We are pleased to publish this letter from the director of Christian Friends of Israel, Geoffrey Smith, to the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The Advertising Standards Authority

Dear Sirs,

I write on behalf of the Trustees and 10,000 members of this registered charity to protest in the strongest terms against your ruling that the Western Wall cannot be shown in Israel tourist advertisements. There are few places on earth where the purchase of real estate is recorded for thousands of years. Of these few, the single most significant and iconic is undoubtedly the Temple in Jerusalem. In the Bible - the sacred text of two world religions - 2 Samuel 24 records the purchase of the site - the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite - for fifty shekels of silver. 2 Chronicles 3 verse 1 links this site with the construction of Solomon's Temple. This is the geographical focus of the family of Israel throughout the world, the resting place of the God of Israel celebrated in Psalm 132, and the place to which the prophets of Israel looked in the messianic age to come (Isaiah 62).

Tourists to Israel whether Christian, Jewish or Muslim are drawn to this iconic site which is celebrated hundreds of times in the biblical texts of Israel. In book publishing, the Western Wall is the picture most associated with Israel and is indeed on the cover of two of our own publications. While part of Jerusalem was for a short time under Jordanian control from 1948-1967 it was closed to Jewish worshippers but subsequently under Israeli control access to the holy sites is open to all faith communities. As a students of Hebrew in Jerusalem twenty years ago, (and employers of Christian Jewish and Muslim staff), my wife and I counted it as the highest of privileges to accompany international visitors and Jews returning to Israel to the Western Wall.  Whatever form of administration is negotiated in the future there is no question of Israel relinquishing its historic heritage in the holy basin.

The Board of Trustees of this international organisation will await your response at our next Board meeting on Monday 19th April.

Yours sincerely

Geoffrey Smith
Director
Christian Friends of Israel