JERUSALEM
The eternal Undivided Capital of Israel

Ever since King David made Jerusalem the capital of Israel over 3,000 years ago, the city has played a central role in Jewish existence. The Western Wall in the Old City, the last remaining wall of the ancient Jewish Temple, the holiest site in Judaism, is the object of Jewish veneration and the focus of Jewish prayer.

Jerusalem is a Jewish City

• Jews have lived in Jerusalem for 2,000 continuously.
• Jews consist of the majority of Jerusalem in the present state of Israel constituting over 530,000 of the city's 758,000 population.
• Jews have been the largest group of inhabitants since the 1840s.
• Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab entity. It has never even been a provincial capital of under Muslim rule. It has never been a center of Muslim learning. Jerusalem has never been a cultural center of Islam.
• Jerusalem is pivotal to the Jews historically, culturally and spiritually. The attachment of Jews and Jerusalem is unmatched with any other nation and a holy city.

"No other city has played such a dominant role in the history, culture, religion and consciousness of a people as has Jerusalem in the life of Jewry and Judaism. Throughout centuries of exile, Jerusalem remained alive in the hearts of Jews everywhere as the focal point of Jewish history, the symbol of ancient glory, spiritual fulfillment and modern renewal. This heart and soul of the Jewish people engenders the thought that if you want one simple word to symbolize all of Jewish history, that word would be 'Jerusalem.'" - Teddy Kollek, Jerusalem Washington Institute For Near East Policy.

Jewish Claims to Jerusalem

• Jerusalem is the cradle of Jewish heritage and Jewish civilization. Ever since King David made Jerusalem the capital of Israel 3,000 years ago, the city has been at the center of Jewish existence. The last remaining wall of the Jewish Temple is the Western wall is in the old city of Jerusalem. The Western Wall and the city of Jerusalem itself is the most holy places of Judaism. Jerusalem is the focus of Jewish prayer. Three times a day Jews across the world face Jerusalem. For thousands of years Jews have prayed "To Jerusalem, thy city, shall we return with joy". For thousands of years Jews have concluded festivities with the words "next year… in Jerusalem."
• The Jewish connection to the Temple Mount dates back for more than 3,000 years. It is the site where Abraham tied his son to an alter as a sacrifice to G-d. It is the site of two Jewish temples that were the center of Jewish religious life, learning, and social life until the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans. The Mosques on the Temple Mount were built over 7 hundred years later after the Muslim occupation of the land.
• The fact that Jerusalem is disputed, or that it is claimed by others does not mean that the city belongs to them.

Jerusalem and the State of Israel

• Jerusalem as a Jewish city should be ruled by the Jewish state. The Jewish claims for the city of Jerusalem are the same as the Israeli claims.

"You ought to let the Jews have Jerusalem; it was they who made it famous." - Winston Churchill to diplomat Evelyn Shuckburgh, 1955.

• Jerusalem has only seen prosperity, greatness, and success when ruled by Jews both in biblical times and again in modern day Israel.
• Jerusalem is the capital of the state of Israel. Jerusalem was the capital of biblical Israel. Never has so much freedom and accessibility been granted to members of all faiths to Jerusalem's holy shrines, freedom of worship, and general toleration, than under the sovereignty of Israel.
• Resolution 242 calls for "withdrawal of territories occupied in recent hostilities". However, this does not relate to Jerusalem. One of the drafter of the resolution Arthur Goldberg stated that, "Resolution 242 in no way refers to Jerusalem and its omission was deliberate". Resolution 242 refers to the Golan Heights, Sinai (given back to Egypt), the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
• East Jerusalem was acquired after the 1967 war. A war initiated by hostile Arab countries. As a consequence for hostile acts of aggression Israel has full right to territories acquired in a defensive war, and therefore Jerusalem.

"The basis of our position remains that Jerusalem must never again be a divided city. We did not approve of the status quo before 1967; in no way do we advocate a return to it now ." - President George Bush

Why Jerusalem belongs to Jews not Muslims.

• Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in the Jewish Bible. It is not mentioned even once in the Koran.
• Islamic history does not illustrate Jerusalem as a city of veneration. To the contrary, Jerusalem is celebrated and revered to Jewish people across the world.
• Jerusalem the city is not holy for Muslims. It is the Dome of the Rock shrine that is holy to Islam. For Jews, the whole city is holy.

"For Christians and Moslems, the term 'Holy Sites' is an adequate expression of what matters. Here [in Jerusalem] are sacred places hallowed by most holy events... But Judaism... is not tied to sites, but to the land; not to what happened in Jerusalem, but to Jerusalem itself" - Bishop Prof. Krister Stendahl, Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Autumn 1967

• Some Islamic scholars have preached that Jerusalem is not holy to Jews but the Koran describes King Solomon's construction of the First Temple (34:13) and recounts the destruction of the First and Second Temples (17:7).
• As the holiest city of Judaism Jewish prayer is directed to Jerusalem. Muslim prayer is directed to the holiest city of Islam, Mecca.
• Muslims view Jerusalem as the location of their third most holy site. For Jews Jerusalem is the most holy.

False Muslim Claims to Jerusalem

• Muslims believe that the Temple Mount, situated in Jerusalem is the sight where the Prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven in his night journey as told in the Islmic holy book, the Koran.
• The Koran does not use the name "Jerusalem". The Koran states that during his night journey he was taken to the "furthest Mosque. Early Islamic scholars believed that to be Medina and not Jerusalem.
• Mohammed died in the year 632CE. The Dome of the Rock was built in 711 CE three generations later. No mosque stood at that location before. During the time of Mohammed Jerusalem was occupied by the Byzantines who were Christian. A church stood at the Temple Mount during the time of Mohammed not a mosque.
• It is doubtful that Mohammed ascended to heaven via a church. The Muslim claim to Jerusalem is both historically and conceptually inaccurate.
• The only time when Jews did not reside in East Jerusalem and was inhabited solely by Arabs was between 1948 and 1967 when Jordan occupied the city. The Jordanians prhibbted Jews to reside or even visit East Jerusalem.

Jerusalem Under Arab Occupation.

• Under Jordanian occupation Jewish residents were forced to leave their homes in East Jerusalem. Freedom of worship was not granted to Jews, and Christian pilgrims were subjected to heavy restrictions. The population of Christians reduced from 25,000 in 1949 to 13,000 in 1967. This was a result of Jordan's repressive measures.
• Under Jordanian occupation Jerusalem was neglected. The Jewish Quarter of the Old City was ransacked and slums surrounded the Western Wall. Basic day-to-day necessities were neglected; water, plumbing, and electricity were lacking.
• The Jordanian government allowed Jewish graves to be destroyed in the Mount of Olives by allowing a highway to be built that crosses the site.

Jerusalem and Internationalisation.

• Jerusalem can not be made an international city as the UN General Assembly has suggested. There is no precedent for this arrangement. The only other city to have been internationalized was post World War II Berlin that proved to be disastrous.
• Internationalization would cause more problems that already exist such as questions over who could be entrusted to police the city? Who can be entrusted to ensure the freedoms that already exist under Israeli rule? The answer is no one. Under Israeli control Jerusalem has never been so tolerant, open and free.

Jerusalem and its Residents and Visitors.

• As soon as Israel came in possession of Jerusalem it immediately abolished all discriminatory policies that were introduced under Jordanian rule.
• Under Israeli law anyone who does anything that may violate freedom of access of members of various religions sacred to them may be punished by a prison term of five years. The Israeli government does its utmost to prevent provocation that might threaten the sanctity of all of Jerusalem's holy places.
• Israel has entrusted the administration of holy places to their relevant representatives. For example, the Muslim Waqf is responsible for the Mosques on the Temple Mount.
• Christians and Muslims across the world including Arab countries that are hostile to Israel have been able to come to Jerusalem to visit their holy shrines.
• Palestinian Arabs in Jerusalem have political and social rights. They are entitled to Israel medical care, they may vote in elections, and they play a role in the administration of the city. They are not entitled to Israeli citizenship until the future status of Jerusalem is determined.

"There is no doubt that Israel did a better job safeguarding access to the city's holy places than did Jordan. There is unimpeded access today"- Former US President Jimmy Carter.

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