Get used to it UK!! Soulful music video to celebrate Jerusalem's unity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1u4Td1rI4s

Why get upset about this....? Who would want the infestation of such low quality rubbish tourists from Britain one encounters in parts of the world from Spain to Thailand? The type of tourists who respect and enjoy Israel are welcome without adsverts showing the Western Wall, etc....!

Isn't it interesting that right after the ASA's ruling, where they were clearly hoping to damage tourism to Israel by limiting Israeli ads, tourism to the UK is eliminated by a volcano?

We Jews ought to send letters to the ASA Council telling them that they have a "CHUTZPAH" playing around with such advertisements which tell the BIG LIE about our precious land

Once again we see the petty tyranny of the petty bureaucrat, and yet President Obama wants to turn over the monopoly of decisions about our lives and deaths to people like this.

You call yourself Jewish? And you don't recognize the sovereignty of Israel over Jerusalem? Pretty chutzpadik coming from someone whose country loves ruling over other countries.

Happy Independence Day Israel! Look who is getting on their high horse and judging Israel! The British who promised the same land to 2 peoples in writing and figured whoever won they would be able to point to a piece of paper! Britain cannot define the Jews' relationship to the Western Wall. I wrote as requested in the article. The Far Left is so petty. First President Obama had his narcissistic snit fit over over apartments in a Jewish neighborhood, and now this from the British.

I am an English Jew who supports Israel in almost everything it does, but I am aware that Israel has never obtained international recognition that any of the land it won in the 1967 war has in fact become part of the Israel that's borders were determined and acknowledged in 1947/8. Thus, the ASA is correct, even if it is an uncomfortable truth. I do not believe that this is a campaign against Israel. SImply the British obsession with complying with rules.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) places lots of pictorial advertisements to promote tourism in the United Kingdom. What about the ones promoting tourism to Ulster (which, many would argue, is not really the UK but is rightfully part of Ireland)? Ditto for Scotland, Wales and Cornwall, each of which has nationalistic aspirations to be free from under Westminster's jackboot. And there are tourism ads for Gibraltar, which really is part of Spain. Shouldn't the British be held to the very standard they espouse?

These blood-libellous lies and deception, have been around for millenia, get used to it! Both Muslim and Christian sources have practised this art for centuries, and are good at it. Clever ones amongst us in the UK, must use the politically correct perverse laws against perpetrators to protect us from this kind of abuse. I personally am sick of grovelling to everybody to try to sway their opinions of us. I know we do nothing wrong, and just write them off as sickos, and feel no need to proclaim our innocence over lies. And to Number 12, whilst I tune in to your your sentiment about ashes, there are many of us still living here!!

Let them talk...they hurt nobody. Everybody who can see - sees!

I understand the sense of outrage at the idea that the Kotel should not be displayed in tourist ads. I know that it is the center of Israel. I mean that in my heart and practice - I really know. However, I ask myself, Is the Kotel a tourist attraction or the last connection to the Temple Mount in the minds of my fellow Jews? If it is a tourist attraction then who cares? If, as I believe, it is the Center of Judaism then everyone who is Observant should care and make it known that they do care. The problem is that according to the Israeli Government's own statistics most Israelis are not observant and many, far too many, are atheists. So, it comes as no big surprise to me that if most Israelis consider this Holy place as nothing more than a military conquest then why should the rest of the world care about its spiritual significance. My argument is that if we want others to take the Holy Places seriously then we too must take them seriously as Holy places. We,also, must have access to the Temple Mount. We, also, must face the Temple Mount when we pray, that is if we bother to pray at all. Do we really think that the Almighty, blessed is He, is going to help us regain a mere tourist attraction?

I hope they are enjoying the cloud of ashes

There is an easy solution to this: Annex East Jerusalem

Isn't this all much to do about nothing? Certainly, it seems silly for the advertising watchdog to take such a stance but If you become too petulant about it you might discourage visitors to it. The Western Wall is not the most important site for the British or, indeed, Americans to visit. There are so many places that are worth visiting in Israel. Most people from outside Israel will visit the Wall out of curiosity not as a religious symbol.

1. The Haiti earthquake was suffering, the tsunami was suffering, the air chaos is primarily inconvenience. 2. How can you presume to know what Hashem would do just because something is not logical to you? Since when has a human being been able to fathom Hashem's ways? 3. Everything can be explained away if one is so inclined, but anyone but the most hardened skeptic would have to admit that the timing and the matching of the two events displays a certain poetic justice.

Iceland, though the source of the spewing fire clouds, is cetainly not the one suffering the most. Europe (at this point, Eurabia) is. Someone I know commented that perhaps HaShem is protecting all of us from further Muslim attacks originating in Europe. Otherwise, the prophet Joel describes pretty well what is going on there in his 2nd chapter..

There's no depth to which our enemies will not stoop - no matter how outrageous or foolish it makes them seem - in their fight against us. I don't expect "British common sense, justice and truth" to win over the ASA, because the ASA is interested in none of the above. There is no doubt in international law, or in light of archaeological evidence, or, most of all, in light of the Torah, that Jerusalem belongs to us. Hashem, not the ASA, decides what happens to Jerusalem. May He bless us with peace and protect us from our enemies.

Now if that volcano would continue to erupt non stop untill the ASA tour guide is retracted then I might link the issues. For me british common sense died with the white paper restricting jews from a place to save their souls.

When will they learn??

I was reminded of this song by Jakob Dylan, Bob Dylan's son. It seems like a "transparent" piece of what is ridiculous in this world, and seemingly truly misplaced, to claim that pictures of the Kotel in advertising Israel and Jerusalem itself are somehow "false advertising". Don't we have enough true issues in this world to confront without having to face something truly that should not be at issue, and given this article, with its cogent prose, I could not be swayed in the "other" direction. I don't think, however, that Ha Shem would inflict on Iceland, also a place with people, with humanity, and the world, a volcano because of this particular issue. That's not logical to me, and also a rather cruel statement. Yes, we call them Acts of God, but no, to impute this as a reason others might suffer is not a place I can travel.

Notice how shortly after The ASA announcement the volcano erupted inVocano resulting in European airports closing down. (HaShem) as if to say "You want to disrupt travel to My Holy Land ...I will disrupt your travel in return.

Why are no similar complaints being filed about British settlements in occupied Irish territory, or Polish settlements in Upper Silesia (captured from Germany in 1945)?

I propose a simplistic solution: boycott the UK! Let the power of a boycott against the UK for this and other similar issues speak to the "political power of money".