Israeli peace poster opposes settlements

JERUSALEM, July 29 (UPI) -- Israeli occupation and settlement of Palestinian land would cause the destruction of the Third Temple if it were built, posters distributed in Jerusalem say.

The human rights organization Peace Now hung the posters all over Israel's capital Wednesday, the eve of Tisha B'Av, which commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples, Ynetnews.com reported.

Language used in the poster implied that if a Third Temple is built, it will suffer a similar fate if settlement building in the Palestinian territories is unchecked.

Idolatry, incest and bloodshed led to the destruction of the First Temple, the Second Temple was destroyed by unfounded hatred, and the destruction of the Third Temple will be caused by settlements, fanaticism and occupation, the poster reads.

A caption at the bottom of the poster declared the Jewish settlements were built "in the heart of Palestinian territory, and keep peace and quiet from our land," and because they were built without permission, they have turned Israel into "the loathsome scum among nations," Ynetnews said.

The poster was signed with the sentence "seek peace, and pursue it, not Obama's, not the world's. The settlements are our problem."

The First Temple was destroyed in the sixth century B.C. and the Second Temple was destroyed in the first century A.D. No efforts are under way to build a third edifice.

Yariv Oppenheimer, secretary-general of Peace Now, said the aim of the poster is to emphasize if settlement construction and Israel's occupation in the West Bank continues, it will lead to the destruction of Zionism and the Third Temple, the Web site said.