With President Donald Trump declaring Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, there is a lot of noise regarding whether or not this was a good move.
I believe it was the right move, and here’s 5 reasons why.
Jerusalem Has Only Ever Been the Capital City of the Jews
Very few people can dispute the Jewish history of Jerusalem, and the fact it predated the Islamic presence by over 1,500 years. Even if you do not accept the bible, there is archaeological and other evidence that supports this. For example, the Arch of Titus does not depict Roman soldiers carrying off a Quran.
Throughout history, when Jerusalem has been a capital city, it has only ever really been the capital of Israel, and treated as such (or the Jewish Kingdom of Judah after the ten northern tribes split off to form their own nation after King Solomon’s death) – except for a brief time when the Crusaders made it the capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Even after the Islamic conquest during the 7th century, the city was never made a prestigious capital of another state.
Even the New York Times used to recognize that the Muslims were the occupiers.
Jerusalem is Central to Jewish Belief. Islam….Not So Much
Jerusalem appears 669 times in the Torah (Old Testament). Jews still mourn the destruction of the two Temples and our expulsion from the land of Israel. We face Jerusalem three times a day to pray. Even at joyous occasions like Jewish weddings, we sing “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.” Heck, even the New York Times used to recognize our strong connection to Jerusalem.
In contrast, the word Jerusalem does not even appear in the Quran, while the temple mount “al-Aqsa” or “the far mosque” is only mentioned three times in total. And then there’s the issue that Muslims pray towards Mecca, with their tucheses facing Jerusalem.
Before Israel Regained Control Over the Eastern Part in 1967, Jordan, Not the Palestinian Arabs, Controlled It
As a result of the 1948 War of Independence, Jordan took control over the Eastern part of Jerusalem. Before that, it was controlled by the British, and before that the Ottoman-Turks. Never was it under the control, nor the capital city, of those who now refer to themselves as palestinians. So when the palestinians claim Israel somehow stole Jerusalem from them, or it should be the capital city of a future palestinian state, this has absolutely no basis in historical reality.
Only Under Israel Have the Rights of All Religions Been Preserved in the Old City of Jerusalem
Before Israel recaptured the old city, the Islamic Waqf restricted access of the Jews to the Western Wall. For instance, in 1930, the situation was so bad that an International Wailing Wall Commission sat for the first time, and we had to submit a case as to why the Wailing Wall was so important to us so we could pray there, while the Muslims claimed we had no rights there at all.
Not only that, but Muslim snipers used to use the so-called sanctity of “Haram esh-Sharif” to shoot at Jews.
After 1948 under Jordanian rule, Jews were denied access to Jewish holy sites, many of which were destroyed or desecrated. Dozens of synagogues were razed, tens of thousands of Jewish graves were destroyed, and Jews were forbidden from being buried in the Mount of Olives Jewish cemetery. The Western Wall was transformed into an exclusively Muslim holy site.
Christians did not fare much better, with Jordan allowing very limited access to Christian holy sites and imposing restrictions on the city’s Christian population.
Interestingly enough, the Jordanians even allowed the Muslim shrines to fall in to a state of disrepair and neglect.
Following the Six Day War, Israel immediately tried to integrate the Arab population of Jerusalem and treat them like citizens. To this day, the rights of all religions to their holy sites are guaranteed.
Well, almost. Because Israel allowed the Islamic Waqf to retain control over the Temple Mount, Jewish access to this holiest of sites in Judaism is severely restricted.
Even if You Accept All of This But Think This Will Trigger Violence..
Some people argue that Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is obvious, but why stoke the flames, it can only lead to bloodshed. To these people I say: I am not a fan of giving in to the bullies. Enough is enough – the terrorists will always find a pretext to instigate violence.
Trump’s declaration sends a message that terrorism does not pay – or at least not as well as it used to under previous US administrations.
