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Last update - 17:43 27/07/2008
Lawyer seeks police probe into removal, publication of note Obama put in the Western Wall
By Eran Azran, TheMarker Correspondent
Tags: Obama, Western Wall 

A Jerusalem lawyer petitioned the attorney general Sunday asking him to order a police investigation into the removal and subsequent publication of a personal note left in a crack of the Western Wall by U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama during his visit to Israel last week.

The presidential hopeful visited the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, at the end of a two-day visit to the region on Thursday. It is believed that requests written on notes and placed between the holy stones of the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall, will be granted by God.

Attorney Shahar Alon asked attorney General Menachem Mazuz to launch an investigation against the editor of Israeli daily Ma'ariv, who published the content of the note last week.
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Obama reportedly wrote in the note "Lord - protect my family and me. Forgive my sins, and help me guard against pride and despair. Give me the wisdom to do what is right and just. And make me an instrument of your will."

"By making the note public," Alon wrote to Mazuz, "the newspaper violated the law protecting holy sites, several clauses in the penal code and also infringed upon the basic rights of a person's honor and freedom."

Alongside his petition, Alon also initiated a boycott of the newspaper. In a letter he published, Alon called on all those who felt that the newspaper offended them by desecrating the holiness of the Western Wall, or felt that Obama had been personally disrespected, to refrain from purchasing the newspaper or cancel their subscriptions.

In a conversation with TheMarker on Sunday, Alon said "if no one prevents people from opening notes written at the Western Wall, the wall will turn into a marketplace instead of a place for prayer. It is important the Ma'ariv understands that it violated the holy status of the Western Wall. Every person has the right to write a note based on the knowledge that it won't be read by the public."

The boycott will be lifted," Alon went on to say, "after the newspaper publishes a notice, both in Hebrew and in English, apologizing for its lack of sensitivity and for its violation of Senator Obama's privacy and honor."

Ma'ariv issued a response Sunday, saying that "Obama's note was published in Ma'ariv and other international publications following Obama's authorization to make the content of the note public. Obama submitted a copy of the note to media outlets when he left his hotel in Jerusalem. Moreover, since Obama is not Jewish, there is no violation of privacy as there would be for a Jewish person who places a note in the Western Wall."

On Friday, The BBC reported that senior rabbis had also become outraged by the newspaper's publication of the note written by the Senator, saying that its content was a private matter between Obama and God.

Related articles:
  • Report: Rabbis slam removal, publication of note Obama left in cracks of Western Wall
  • IN PICTURES / Barack Obama visits Israel
  • ANALYSIS / Obama visit all about wooing Jewish American voters
  • Spring cleaning: Rabbi removes prayer notes from Western Wall, to make room for more
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      1.   Publicity stunt 19:00  |  Charlie 27/07/08
      2.   Hot air 19:06  |  Hilary 27/07/08
      3.   Obama Note 20:44  |  Marvin 27/07/08
      4.   Obama`s prayer 20:52  |  Rob 27/07/08
      5.   Rob its worse than that .... 21:33  |  Al 27/07/08
      6.   So, it`s ok to steal his note because he`s not Jewish? 21:34  |  Aphemia 27/07/08
      7.   A stain of every Jew 21:53  |  Clickfool 27/07/08
      8.   Boycott Maariv 21:56  |  Gilad 27/07/08
      9.   You are right, no excuse 22:30  |  Natalie 27/07/08
      10.   humm 23:00  |  Sharlotte 27/07/08
      11.   Western Wall 23:06  |  Shmuelshachor 27/07/08
      12.   It`s not only Obama... 23:10  |  Esther 27/07/08
      13.   We Jews are just so special 23:12  |  Stephen 27/07/08
      14.   Re Gilad #8 23:15  |  Esther 27/07/08
      15.   I saw the movie on you tube! 23:20  |  Benjamina 27/07/08
      16.   No, Aphemia it isn`t allowed 23:23  |  Michael 27/07/08
      17.   Boycott Haaretz for publishing a request to boycott Maariv 23:25  |  Shimon 27/07/08
      18.   Black pride 23:34  |  Reverend Jackson 27/07/08
      19.   To #6... 00:00  |  James 28/07/08
      20.   not jewish 00:07  |  the Devil`s Advocate 28/07/08
      21.   Reply to Al (Post No. 5) 00:11  |  Johnny Weintraub 28/07/08
      22.   Israel Society 00:21  |  Steve 28/07/08
      23.   #16... 01:38  |  James 28/07/08
      24.   Clickfool: a stain on every Sussex dweller 01:44  |  Hannah 28/07/08
      25.   idiots (m`fagrim) from maariv 02:33  |  yonah 28/07/08
      26.   Who Cares? 08:28  |  Kerri 28/07/08
      27.   No to Obama 08:34  |  ann 28/07/08
      28.   Obama OKed it! 09:52  |  kat in your hat 28/07/08
      29.   Obama may have staged the note to end the "Muslim" rumor 20:46  |  JM 28/07/08
      30.   Boycott Obama, not Ma`ariv 22:41  |  Nick Andrelli 28/07/08
      31.   Obama`s Prayer Note Removed 01:08  |  Satya 29/07/08
      32.   Publicity Stunt 05:50  |  Carol 29/07/08
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