Religious Aspects of Jerusalem in US Peace Plan

PEACE TO PROSPERITY (January 2020)
SECTION FIVE: JERUSALEM

The United States recognizes the heightened sensitivity surrounding Jerusalem, a city that means so much to so many.

Jerusalem is a city unique in the history of civilization. No other place on earth can claim significance to three major religions. Each day, Jews pray at the Western Wall, Muslims bow in prayer at the al-Aqsa Mosque and Christians worship at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Throughout history, Jerusalem has been subject to war and conquest. It has been used to divide people and to instigate conflict by those with evil intentions. But it does not have to be this way.

Jerusalem must remain a city that brings people of all faiths together to visit, to worship, to respect each other and to appreciate the majesty of history and the glory of God’s creation.

The approach of this Vision is to keep Jerusalem united, make it accessible to all and to acknowledge its holiness to all in a manner that is respectful to all.

RELIGIOUS ASPECTS OF THE JERUSALEM ISSUE

We understand that theological interpretations differ within each religion. The descriptions below of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are not intended to be definitive theological interpretations. It is nevertheless clear that each of these three great faiths has its own connection to Jerusalem.

For Judaism, Jerusalem is where Mount Moriah is located. According to Jewish tradition, it was there that Abraham nearly sacrificed his son, Isaac, until God intervened. Centuries later, Jerusalem became the political center of the Jewish people when King David united the twelve tribes of Israel, making the city the capital and spiritual center of the Jewish people, which it has remained for nearly 3,000 years. King David’s son, King Solomon, built the First Temple on Mount Moriah.


According to Jewish tradition, inside the Temple, within the Holy of Holies, were stored the original Ten Commandments, revealed by God to Moses at Mount Sinai. The First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was built atop the same mountain and stood until it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. However, Jerusalem never lost its holiness to the Jewish People: It remains the direction to which Jews throughout the world turn in prayer and the destination of Jewish pilgrimage. Every year, on the 9th day of the Jewish month of Av, Jews fast, mourn and commemorate the destruction of the two Temples. Although Jews pray today at the Western Wall, which was a retaining wall of the Second Temple, the Temple Mount itself is the holiest site in Judaism. There are nearly 700 separate references to Jerusalem in the Hebrew Bible. For 100 generations the hopes and dreams of the Jewish people have been encapsulated by the words “Next Year in Jerusalem.”


For Christianity, Jerusalem is where Jesus of Nazareth preached, was tried, crucified, resurrected, and ascended to Heaven. Immediately after the recognition of Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire by Constantine in the early 4^th century, religious institutions were established at important sites such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Mount of Olives. After the Islamic conquest of Jerusalem in 637, Christians longed to recover the holy city, which they finally achieved in 1099, although it was lost to them again in 1187. During the medieval period, Jerusalem remained the premier Christian pilgrimage site, and a steady stream of visitors followed the footsteps of Jesus through Jerusalem, despite the dangers and challenges inherent in such travel. Under the Ottoman Empire, Christians were granted legal rights to their holy sites by successive firmans in the 18th and 19th centuries, establishing the Christian “Status Quo,” which was re-affirmed in the 1993 Vatican-Israel Fundamental Agreement. Today, Jerusalem is home to more than a dozen Christian sects and a thriving Christian population.


For Islam, Jerusalem acquires prominence as stated in the Holy Koran: “Glory to Him who made His Servant go by night from the Sacred Mosque (al-Masjid al-Haram) to the Farthest Mosque (al-Masjid al-Aqsa) whose surroundings We have blessed, that We might show him some of Our signs.” According to Islamic tradition, the verse refers to the Prophet Muhammad’s nocturnal journey from Mecca to Jerusalem (al-Isra’); he arrives at the area of the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, where he ascends to Heaven (al-Mi’raj), to meet the earlier prophets and receive the commandment of prayer. In early Islam, when

                                                               

Muhammad had taken his followers from Mecca to Medina, he established Jerusalem as the direction of Islamic prayer (the first Qiblah) before later changing the direction of prayer to Mecca. There have been Muslim rulers who also emphasized the religious importance of Jerusalem. The Ummayad Caliphate, based in Damascus, offered Jerusalem as an alternative place of pilgrimage when Mecca was controlled by a rival caliphate. The victory of Saladin over the Crusaders in 1187 led to a revival of Islamic interest in Jerusalem, and in 1517, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent rebuilt its walls and religious sites. Today, it is widely considered the third holiest site in Islam.

JERUSALEM’S HOLY SITES

After the Six Day War in 1967, when the State of Israel took control over all of Jerusalem, the State of Israel assumed responsibility for protecting all of the city’s holy sites. Those holy sites include, without limitation, the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, the Western Wall, the Muslim Holy Shrines, Church of St. Anne, Via Dolorosa (Stations of the Cross), Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Church of Viri Galilaei, Church of St. Stephen, Dormition Abbey, Tomb of the Virgin Mary, Room of the Last Supper, Augusta Victoria Church of Ascension, Garden of Gethsemane, Church of Mary Magdalene, Dominus Flevit Church, Pater Noster Church, Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, Church of the Ascension, The Russian Church, Secours Catholique ‘House of Abraham,’ Mount Scopus, Hurva Synagogue, Tomb of Absalom, Tomb of Zechariah, Second Temple Pilgrimage Road, Tomb of the Prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, Gihon Spring, City of David, Mount of Olives, Sambuski Jewish Cemetery, and the Pool of Siloam.


Unlike many previous powers that had ruled Jerusalem, and had destroyed the holy sites of other faiths, the State of Israel is to be commended for safeguarding the religious sites of all and maintaining a religious status quo. Given this commendable record for more than half a century, as well as the extreme sensitivity regarding some of Jerusalem’s holy sites, we believe that this practice should remain, and that all of Jerusalem’s holy sites should be subject to the same governance regimes that exist today. In particular the status quo at the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif should continue uninterrupted.


Jerusalem’s holy sites should remain open and available for peaceful worshippers and tourists of all faiths. People of every faith should be permitted to pray on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, in a manner that is fully respectful to their religion, taking into account the times of each religion’s prayers and holidays, as well as other religious factors.

JerUSAlem

US President Trump is planning to reveal the Middle East peace plan next week.  He also invited Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu along with his political rival Benny Gantz to Washington in order to discuss the plan.  Gantz has apparently accepted the invitation.    Palestinian authorities warned that there can be no deal without them on board; however, they have disqualified themselves, it seems to me, after they were invited to the US peace process under President Trump and decided not to join in the discussions.   I pray for peace among the Israeli’s and the Palestinians.  However, I sometimes wonder if the PA really has good will towards Israel and for that matter their own people.

Eastern Mediterranean Conflicts and Alliances

I watched a video today on the Eastern Mediterranean regarding some of its conflicts and alliances.  Israel, Cyprus, and Greece met in Athens earlier this month to discuss developments and security interests in the region.  Among the topics discussed was Turkey’s growing influence in Libya.  Here is the link. 

Vita et Lux ibi perditio et mors

Demonstrations took place this past Friday at the Temple Mount after 8000 Muslim Arabs had gathered in the Al-Aqsa Mosque for morning prayer.  The Jerusalem Post reported that they were protesting against Israeli “violations” at religious sites in Jerusalem and the West Bank.  In her Twitter account, Nurit Yohanan posted a video of the alleged protester’s chant.  Her account provides a translation in Hebrew of a portion of the chant—that was most likely in Arabic; a translation of the Hebrew is as follows:  “Jews the army of Al-Aqsa shall return” and “in spirit, in blood, we shall liberate you Al-Aqsa.”  The group can be seen walking toward what looks like the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.  Occasionally the camera pans to the right where you see what looks like the Dome of the Rock.  Eventually Israeli police came and dispersed the crowd.   

This is a picture from my 2017 summer trip to Jerusalem, Israel.  I spent a lot of time on the Temple Mount and took many pictures.  On the left is the Al-Aqsa Mosque.  The three trees on the front right are olive trees.  In the background to the right are cedar trees.  There is life and light there on that mountain, and if they could speak, what would they say?    

Oliva et iustitia

Recent events surrounding the US killing of Iranian General Soleimani, Iranian attack on US bases in Iraq, and downing of Flight PS752 have led me to reflect on calls for US troops to withdraw.  There are those in the US who do not want to go to war with Iran.  Moreover, some Americans want US troops out of Iraq.  Furthermore, the Ayatollah Khamenei has called for their removal from the Middle East.  However, there seems to be an injustice in this.  If it is true that the Iranian Quds Force has extended resources and influence into countries such as Iraq, Gaza, and Syria, those who call for the removal of US troops should also call for Iranian forces to withdraw from the area.  

Ancient Olive Trees on Mount of Olives

Comfort My People

Arise, shine out, for your light has come, and the glory of Yahweh has risen on you. Look! though night still covers the earth and darkness the peoples, on you Yahweh is rising and over you his glory can be seen. The nations will come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness (Isa 60:1-3).