h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You may want to take into account the following in your editing of the entry on the Temple Mount.

Sharon Incorrectly Labeled as "Sparking Second Intifada"

Sharon's walk on the Temple Mount is frequently portrayed as having "sparked the second intifada" or as having so "inflamed" or "outraged" the Muslim world, that violence was inevitable. This ignores the calculated Palestinian incitement used to provoke the violence and directly contradicts the words of Palestinian leaders who admit that they had planned the terror campaign ahead of time and simply used Sharon's visit as a pretext to launch the violence:

According to then-Communications Minister Imad Al-Faluji:

"Whoever thinks that the Intifada broke out because of the despised Sharon's visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque is wrong.. . . This Intifada was planned in advance, ever since President Arafat's return from the Camp David negotiations, where he turned the table upside down on President Clinton." (Al-Safir, March 3, 2001. Translated by MEMRI) Elsewhere, Al-Faluji said: "The PA had begun to prepare for the outbreak of the current Intifada since the return from the Camp David negotiations."(Al-Ayyam, December 6, 2000. Translated by MEMRI).

A similar assertion has been made by then-senior Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti (currently in jail on terror-related charges), who told an interviewer that:

"The explosion would have happened anyway. It was necessary in order to protect Palestinian rights. But Sharon provided a good excuse. He is a hated man." (New Yorker, January 29, 2001)

Barghouti reinforced this point half a year later: "The intifada did not start because of Sharon’s visit to Al-Aqsa, although that was the last straw. The intifada began because of the desire to put an end to the occupation and because the Palestinians did not approve of the peace process in its previous form." (Jerusalem Times, June 8, 2001)

Thanks for the input but I am no longer a sub editor of the guide. I believe they have their own page where you can contact them and request re-edits.