Jerusalem Day

Today, we celebrate Jerusalem day, the day that Jerusalem was united under Israeli rule during the Six Day War. Last night was one big party, as we celebrate in the eternal and undivided capital of the Jewish State. This day is incredibly important, and it is worth writing about. Jerusalem, having been liberated by Israel, will never be divided again. This city stands at the center of the world, and is sacred to its 3 major religions. As a Christian, I believe that this city stands on holy ground. My savior died here, and He was resurrected here. This is why it is sacred to the Christians. The city is sacred to the Jews because this was King David's capital, and it was also the site of the two (and some say a future 3rd) Temples of the Most High God. Finally, It is sacred to Muslims, who claim that Mohammed was taken up into heaven from the Temple Mount, making that specific site sacred to Muslims. They also say that he tied his horse to the Wailing Wall before making the assent, so they claim that site too (the Jews refuse to give it to them). From 1948-1967, this city was divided between the Israelis and the Jordanians, with Israel holding the western half and the Jordanians holding the eastern half (made up mostly of the Old City). When war broke out in 1967, Israel pleaded with King Hussein of Jordan not to get involved, but he did anyway, feeling that he had no choice. Israel quickly defeated the Jordanian army and took the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan. For the first time in thousands of years, the City of God was once again in the hands of His people. It has remained united to this day. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, but the rest of the world doesn't see it that way. Unique among capital cities of the world, Jerusalem does not host any foreign embassies. These embassies, including that of the United States (Israel's supposed best friend) reside in Tel Aviv.The embassies are located there because the nations of the world feel that Jerusalem is occupied territory, and should not be under Israeli rule. The Democratic Party even had a fight at their national convention this past year over whether to even include Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in their party platform (This wasn't an issue at the Republican Convention). The Palestinians, 46 years later, still claim East Jerusalem (at minimum) as their capital, even as their share of the West Bank continues to shrink daily. The Palestinian leadership, while making impossible demands as terms for peace, takes foreign aid money for themselves instead of distributing it to the people. President Abbas spends more time traveling the globe than he does in the West Bank providing leadership. If all of the current Palestinian demands were met, the entire city of Jerusalem would be ceded to the new Palestinian state, which would be made up (at minimum) of all of the West Bank and Gaza. Along with this, every Palestinian living in the surrounding Arab states would be allowed to return to whatever part of Israel their ancestors lived in before they left during the 1948 war. This, of course, would be the end of the Jewish state, simply because of the demographics involved. The Palestinians would outvote the Jews, taking control of the Knesset and changing the country's name from "Israel" to "Palestine". This is what would occur if every Palestinian demand were met at face value today. The Palestinian demands are, at minimum, the withdrawal of Israel to the 1967 borders (giving them all of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem), the end of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and the right of all refugees to return to their old homes throughout the country. What is ironic is that the Palestinians were offered almost all of this twice in the past decade, and both times they rejected it. Prime Minister Barak offered Arafat almost all of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem in exchange for peace, and Arafat said no. Prime Minister Olmert made a similar offer, but it also was rejected. Due to current realities, none of these demands can possibly be granted today, and no offers similar to Barak's or Olmert's will be made to the Palestinians by the current Israeli leadership. Israel, which is holding all of the cards as the victorious state of 1967 and as the regional superpower, will never agree to return to the '67 lines after all of the money and time spent building settlements in the region, and they will never divide Jerusalem again. The Palestinian demands for, at minimum, East Jerusalem, are also not possible according to the Israelis (who will not divide their capital). The best case scenario for a Palestinian state today would be one consisting of only part of the West Bank, with Ramallah as its capital. The state would be demilitarized and Israel would most likely handle security. Israel has made it abundantly clear since 1967 that Jerusalem will never be divided again, and that it is, now and forever more, the eternal capital of the Jewish people. The Palestinians need to recognize this reality, and shift their focus from the realm of dreams to the realm of the achievable.