An article written by the Palestinian deputy information minister that denies any Jewish connection to the Western Wall in Jerusalem is being cited by Israelis as proof that the Palestinians are not prepared to make peace. Mutawakel Taha’s article, which was published on the ministry’s website, argues that, “The Al-Buraq Wall is the western wall of Al-Aqsa [1], which the Zionist occupation falsely claims ownership of and calls the Wailing Wall or Kotel.” Mark Regev, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s spokesman, told reporters that, “To deny the Jewish connection to the Western Wall is something that we wouldn’t expect from a partner in peace.” There has been no comment from either Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud ‘Abbas or Prime Minster Salam Fayyad regarding the article. Netanyahu has been demanding that the Palestinians acknowledge the Jewish character of the state of Israel, a demand rejected by both Palestinian leaders.