What is behind Israeli-Palestinian cultural wars?
0 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to add two West Bank shrines to a list of Israeli national heritage sites has drawn harsh condemnation from the Palestinians.
Deposed Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haneya on Tuesday called for popular uprising in the West Bank to protest Israel's decision, one day after Israeli security personnel and Palestinians clashed in the West Bank city of Hebron.
Netanyahu made the move following an outcry from the Israeli political right, which claimed the initial omission from the list of Cave of the Patriarchs (Sanctuary of Abraham) in Hebron and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem was politically motivated.
Jews believe the cave is the burial site of the biblical Abraham and his family with some claiming Adam and Eve were also interred in the two-leveled chamber. Rachel's Tomb is said to be the final resting place for the wife of Jacob.
However, Palestinians see Hebron and Bethlehem as being part and parcel of their territory and the cities would almost certainly be part of any future Palestinian state. Palestinians see Netanyahu's inclusion of the cave and Rachel's Tomb as being a political act.
This is not the first time that Israelis and Palestinians have clashed over historical and cultural activities.
Record of disputes
When the Arab world bestowed the status of Capital of Culture on Jerusalem for 2009, it was clear the Israelis would be angered by the selection. The status of Jerusalem is arguably the most controversial of issues dividing Israelis and Palestinians.
Israel views all of Jerusalem as its "united capital" while the international community deems the eastern side "occupied territory." As a result, any formal acts that effectively make a claim on the land immediately cause anger on the opposing side.
Much of the year of culture in Jerusalem was overshadowed by politics. The opening ceremony had to take place in Bethlehem because Israel would not allow Palestinian leaders to launch the event in what Israel perceives as its own territory.
This literal divide and the world of art have combined in the separation barrier built between Israeli and Palestinian terrain.
While much of the barrier is made from chicken wire fencing, on the edge of Jerusalem it takes the form of a gray, 10-meter high concrete wall. However, much of the grayness has been replaced by the color of protestors.
Graffiti spans the wall, with artists from around the world adding their thoughts on Israeli actions. The painted contributions are not just in the form of comments but also insightful drawings depicting elements of the struggle.
The barrier has become a regular stop on the tourist trail making it part and parcel of the propaganda war between the Palestinians and Israelis. At one stage the Israelis placed a bus next to the most-visited section of the wall. The vehicle became a macabre museum piece. Its last passengers had been killed or wounded by a Palestinian suicide bomber.
Archeology in Jerusalem always results in bitter political disputes and a global vote last August on the world's seven natural wonders created something of a storm as the Dead Sea became one of the 14 finalists. The northwestern corner of the lake is in Palestinian territory, while the remainder of its western half is in Israel.
