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David Ben-Ariel
The following letter to Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D. Ohio) is in response to those who responded to my recent Jerusalem Post letter, "GSS: Invite Ben-Ariel Back" that offered information about my arrest, imprisonment and deportation from Israel (due to false allegations of a plot to blow up the Al-Aksa mosque). This letter can be an eye-opener for those American tax-payers to see what type of "assistance" they can expect from the American Consul General in Jerusalem if he disagrees with your politico-religious views!
Dear Congresswoman Kaptur:
THANK YOU for your valuable assistance in my pursuit of justice! It's wonderfully refreshing to see some public servants truly are helping out their fellow Americans.
It's obvious from Mr. Abington, Jr.'s letter to you (Consul General in Jerusalem) that he has strongly held political views that prefer the continued occupation of JUDAISM'S MOST HOLY SITE - the Temple Mount - by militant Muslims. Such radical views enable the Muslim extremists to continue to pose a threat to religious Jews and Christians who merely hope to pray on the site of both Solomon's and Herod's Temple, as well as the Holy Place where Jesus and his disciples both taught and prayed.
However historically or biblically inaccurate Mr. Abington, Jr.'s views are, I believe he is entitled to them. I do not believe his personal views ought to interfere with his public duty. It appears he has DELIBERATELY IGNORED every relevant FACT that PROVED my arrest amounted to political and religious PERSECUTION.
As honestly reported in the Jerusalem Post (front page, Jan. 8, 1996) article he referred to, I wasn't interrogated for 6 and an half hours by 6 different SECRET SERVICEMEN about the TEMPLE MOUNT because of an "expired visa"!
I charged Ms. Leech (his assistant) with complicity in their unjust actions against me for going along with their lie that my visa was expired and for turning a blind eye to their undemocratic ways. I'd given her a letter for Mr. Abington, Jr. to PROTEST MY POLITICAL ABUSE AND RELIGIOUS MISTREATMENT. Since he never bothered to respond, I'm not sure he even received it.
It was quite difficult to deal with Ms. Leech from the start, since she was quite antagonistic, contending that Israel wanted to deport me because "you wanted to blow up the mosque." When I protested that simple was NOT TRUE, she angrily ordered her Arab assistant, "Go see what he's charged with." He came back and said, "Visa violation." So she KNEW the real reason I was in jail was for being a member of the Temple Mount Faithful, but later went along with their LIE about my visa. I explained to indifferent ears that I had the proper paper from the Ministry of the Interior showing I'd applied for citizenship.
Mr. Abington, Jr. falsely accused me of being proud about my imprisonment. I'm not proud of it nor ashamed, but I do believe in making the most out of a bad situation and turning lemons into lemonade. Why shouldn't I use my horrible experience to underscore and further the JUST CAUSE of the Temple Mount Faithful? How could anyone fail to understand this? In fact, a Gallup poll in February found 58.5% of those Israelis polled FAVORED the ideas of our Movement and legal campaign. After all, it's the TEMPLE Mount, not the mosque mount!
Is it too much for an INNOCENT AMERICAN to expect his government to stand up for him? All I've requested from the beginning is for the Consul General to STRONGLY PROTEST my unjust imprisonment and deportation. They know what I say is the truth, but because of their hostile views, they're playing deaf, dumb and blind to the fact that I was a POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS PRISONER.
Frankly, they're upset that I refused to go like a lamb to slaughter, but roared like a lion instead - exposing Pere's corruption and their complicity. I will continue to seek justice until it is found. The Consul General must issue a formal protest on my behalf. Some Americans are still willing to fight for our rights!
David Ben-Ariel
(The Jerusalem Post, Internet Edition, 16 Nov 1998)
Dear Congresswoman Kaptur:
THANK YOU for your valuable assistance in my pursuit of justice! It's wonderfully refreshing to see some public servants truly are helping out their fellow Americans.
It's obvious from Mr. Abington, Jr.'s letter to you (Consul General in Jerusalem) that he has strongly held political views that prefer the continued occupation of JUDAISM'S MOST HOLY SITE - the Temple Mount - by militant Muslims. Such radical views enable the Muslim extremists to continue to pose a threat to religious Jews and Christians who merely hope to pray on the site of both Solomon's and Herod's Temple, as well as the Holy Place where Jesus and his disciples both taught and prayed.
However historically or biblically inaccurate Mr. Abington, Jr.'s views are, I believe he is entitled to them. I do not believe his personal views ought to interfere with his public duty. It appears he has DELIBERATELY IGNORED every relevant FACT that PROVED my arrest amounted to political and religious PERSECUTION.
As honestly reported in the Jerusalem Post (front page, Jan. 8, 1996) article he referred to, I wasn't interrogated for 6 and an half hours by 6 different SECRET SERVICEMEN about the TEMPLE MOUNT because of an "expired visa"!
I charged Ms. Leech (his assistant) with complicity in their unjust actions against me for going along with their lie that my visa was expired and for turning a blind eye to their undemocratic ways. I'd given her a letter for Mr. Abington, Jr. to PROTEST MY POLITICAL ABUSE AND RELIGIOUS MISTREATMENT. Since he never bothered to respond, I'm not sure he even received it.
It was quite difficult to deal with Ms. Leech from the start, since she was quite antagonistic, contending that Israel wanted to deport me because "you wanted to blow up the mosque." When I protested that simple was NOT TRUE, she angrily ordered her Arab assistant, "Go see what he's charged with." He came back and said, "Visa violation." So she KNEW the real reason I was in jail was for being a member of the Temple Mount Faithful, but later went along with their LIE about my visa. I explained to indifferent ears that I had the proper paper from the Ministry of the Interior showing I'd applied for citizenship.
Mr. Abington, Jr. falsely accused me of being proud about my imprisonment. I'm not proud of it nor ashamed, but I do believe in making the most out of a bad situation and turning lemons into lemonade. Why shouldn't I use my horrible experience to underscore and further the JUST CAUSE of the Temple Mount Faithful? How could anyone fail to understand this? In fact, a Gallup poll in February found 58.5% of those Israelis polled FAVORED the ideas of our Movement and legal campaign. After all, it's the TEMPLE Mount, not the mosque mount!
Is it too much for an INNOCENT AMERICAN to expect his government to stand up for him? All I've requested from the beginning is for the Consul General to STRONGLY PROTEST my unjust imprisonment and deportation. They know what I say is the truth, but because of their hostile views, they're playing deaf, dumb and blind to the fact that I was a POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS PRISONER.
Frankly, they're upset that I refused to go like a lamb to slaughter, but roared like a lion instead - exposing Pere's corruption and their complicity. I will continue to seek justice until it is found. The Consul General must issue a formal protest on my behalf. Some Americans are still willing to fight for our rights!
David Ben-Ariel
(The Jerusalem Post, Internet Edition, 16 Nov 1998)
