Brian Dell

Jerusalem’s holy sites stand empty for one reason: protecting worshippers. The same safety measures apply to the Western Wall, Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. While the Iranian regime fires missiles at civilians of all religions - even toward Jerusalem’s holy sites during Ramadan - Israel protects the life and safety of all worshippers.

Those justifying the Israeli police's actions this morning: Please note that synagogues in Jerusalem remained OPEN to small crowds. Israeli military wartime rules restrict crowds to 50. This applies to Jerusalem. Cardinal Pizzaballa's entourage consisted of four people, in full compliance with the rules.

Cardinal Pizzaballa: “It is true that the police had said that the orders from the internal command prevented any kind of gathering in places where there is no shelter, but we had not asked for anything public, just a brief and small private ceremony to preserve the idea of the celebration in the Holy Sepulchre. There were no clashes; everything was done in a very polite manner. I do not want to force the issue; we want to use this situation to try to clarify better in the coming days what to do, in respect for everyone's safety but also in respect for the right to prayer."

I love Israel, and I love Israelis, but the morons in Netanyahu's government sure don't make it fucking easy.

This is the likely path Jesus walked into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday more than 2000 years ago, and it still exists. Right here. In Jerusalem.

Only Jew-hater Mehdi Hasan could look at 1967 as anything other than Israel defending himself. Egypt had amassed troops on Israel’s border and was preparing to invade. They’d kicked out the UN peacekeepers, and blockaded Israel’s shipping. At the same time, neighboring countries like Syria were teaming up and openly talking about invading Israel and destroying it. I actually appreciate these kinds of comments because it gives it away the game. Mehdi and his anti-Zionist freak friends literally expect Jews to lay down and die instead of defend themselves.

After killing Ali Shuaib, the IDF accused him of being part of Hezbollah’s Radwan forces, releasing a photo of the Al Manar reporter in military garb. “Unfortunately there isn’t really a picture of it, it was photoshopped,” the IDF told Fox News about the source of the photo.

In mid-February, I joined police Chiefs from Canada and the United States, on a visit to Israel where we met police and community leaders in several cities. I spent time with police officers from Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Druze faiths representing a wide range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. I also met with Muslim community leaders who shared openly about their concerns and their reasons for working with police. These officers and community leaders operate in an environment that demands extraordinary vigilance - managing crime, counter terrorism, supporting community and crisis response all amid extreme complexity. Police to police we were able to talk about the toll this work takes on the people who do it. We talked about building trust in communities where there is little trust. We were able to get a glimpse of the undertaking required to police in complex environments. I am grateful for what I was able to learn and share with those we visited and among my North American peers. These missions offer a great deal of insight and valuable perspective. I am grateful for the continued leadership and support of the Edmonton Police Commission who have supported me in this. As police we focus on behavior, not beliefs. Where I have felt challenged this week is in the implication that any community group should have the right to direct where we can learn. I stand by my decision to take the trip to Israel and continue to view it as valuable, among multiple learning experiences I will have in this role. I remain focused on my longstanding and ongoing commitment to dialogue, learning and connection across communities and across boundaries.

In mid-February, I joined police Chiefs from Canada and the United States, on a visit to Israel where we met police and community leaders in several cities. I spent time with police officers from Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Druze faiths representing a wide range of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. I also met with Muslim community leaders who shared openly about their concerns and their reasons for working with police. These officers and community leaders operate in an environment that demands extraordinary vigilance - managing crime, counter terrorism, supporting community and crisis response all amid extreme complexity. Police to police we were able to talk about the toll this work takes on the people who do it. We talked about building trust in communities where there is little trust. We were able to get a glimpse of the undertaking required to police in complex environments. I am grateful for what I was able to learn and share with those we visited and among my North American peers. These missions offer a great deal of insight and valuable perspective. I am grateful for the continued leadership and support of the Edmonton Police Commission who have supported me in this. As police we focus on behavior, not beliefs. Where I have felt challenged this week is in the implication that any community group should have the right to direct where we can learn. I stand by my decision to take the trip to Israel and continue to view it as valuable, among multiple learning experiences I will have in this role. I remain focused on my longstanding and ongoing commitment to dialogue, learning and connection across communities and across boundaries.