From wikipedia about Jerusalem
Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, Yerushaláyim, ISO 259-3 Yrušalaym, "Abode of Peace"; Arabic: القُدس, al-Quds al-Sharif, "The Holy Sanctuary") is the capital of
Israel, though not internationally recognized as such. If the area and population of East Jerusalem is included, it is Israel's largest city Largest city:
"… modern Jerusalem, Israel's largest city …" (Erlanger, Steven., 16 April 2006.) "Jerusalem is Israel's largest city. " (" 31 October 2009.) "Since 1975 unified Jerusalem has been the largest city in
Israel. " ( 21 June 2008) "Jerusalem is the largest city in the State of
Israel. It has the largest population, the most Jews and the most non-Jews of all Israeli cities. " (Klein, Menachem. Jerusalem: The Future of a Contested City, New York University Press, 1 March 2001, p. 18. ISBN 0-8147-4754-X) "In 1967, Tel Aviv was the largest city in
Israel. By 1987, more Jews lived in Jerusalem than the total population of Tel Aviv. Jerusalem had become Israel's premier city. " (Friedland, Roger and Hecht, Richard. To Rule Jerusalem, University of California Press, 19 September 2000, p. 192. ISBN 0-520-22092-7). in both population and area, with a population of 763, 800 residents over an area of. Located in the Judean Mountains, between the Mediterranean Sea and the northern edge of the Dead Sea, modern Jerusalem has grown far beyond the boundaries of the Old City.
Jerusalem is a holy city to the three major Abrahamic religions— Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In Judaism, Jerusalem has been the holiest city since, according to the Biblical Old Testament, King David of
Israel first established it as the capital of the
United Kingdom of
Israel in c. 1000 BCE, and his son Solomon commissioned the building of the First Temple in the city. Since the 10th century BCE: "Israel was first forged into a unified nation from Jerusalem some 3, 000 years ago, when King David seized the crown and united the twelve tribes from this city... For a thousand years Jerusalem was the seat of Jewish sovereignty, the household site of kings, the location of its legislative councils and courts. In exile, the Jewish nation came to be identified with the city that had been the site of its ancient capital. Jews, wherever they were, prayed for its restoration. " Roger Friedland, Richard D. Hecht. To Rule Jerusalem, University of California Press, 2000, p. 8. ISBN 0-520-22092-7 "The Jewish bond to Jerusalem was never broken. For three millennia, Jerusalem has been the center of the Jewish faith, retaining its symbolic value throughout the generations. ", Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 23 February 2003. Accessed 24 March 2007. "The centrality of Jerusalem to Judaism is so strong that even secular Jews express their devotion and attachment to the city, and cannot conceive of a modern State of
Israel without it.... For Jews Jerusalem is sacred simply because it exists... Though Jerusalem's sacred character goes back three millennia... ". Leslie J. Hoppe. The Holy City: Jerusalem in the theology of the Old Testament, Liturgical Press, 2000, p. 6. ISBN 0-8146-5081-3 "Ever since King David made Jerusalem the capital of
Israel 3, 000 years ago, the city has played a central role in Jewish existence. " Mitchell Geoffrey Bard, The Complete Idiot s Guide to the Middle East Conflict, Alpha Books, 2002, p. 330. ISBN 0-02-864410-7 "For Jews the city has been the pre-eminent focus of their spiritual, cultural, and national life throughout three millennia. " Yossi Feintuch, U. S. Policy on Jerusalem, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1987, p. 1. ISBN 0-313-25700-0 "Jerusalem became the center of the Jewish people some 3, 000 years ago" Moshe Maoz, Sari Nusseibeh, Jerusalem: Points of Friction – And Beyond, Brill Academic Publishers, 2000, p. 1. ISBN 90-411-8843-6 "The Jewish people are inextricably bound to the city of Jerusalem. No other city has played such a dominant role in the history, politics, culture, religion, national life and consciousness of a people as has Jerusalem in the life of Jewry and Judaism. Since King David established the city as the capital of the Jewish state circa 1000 BCE, it has served as the symbol and most profound expression of the Jewish people's identity as a nation. " city. Third-holiest city in Islam: "Middle East peace plans" by Willard A. Beling": The Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount is the third holiest site in Sunni Islam after Mecca and Medina It became the first Qibla, the focal point for Muslim prayer (Salah) in 610 CE, and, according to Islamic tradition, Muhammad made his Night Journey there ten years later. As a result, and despite having an area of only, {{}} the Old City is home to sites of key religious importance, among them the Temple Mount, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque.
During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times.. According to Eric H. Cline’s tally in Jerusalem Besieged. The oldest part of the city was settled in the 4th millennium BCE, making Jerusalem one of the oldest cities in the world. The old walled city, a World Heritage site, has been traditionally divided into four quarters, although the names used today—the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Quarters—were introduced in the early 19th century. The Old City was nominated for inclusion on the List of World Heritage in Danger by
Jordan in 1982.
Today, the status of Jerusalem remains one of the core issues in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, West Jerusalem was among the areas captured and later annexed by
Israel, while East Jerusalem was captured by
Jordan.
Israel captured East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War and subsequently annexed it. Currently, Israel's Basic Law refers to Jerusalem as the country's "undivided capital". The international community has rejected the annexation as illegal and treats East Jerusalem as Palestinian territory held by
Israel under military occupation. {{}} "Recalling its resolutions... concerning measures and actions by
Israel designed to change the status of the Israeli-occupied section of Jerusalem,... " The international community does not recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and the city hosts no foreign embassies.
According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, 208, 000 Palestinians live in East Jerusalem, which is sought by the Palestinian Authority as a future capital of a future Palestinian state.
All branches of the Israeli government are located in Jerusalem, including the Knesset (Israel's parliament), the residences of the Prime Minister and President, and the Supreme Court. Jerusalem is home to the Hebrew University and to the
Israel Museum with its Shrine of the Book. The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo has ranked consistently as Israel's top tourist attraction for Israelis.
