Last updated on December 7, 2017
I have Jewish friends who are pro-Israel and they don’t approve of Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel either. This decision means support for the right-wing Israeli government agenda -nothing more and nothing less. It is a political move to please rich Jewish supporters and the angry Evangelists who voted for Trump in the last election.
What kind of twisted mind pours oil in a fire that’s already burning?
Logic fails, whenever religion is involved; emotions run deep. It is so easy to take sides when you only listen to one side, to begin with. It is so easy to judge a country and their people when you have never visited them.
Jerusalem is a historic place and equally important to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
Who owns Jerusalem?
Religiously speaking, it belongs to all three world religions:
- Jews worship the city because it was home to their temples. The Jewish King David made the city the capital; around 1,000 BC, the first temple was built. Later, the temple was destroyed and rebuilt. 70 years after the Romans had this temple destroyed – the Wailing Wall is now considered the last remaining part of the temple.
- Christians worship the city because Jesus preached here. It is said he was crucified and buried in Jerusalem – and finally resurrected there. At the place of the crucifixion and the tomb, today there is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the old town. The Via Dolorosa is a street within the Old City of Jerusalem, believed to be the path that Jesus walked on the way to his crucifixion.
- Muslims worship the city because it houses the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. From the site of the Dome of the Rock, Prophet Muhammad is said to have traveled to heaven with his winged horse. The building with the gold dome stands on the Temple Mount – the place where the Jewish temple once stood.
If I could place a wish for Jerusalem and the people in this region, I would wish for understanding and tolerance of each other. The fights in the name of gods have to stop and it will only stop when THEY will find a solution that will be acceptable for Christians, Jews as well as for Muslims.
As for us and the rest of the world, we should not take sides but rather help to bring all sides to the table. THEY need to find an acceptable, realistic solution for all. Personally, I hope Jerusalem will become a neutral city.
But what do I know!
Thanks for spotlighting this issue. I agree with you when you say: “Logic fails, whenever religion is involved; emotions run deep.” The irony of this volatile situation in Jerusalem is that all three religious factions worship the same God.
Stupid man. What more can I say?
Like you I feel that Jerusalem should belong to all the people that live there and care so much about its monuments and long multinational history – perhaps a neutral city state. I cannot see how siding with one group is ever going to result in a peaceful co-existence for all. I fear this move can only make life worse for both Israelis and Palestinians as zealots on both sides overreact and allies of both nations feel pressured to support them.
I also hope that there’s a peaceful resolution to this but I don’t think declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is the answer.
Of course not, it was reckless and dangerous.