Daniel Goldwater
Eastern Jerusalem
Jerusalem “…the city of gold, copper and light…” the beating heart of the Jewish people for more than three millennia and counting. The City of Peace (literal translation) founded by the Jewish King David, built upon by his son Jewish king Solomon who incidentally also wrote the lyrics to the Byrds hit “Turn Turn Turn”. The Jewish temples numbers one and two, home of The Hasmonean Jewish Royal house and the last Jewish King “Herod ‘the builder”.
All this happened way before anyone had an inkling of Arabs or Islam.
Throughout its well documented history, Jerusalem has always remained a united city (destroyed and rebuilt a few times), but divided for only eighteen years since its inception more than 3000 years ago.
Ruled by many, prized by some, Jerusalem has only really revelled in her true glory when ruled by her founders the Jews. For anyone to deny this history and the unique relationship between the City and the Jewish people is indicative of incredible malicious intent.
“Historic Arab East Jerusalem “ is a dishonest construct actively promoted by organisations hostile to Israel like the UN, EU along with the MSM. This narrative has become a cudgel wielded by the many detractors of Israel and used to beat back historic Jewish claims to the Holy City. “Historic Arab East Jerusalem” is a weaponised notion intended to disenfranchise the Jews and champion the ‘inalienable rights of the “Palestinian Muslim Arabs” (a post-modern people manufactured for that purpose by the KGB during the Cold War in the mid-1960s).
Looking back it becomes apparent that Jerusalem has suffered a lot less “Arab” rule over the last 1400 years than the stylised name would suggest.
There has been Christian rule, Jewish rule and Muslim rule, but less Arab rule than one would suppose given the oft-repeated slogan.
Over the last 1,000 years, Arab Muslims have ruled over Jerusalem for a mere 19 years (Jordanian Hashemites 1948-1967).
Israeli Jews, British Christians, Ottoman Muslims (Turkmen from Asia), Mamelukes Seljuks (converts to Islam from central Asia) Ayyubids led by Saladin (Kurdish converts to Islam), Outremer Christians who defeated the Fatimids (Muslim Berber converts from North Africa). Before this, there were the Colonial Arab Muslim Conquerers who spilled out of the Saudi desert in the seventh century and vanquished Holy Jerusalem, then of the Eastern Byzantine Christian Empire.
For argument’s sake, a case could be made to name the Eastern part of Jerusalem ‘Historic Muslim or Islamic East Jerusalem’ in view of obvious Islamic rule and influence over much of the last 1,400 years, but then it would no longer be inclusive for Christians nor fit the desired Palestinian Arab narrative. To do this would likely result in a loss of Christian and some Western support and certainly it would lose a lot of its value as a weapon against Israel and the Jews.
Today Jerusalem is as it should be: a United City, open to all faiths to practice and pray as their religious affiliations instruct. Jerusalem will remain under Jewish rule as long as the Jews are willing to make the ultimate sacrifices demanded by history. If and when they falter the City will become the prize of another.
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