The Jewish Presence in Jerusalem over the Years

The Kingdom of Israel. Established over 3000 years ago. Capital city: Jerusalem.

The State of Israel. Established over 60 years ago. Capital city: Jerusalem.

In the book of Genesis - the very first book in both the Jewish and Christian scriptures - the story of Abraham is told. The One God makes a covenant with Abraham, the father of Isaac and Ishmael. God promises Abraham, before he has any children, that his son by Sarah whose name will be Isaac, will be the beginning of a chosen people special to God. Isaac's grandson Judah is the person the Jewish people are 'named for'. 

It is my personal opinion that both Israelis/Jews and Palestinians/Muslims should make more concessions when it comes to negotiating a peaceful two-state solution. It is also my personal opinion that both sides have very valid interests and concerns that need to be heard, respected and addressed.

There are a great deal of issues that stand in the way of a two-state solution. According to a recent Middle East Forum article entitled Jerusalem is Not up for Grabs, many Israelis feel very strongly about holding on to their holiest site in their capital city, Jerusalem. 

"Israeli public opinion is committed to maintaining the status quo in Jerusalem. All polls show that over two thirds of Israelis feel that Jerusalem should remain the united capital of Israel, while only 20 percent favor dividing the capital between the Jewish state and a future Palestinian state. The group of Israelis expressing the strongest support in favor of Jerusalem remaining the undivided capital of Israel (almost 80 percent) is between the ages of 18 and 24. Of this group, even stronger support was expressed by Ultra-Orthodox and religious Israelis who are the fastest growing segments in the Jewish population. When asked whether Israel should relinquish control over the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the holiest place in the world for Jews, over 70 percent of Israelis disagreed."

I've wavered in my stance on whether Jerusalem should (according to little old me who doesn't live there...) be Israeli or whether turning it into a special city for the world, possibly protected by the UN and not just for Israelis or Palestinians, would be a 'better' option. Let me be clear: I don't live in Israel. I have no family in Israel. I have no personal stake in this and am just thinking out loud, through writing this. Yet I, like so many people around the world, am fascinated by Israel and what happens there.

 As small as Israel is as a country, it seems to be in the news A LOT. Yes, it is the world's only Jewish country which makes it unique and interesting, certainly. However, is what happens there actually any of the rest of the world's business? Logically, my answer would be 'not really'. However, due to religion, it is of interest to the world. Three of the world's major religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, have a profound link to historical, and to present-day, Israel. The Jewish people have thousands of years of history there, dating back to before the First Temple was built, dating back to before the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans some 2000 years ago. Christianity has a link to Israel due to Jesus, a Jewish man, living and teaching and dying there. Islam has a link to Israel and a long-time presence there as well, with mosques built in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount where both the First Temple and the Second Temple - the Temple Mount being Judaism's holiest site - once stood. The Western Wall, where today many Jews pray and gather, is part of the foundation of the Temple Mount. 

Jerusalem is of major importance and significance to those three religions and while Christianity doesn't today claim Jerusalem, both Judaism and Islam see Jerusalem as a site of major significance and both Israel and the possible Palestinian state see Israel as their (intended) capital city.  After the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in the year 70CE and Jews were expelled from Jerusalem, Jewish presence in Israel didn't suddenly stop. As Jewish people spread around the world and established communities in many different countries, the yearning of the Jewish people to rebuild their temple and to return to Israel and to Jerusalem never waned, never stopped. And there has always been a Jewish presence in the Holy Land, from the time Moses led his people through the wilderness to the promised land, to this very day. After the Nazis exterminated more than six million Jews in the Second World War, the modern nation of Israel was established in 1948. This didn't 'suddenly' happen because some major world powers decided that Jewish people needed a place to be safe from persecution and extermination. This was in the works for decades before the Second World War ever happened. 

Jerusalem is and will be a place of major importance as long as religions exist, as long as people exist. And, as long as different religions exist, it looks to be a city claimed by 'both sides'. While I am not a refugee and have not been persecuted, I have lived in different countries from the one I was born in and have experienced how it feels to be accepted yet still an outsider. Coming home, despite not always feeling like I understand everyone here and people understand me, I am still home. I can trace my roots back through many generations and even today visit the site where my grandfather was born almost a hundred years ago, or the street my great-grandfather on the other side lived on. This is my home and no-one can tell me otherwise. If I were expelled by invaders, I would wish to return home. For me, it's not about religion or about the country I live in housing my religion's holiest site. It's personal. This is my history. This is where I come from. This is where my people come from. This is my home. And that feeling, that knowledge, that certainty that this is my home, I fully expect that many Israelis, may Jews, but also many Palestinians share this feeling. Not about my home country or city, but about theirs: Jerusalem in Israel.

There is no 'quick fix' for the problems facing Israelis and Palestinians today. Despite so much shared history and shared religious values, there is no quick fix for making Jews and Muslims get along. And as long as this strife and misunderstanding exists, there may never be peace. However, I won't stop believing in the possibility that one day, the people of this earth will all learn to get along and learn to share. That we will no longer have two or more sides fighting or opposing each other. I won't stop believing that peace is possible and that all of humanity can learn to get along, can learn to respect each other, can learn to value another's point of view and try to see things as 'the other side' does. I won't stop believing that peace is possible and that everyone who values Jerusalem will find a way to, together, make this fascinating city a peaceful one where all sides are respected, all religions are valued and all who wish to can pray in peace as they wish and where they wish.