Zechariah
calls Jerusalem ‘a burdensome stone for all people.’ Whoever messes with
it will be cut in pieces, even though all the people of the earth be gathered
together against it (Zechariah 12:3). Could the whole world be obsessed with
the holy city to the point of global conflict? Judging by the amount of
international attention this city already receives - plus the uptake in
violence - and you have a plausible scenario.
In
Part 01 of this series, we learned that Jerusalem is the Number One
foreign policy issue and will get increasingly more global attention in the
days ahead. We also reviewed Jerusalem’s history from the time of its founding
4,000 years ago until the time of Christ. In Part 02, we reviewed
Jerusalem’s history from the end of the Biblical period until today.
In
this article, we will look at what is called ‘The Jerusalem Question.’
2017 ANNIVERSARY YEAR
Among
other things, the year 2017 will be remembered as the ‘anniversary year.’ It is
the year of the 500th Anniversary (1517) of the Protestant Reformation, where
the ‘just shall live by his faith’ and the Bible was recognised as the
sole and highest authority regarding faith and practice. It is the 120th
Anniversary (1897) of the 1st Zionist Congress of Basle, Switzerland, convened
by Theodor Herzl. 2017 is the 70th Anniversary (1947) of the UN Partition
resolution, dividing British Mandatory Palestine into Arab and Jewish states.
June 2017 commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Six Day War and Israel’s
capture of the Old City, the first time it has been under Jewish sovereignty
for nearly 1,900 years.
In
2017 are 3 centenaries (1917) worth noting:
1.
Allied victory in Beersheba (October
31st) : With the help of the
Australian Light-Horsemen, the town of Beersheba fell the Allies. This was be
beginning of the end of 400 year of Ottoman Turkish rule, leading to the
British Mandate of Palestine and the establishment of the State of Israel.
2.
Balfour Declaration (November
2nd): Lord Arthur Balfour, British Foreign Minister, issued a letter to
Lord Rothschild stating that His Majesty’s Government viewed with favour the
creation of a Jewish national home in Palestine. Now the fledgling Zionist
movement had the backing of the British Empire. Eventually, this declaration
was incorporated into the League of Nations authorised British Mandate in
Palestine.
3.
Fall of Jerusalem: British General Edmund
Allenby captured Turkish Jerusalem in December 1917.
(NOTE:
2017 is also the centenary of the February and October 1917 Russian Revolution
and the birth of US President John F. Kennedy in May).
It
is from this point that we begin to explore the Jerusalem question. For exactly
400 years, from 1517-1917, Jerusalem was under Ottoman Turkish rule. Turkey was
the last internationally recognised legal owner of the holy city. From the time
of the British conquest of December 1917 until now, however, the ownership of
Jerusalem has been in dispute. Hence, we have the ‘Jerusalem Question.’
Remember,
this question is not merely limited to Israelis and the Palestinians Arabs. Due
to its location, history, and heritage, some major countries and organisations
also claim a stake in Jerusalem. It was during the 19th Century that great
powers established a presence in the holy city, usually by consulates, colonies
and compounds. There was the German Colony, the American Colony, the Russian
Compound (complete with hospice, hospital, and cathedral), French and British
quarters as well.
Today,
the following parties are involved in the Jerusalem Question, including: Israel,
Palestinian Authority, the Arab League, the Vatican, the United Nations, the
European Union, Russia, the United States, the Orthodox Church, the Muslim
world through the Arab League and OIC. All these have their ‘fingers in the
Jerusalem pie’ and all hold a veto. No wonder that over the last century, the
60 plus proposals of what to do with Jerusalem have failed to materialise
because of the objections of one or more of these parties.
Jerusalem Tug-O-War
In
the last century, apart from the Jerusalem Question, comes the actual situation
on the ground. Here’s the history:
British
Rule (1917-1948):
During most of this period, Britain had a mandate in Palestine. This means they
were internationally authorised to occupy the country and prepare the inhabitants
for eventual independence. Initially, independence was to be given to the
Jewish state but consistent Arab protests caused second thoughts. The British
White Paper of 1939 was considered a repudiation of the mandate. Eventually,
after the Second World War, Britain handed the problem of Palestine to the
newly-formed United Nations in February 1947, who was authorised to determine
its fate. The results was the UN Partition Resolution 181 of November 1947,
dividing Mandatory Palestine into a Jewish and Arab state and consigning
Jerusalem to an international regime to be administered by the UN
Divided
City (1948-1967):
While the Jews accepted the partition resolution, the Arabs rejected it out of
hand. Jerusalem and Palestine’s fate was determined on the battle field. The
1948 Arab-Israeli War resulted in Israel gaining additional territory,
including West Jerusalem; Egypt captured Gaza; Jordan the West Bank and East
Jerusalem. When the UN asked Israel and Jordan to hand over their respective
sectors to UN custody, they refused. Their argument: when Jerusalem was under
siege, the UN was no where to be found. We defended it with our blood and now
we will keep it!
Israeli
Rule (1967-Present):
In June 1967, Israel captured the Old City of Jerusalem and the eastern sector,
which it annexed 3 weeks later. Though Israel has repeatedly affirmed that
Jerusalem is its ‘eternal, indivisible capital’ and not subject to
negotiations, Jerusalem still remains ‘on the table.’
Crux of the Matter
While
the municipal boundaries of modern Jerusalem are large, the ‘real, original’ Jerusalem
is the Old City. The 16th Century Turkish walls of Ottoman sultan Suleiman the
Magnificent defined the city. Only in the 19th century did anyone live outside
the walls. Thus the status of the Old City is the heart of the matter.
But
it goes even further. There is 14 hectares of sacred space, known in Arabic as al
haram al sharif and in English as the Temple Mount. No piece of real estate
on earth commands so much attention. If the Old City is the body, the Temple
Mount is the heart. Today, as it has been for much of the last 1,400 years, it
has been under Muslim control, where the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque
are housed. Yet the mount is considered the traditional site of the Jewish
temples of Solomon and Herod. If ever there was a flashpoint, it would be the
Temple Mount. Many times in its history, it has been the epicentre of unrest
and riots; even the apostle Paul caused a riot by his very presence there (Acts
21).
The
Jerusalem question dominates the world diplomatic agenda and the Old City and
Temple Mount are the core. If you can solve these, we will have peace. But as
one person aptly put it: ‘Jerusalem is a stick of dynamite and the Temple
Mount is the fuse’ —TO BE CONTINUED
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