One Nation's Capital Throughout History

[Roudy]

An interesting read for those who wish to educate themselves:

THE LEGAL ASPECTS OF JEWISH RIGHTS

THE JEWS IN JERUSALEM
by

Edwin S. Wallace, former U.S. Consul, Constantinople
Published by Cosmopolitan Magazine – 1898

Excerpts
“It is hardly exact to call Palestine “the Land,” or Jerusalem “the
City, of the Jews” to-day. But Palestine is the land of Judaism and
its chief city is beyond doubt the world’s capital of this particular
form of religious belief."

“In this City of the Jews, where the Jewish population outnumbers
all others three to one, the Jew has few rights that the Mohammedan
or average Christian is bound to respect.”

Jerusalem and the Jewish people are so intertwined that telling
the history of one is telling the history of the other. For more than
3,000 years, Jerusalem has played a central role in the history
of the Jews, culturally, politically, and spiritually, a role first
documented in the Scriptures. All through the 2,000 years of the
diaspora, Jews have called Jerusalem their ancestral home. This
sharply contrasts the relationship between Jerusalem and those
who inflate Islam’s links to the city.

The Arab rulers who controlled Jerusalem through the 1950s
and 1960s demonstrated no religious tolerance in a city that gave
birth to two major Western religions. That changed after the Six-
Day War in 1967, when Israel regained control of the whole city.
Symbolically, one of Israel's first steps was to officially recognize
and respect all religious interests in Jerusalem. But the war for
control of Jerusalem and its religious sites continues.

Jerusalem’s Jewish Link: Historic, Religious, Political

Jerusalem, wrote historian Martin Gilbert, is not a ‘mere’ city. “It
holds the central spiritual and physical place in the history of the
Jews as a people.”
For more than 3,000 years, the Jewish people have looked to
Jerusalem as their spiritual, political, and historical capital, even
when they did not physically rule over the city. Throughout its
long history, Jerusalem has served, and still serves, as the political
capital of only one nation – the one belonging to the Jews. Its
prominence in Jewish history began in 1004 BCE, when King
David declared the city the capital of the first Jewish kingdom.
David’s successor and son, King Solomon, built the First Temple
there, according to the Bible, as a holy place to worship the
Almighty. Unfortunately, history would not be kind to the Jewish
people. Four hundred and ten years after King Solomon completed
construction of Jerusalem, the Babylonians (early ancestors to
today’s Iraqis) seized and destroyed the city, forcing the Jews
into exile.

Read more here: http://www.mythsandfacts.org/Conflict/3/Jerusalem.pdf

 

[proudveteran06]

Jerusalem: Unified City, Divided City, or International City?



Jerusalem: Unified City, Divided City, or International City?
Dateline: 08/03/00 (Updated 08/04/00)




About.com Poll


What do you think should happen to Jerusalem once Palestine becomes a State?


Divide it in two, the capital of Israel and Palestine.
Make it an international city. The two countries should find their own capitals.
It should remain a unified Israeli city and Palestine should find its own capital.



Current Results



"The complication here is that Jerusalem is holy to three religions, and how to handle this, at the same time as issues of political sovereignty. At Camp David, certainly the issue of internationalization was not the solution." U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright

On August 1, I received an "action alert" informing me that CNN.com had decided to relocate Jerusalem. CNN decided to no longer list Jerusalem as being a city in Israel but to make it unaffiliated with any country under their weather section for the Middle East. CNN.com doesn't segregate any other city in the world (all cities are listed under their respective countries) so the creators of the action alert asked people to complain to CNN that Jerusalem should be listed under Israel. While flooding CNN's email box might not do much good, learning about the dynamics associated with the political geography of Jerusalem might be better!
King David established Jerusalem as the capital city of the Jewish people in 1004 BCE. Throughout the centuries, and even when there was no Jewish state, Jerusalem has been the focus of Jewish culture and ritual. Jewish liturgy includes the wish, "Next year in Jerusalem" as part of holy day ceremonies. Since the 1860s, Jews have been a majority of the residents of Jerusalem.

Yet, Jerusalem is also a holy city for two other religions - Islam and Christianity. Palestinians argue that Jerusalem is the traditional capital of Palestine and that it must also serve as the capital of a forthcoming independent state of Palestine.

That's where some of the differences lie in sorting out and creating a new Palestinian state and coming up with a plan for peace in the Middle East.

1947 to Present

On November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 181 which called for the partition of the British-ruled Palestine into a independent Jewish State and an independent Arab State.

The resolution also called for Jerusalem to be an international city,


and neither Jewish nor Arab, administered by the U.N.'s (now defunct) Trusteeship Council, which would appoint a Governor of the City. Unfortunately, the Arab non-acceptance of Resolution 181 and invasion of Israel immediately upon its declaration of statehood essentially reneged the resolution and the creation of an Arab state at the time.


Myths & Facts Online: Jerusalem


The only time that the eastern part of Jerusalem was exclusively Arab was between 1949 and 1967, and that was because Jordan occupied the area and forcibly expelled all the Jews.


Isn't it funny how the Pro Palestinians yell and scream about " International Law?" The UN Declared E. Jerusalem be declared part of a " International City" and the Israelis were to have access to it. Of course Jordan refused to comply. Israel did go to the UN concerning this issue. Their response was; NOTHING !