Page 63 - Signs of the End

THE SIGNS OF THE END 27

INTERNATIONALIZATION OF JERUSALEM

Part and parcel with the concept of the peace plan is what to
do about Jerusalem. Ever since the 1967 War, all of Jerusalem
has been in Israeli hands. Israel reunified the city by annexing
East Jerusalem, which included the very significant Old City and
was in Jordanian hands from 1948 until 1967. The unified
Jerusalem w as declared the capital of Israel in 1980, as it w as in
the golden era of King David and King Solomon. As far as the
Jews were concerned, Jerusalem was from then on theirs forever,
never to be divided again.

One of the problems was, though, that practically nobody
else recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The Arabs felt that
Jerusalem had been taken from them, and refused to recognize
Israel at all. The United Nations and the rest of the world
sympathized with the Arab position, and considered East
Jerusalem to be part of the "occupied territory." Not one country,
including the United States, has its embassy to Israel in
Jerusalem. Rather, all the embassies are in Tel Aviv. Israel is the
only country in the world where the city it has declared as its
own capital is not recognized by any other nations.

In many ways, the struggle over Jerusalem is more religious
than political. The Jewish people considered the Temple Mount
in general, and the Western Wall in particular, as the most sacred
place in the world where they can worship the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob. It was the site of the ancient Temples of
Solomon and Herod. But the Arab Moslems have a claim to the
Temple Mount as well, and their famous Dome of the Rock and
the A1 Aksa Mosque have been standing there for 1,300 years!
It is revered as the place where Mohammed made his journey to
Heaven, according to the Moslem tradition.

Finally, the Christian religion looks to Jerusalem for its
origins, as the city where Jesus taught, died, rose from the dead
and ascended to Heaven, and where the Church w as bom.
Christianity exercised political control over Jerusalem in the
Byzantine era (fourth to seventh centuries) and during the
Crusades (twelfth century). Even now, the Vatican and Eastern
Orthodox groups have ownership rights of many historically
significant Church buildings, including the Church of the Holy