MK: Lower the Mosque Noise, People Have the Right to Sleep
December 8, 2011, Kislev 12, 5772
by David Lev

The Ministerial Law Committee on Sunday will discuss a law proposed by MK Anastasia Michaeli that would require mosques to temper the prayer announcements made by muezzins at Islamic prayer times. While most members of Michaeli's Yisrael Beiteinu party support the law, it is not clear that most of the other factions in the coalition do. Many government officials, including Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, have expressed opposition, fearing the reaction of Arabs to the law.

At issue, for the most part, is the early morning call to prayer, the Fajr, which is called at least a quarter hour before sunrise, when most people are still sleeping. Many Israelis have complained about the call to prayer, which is often broadcast very loudly with the help of speakers and amplifiers, especially in cities with large Arab populations like Jerusalem.

Environment Minister Gilad Erdan, who has made fighting noise pollution a priority, is a strong supporter of the bill. In recent weeks, Upper Nazareth Mayor Shimon Gappaso and Afula Deputy Mayor Boris Yudis have pressed Erdan to initiate laws against noise pollution, and have attempted to recruit MKs to their cause as well. Michaeli, who is sympathetic to their cause, drafted the bill that the Committee will discuss Sunday.

“No one is against freedom of religion,” Michaeli said. “But along with freedom of religion must come environmental awareness, and consideration of others. When families, the elderly, small children, and working people who need their rest are forced to wake up in the early hours of the morning because of the muezzin's call, we are talking about a clear violation of the law. People who live near mosques need not suffer, and coexistence cannot be a reason for damaging the quality of life,” she said.

Michaeli said that she had gotten firsthand complaints about the extent of the problem from friends who live in the Ganei Aviv neighborhood of Lod, a middle class development of villas and cottages. Residents there have complained for years of the problem, she said. “It is everyone's right to pray, but it is also everyone's right to sleep well, and to enjoy peace and quiet in their homes,” she said.

Barkat on BBC: From Whom, Exactly, Did We Conquer Jerusalem?
by Elad Benari
July 17, 2011, Tammuz 15, 5771

Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat spoke out forcefully during an interview with the BBC on Friday, saying that splitting the capital as part of a future peace agreement with the Palestinian Authority would simply not work.

Speaking on the program “Hardtalk with Tim Franks,” Barkat said that he is committed to improving the situation for all residents of Jerusalem – Jews, Christians and Arabs alike.

Barkat called UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s criticism of Israel for its plans to build in Jerusalem’s Jewish Gilo neighborhood a “double standard,” adding: “Anywhere in the world, would you dare to say that Jews or non-Jews or blacks or people of a certain faith are not allowed to build somewhere? The reality is that in the last week we’ve discussed and will be approving 1,400 units for Arab residents, but they don’t report that. The media only report Jewish building. Even international law cannot discriminate between Jews and non-Jews.”

He sharply contradicted  the host’s assertion that Jerusalem is “occupied territory” by saying, “This is not occupied territory. From whom? From the Jordanians? From the British? From the Turks? Anywhere you put a shovel in the ground you find Jewish roots in Jerusalem.

“The vast majority of Arabs in east Jerusalem prefer a united city,” he continued. “Poll the public. They will tell you. The Arabs – the Muslims and the Christians – prefer a united city than, G-d forbid, a split city that will never work. There’s no working model in the world of a split city that ever worked. They all fail. They’re dysfunctional. Why go there when you know that it will never work and it’s not good for the future? It focuses on the divide rather than the common denominator.”

Barkat said that the world does not understand the Middle East and that the true challenge is to get the world to understand what is happening on the ground. “When you learn and understand the city, you understand that it can never be divided, not practically and not ideologically,” he said.

“The truth is that there are gaps in standards between various parts of the city, but if you look at the west side of the city in Jewish neighborhoods there are things that are missing compared to other places,” said Barkat. “The challenge is to admit them and to fix them. I’m committed [to doing so] and so is the Israeli government. We’ve demonstrated in the last two-and-a-half years a significant growth. I am a big believer in a united city, and therefore I’m totally committed to all residents of Jerusalem – Muslim, Christians, and Jews.”

Responding to the host’s question about 75 percent of the Arab population in Jerusalem being below the poverty line, Barkat noted that 50 percent of the Jewish population is also below the poverty line, and that the way to fix it is by strengthening the economy.

“Our economy will grow, and is growing, through culture and tourism and through health and life sciences,” he said. “These are areas that we’ve been working on in order to improve our economy. The challenge is to get more jobs into Jerusalem. When it rains, it rains on everybody. Tourism last year alone picked up 24 percent in hotel occupancy, and culture and tourism employ more Arabs than Jews.”

Regarding building plans, Barkat said the city’s master plan calls for “the expansion of Arab neighborhoods and Jewish neighborhoods. We cannot allow people to build by race or religion. We anticipate that Arabs will live in Arab neighborhoods and Jews will live Jewish neighborhoods. The master plan talks about an honest and fair expansion of the current neighborhoods, because if we don’t plan expansion in a smart way then Arabs will build illegally and Jews will not build and leave the city.”

He said he believes the ratio of Jews to Arabs in the city will stay at 65 percent for Jews and 35 percent for Arabs, noting, “The number of Arab residents in Jerusalem is rising because the quality of life in Jerusalem for them is better.”

Franks noted that the city’s new master plan calls for a 60 percent Jewish population and 40 percent Arab population and asked Barkat if he believes this target is reasonable.

“It’s a theoretical discussion,” said Barkat. “The reality is that I, as mayor of all of the people of Jerusalem, have to allow apartments for Christians, Muslims and Jews.”

Barkat admitted, however, that he prefers to maintain the current ratio, yet noted, “There’s room for everybody in Jerusalem -   Arabs, hareidi, national religious and secular people. I would like to serve them all. I’m not arguing who should be on top or should be on the bottom. I’m arguing that right now, they way I view the city, I have to provide solutions to all sectors, and if the proportions right now are X, we might as well leave them as X. That’s what I’m saying. It’s not against anybody; it’s for the benefit of all citizens of Jerusalem.”

Regarding the idea of a two-state solution, the mayor said that “It depends. I hear what Hamas teaches in schools. I hear what the Palestinian Authority teaches in schools. http://www.wejew.com/media/6325/Hamas_Education:_Bombs_Are_More_Precious_Than_Children/  They’re not teaching for love. They’re not claiming that they want co-existence. Hamas is not saying that. Hamas has a very clear charter: they want to get rid of us. Would you make a deal with someone who wants to get rid of you?”   http://www.thejerusalemfund.org/www.thejerusalemfund.org/carryover/documents/charter.html

He noted that in the long-term, should there be a party on the other side with whom Israel could negotiate, a two-state solution could work “with certain limitations,” but that in any case Jerusalem must remain the capital of the Jewish state.

Jerusalem: 4000 Years in 5 Minutes
12 september 2011, Ellul 13, 5771
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mR2W43t6tI&feature=related

Tweeduizend jaar oude bel teruggevonden in Jeruzalem
22 juli 2011, Tammuz 20, 5771

JERUZALEM - In Jeruzalem is een kleine gouden bel gevonden, die 2000 jaar geleden was kwijtgeraakt.

  
ANP

Het belletje is aangetroffen in de ruïnes van het oude stadsdeel, aldus de Israëlische Antiquiteiten Autoriteit vrijdag.

De bel behoorde waarschijnlijk tot het kostuum van een hoge functionaris. ''Kennelijk heeft de functionaris de bel verloren toen hij op straat liep en is die in het riool gevallen'', aldus de autoriteit. Het antieke voorwerp is gevonden in het rioolstelsel van een oude wijk.

Dit is de bron van het artikel. http://joodsmetneshomme.blogspot.com/2011/07/gouden-belletje-uit-de-tempel.html  Hier staat het totaal anders omschreven. Hoezo gekleurde (afgevlakte)  informatie in de Nederlandse kranten... ? Is hiermee niet bewezen dat er een tempel van Joodse oorsprong heeft gestaan in Jeruzalem?  Van wie is de grond dan eigenlijk? Toch gewoon van degene die hier geschiedenis geschreven heeft ?!! Zo gaat dat toch met elk land?  Israel is hierop toch zeker geen uitzondering?



Gouden belletje uit de tempel

De Israelische archeologen hebben een vondst gedaan, een gouden bel die aan de kleding van de priester was bevestigd uit de periode van de tweede tempel. Het belletje is onder het puin gevonden in een oud kanaal naast de Klaagmuur. Dit heeft de Israelische Autoriteit voor Antiquiteiten aangekondigd.

De gouden bel was met een lus aan de kleding van de priester bevestigd. Deze bel is in het gebied onder de Robinson boog gevonden, dit was vroeger een centrale weg in Jeruzalem.
De archeologen denken dat het klokje van het officiële uniform van de priester is gevallen en vervolgens in het afvoer kanaal terecht is gekomen en daar heeft het 2000 jaar lang vastgezeten. Het gouden belletje komt precies overeen met de beschrijving van de kleding van de Hoge priester in de Tora, Sjemot 28:34-35 (Exodus).
34: Telkens een gouden bel en granaatappel, een gouden bel en een granaatappel aan de zoom rondom het onderkleed.
35: En Aharon zal het aan hebben, om de dienst te verrichten, zodat het geluid ervan gehoord zal worden wanneer hij in het Heiligdom voor G'd zal verschijnen en wanneer hij eruit gaat zodat hij niet zal sterven.

Deze mantel heet het 'mitsnefet' een lang kleed zonder mouwen met hemelsblauwe draden doorweven tussen de bellen en de versieringen van granaatappelen.

Op deze beschrijving hebben de archeologen zich gebaseerd.
Beeldmateriaal vondst gouden belletje

Jeruzalem, stad dicht bij mijn hart. Stad waar G'd zo reëel aanwezig is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaXCYLFMJH4

Jeruzalem, stad van mensen, allemaal met een geheel eigen 'eigenheid' in persoonlijkheid.  Jeruzalem, stad van de toekomst en geëtst in je ziel, als je haar ooit gezien (lees: ervaren) hebt. Stad waar de Eeuwige Zijn Naam gevestigd heeft.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZysDfygzsE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb6YCGHQ02U&feature=related

Sweet home, Jerusalem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvKEHn9pbu4&feature=related
Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet Home, Sweet Jerusalem
L-rd I'm coming home to you.

Arson is a Strong Possibility in Jerusalem Fire
19 juli 2011, Tammuz 17, 5771
by Gil Ronen

National Fire Chief Shachar Ayalon said Sunday afternoon, that the fire raging in the Jerusalem Forest broke out in four places.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/145784

Multiple ignition sites are usually an indication of arson, although there have been no preliminary reports from investigators.

One of the major concerns is that the fire could reach Jerusalem's Pi Glilot, a fuel storage area near Har Nof. Ayalon said that one  container at Pi Glilot contains liquid fuel and others are empty but contain fumes.  

In addition to crews from Jerusalem and points in the immediate vicinity, fire fighters were also brought in from Ramle and Tel Aviv. Israel's airborne fire fighting squadron has been fighting the blaze along with the ground based fire fighting forces.


Above photo of fire fighters at Yad VaShem by Flash 90.

19 juli 2011, Tammuz 17, 5771
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

Arson of public property is terror, but the government is putting its head in the sand, charged National Union chairman and Knesset Member Yaakov (Ketzaleh) Katz on Monday.

He said a ”Diaspora mentality” is guiding authorities and mainstream media who reported on the huge inferno in Jerusalem Sunday without even referring to previous incidents of arson.

Police have said that one or more arsonists caused the blaze that burned down hundreds of acres in the Jerusalem Hills and forced the evacuation of the Yad VaShem Holocaust Memorial Museum Monday. The identity and motives of the arsonists have not been revealed.

MK Katz noted that although last year’s devastating fire in the Carmel forest in northern Israel was caused by carelessness, police discovered that Arabs set other fires in the area while firefighters were trying to extinguish the inferno.

Dozens of firefighting planes cannot stop Arab terrorists from setting forests on fire. Punishment is the only way to end "arson terror.”

He prepared a bill a year and a half ago, providing for a minimum of five years in jail for anyone convicted of arson of public property, but the government rejected advancing the bill in the Knesset, and the bill failed.  Voor meer informatie en foto's:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/141170

Netanyahu: Abbas, Just Say the Six Words
28 juni 2011, Sivan 26, 5771
by Gil Ronen

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called on Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas to "just say six words - 'I will accept the Jewish state" - in his address to the Jewish Agency Board of Governors Tuesday,  

"Palestinian society is split now between those who actively are prepared to use force, violence, terror and war to wipe us out and those who refuse stand up to that first half," he said. "That’s basically the division there. This remains the heart of the problem."

Nevertheless, he added, "I understand that we will have to have a historic compromise which is very painful, so I stood before my people, the people of Israel, and I said numerous times that I will accept a Palestinian state. Now President Abbas must stand before his people and he has to say these six words, 'I will accept the Jewish State.'" 

"He has to say it.  And I will repeat this over and over and over again because it is the attempt to fudge, it’s the attempt to fudge and evade and obscure this essential component of peace, the removal of this basic obstacle to peace, that is required, and this is what the international community must face up to."  

Regarding the demilitarization of the future "Palestinian state," Netanyahu repeated the formulations he used in his speech to the joint session of Congress.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/144453

"We don’t want a repeat of what happened when we withdrew from Gaza or from South Lebanon. I believe that this will require for Israel to maintain a long-term military presence along the Jordan River. There will be arguments about sovereignty, about territory, but I think that... demilitarization and a long-term military presence along the Jordan River are essential to guaranteeing any peace. A peace you cannot defend will not hold.  A peace you can defend will."

Netanyahu said Israel would incorporate within its final borders "what are called the settlement blocs, these large, urban communities that are fairly dense and concentrated alongside Greater Tel Aviv and Greater Jerusalem, and other areas of critical, strategic and national importance..."

"We believe also that Jerusalem must remain united, under Israeli sovereignty. It’s the only time in its millennial history that it has assured the free and unfettered access of all three monotheistic religions to their holy places." 

Songs of Jerusalem Drown Out Arab-Leftist Protest
2 juni 2011, lyar 28, 5771
by Gil Ronen

The traditional Jerusalem Day Flag March set out at Shimon HaTzaddik neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem Wednesday afternoon, and was met by leftist and Arab chants, in Hebrew and Arabic. A large group of nationalist youths spontaneously decided to face their opponents and drowned out their calls with joyous singing.

The first song used as “crowd control” was Zochreni Na – a song based on Samson’s cry to G-d (Judges 16:28) to help him avenge himself upon the Philistines just before he brought down the building in which he was being held, killing himself and his captors. The tune was composed by Dov Shurin.  

The second was the well-known Am Yisrael Chai, The Nation of Israel Lives, as sung by Rav Shlomo Carlebach.

MK Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) was involved in a verbal confrontation with the leftists and Arabs. As the argument became heated, police arrested two of the leftists.

Arab Rioters Threaten Jewish Homes During Funeral in Old City
May 2011, Iyar 11, 5771
by Chana Ya'ar

Arab rioters attempted on Saturday to burst into several Jewish homes built in the Moscowitz housing project in eastern Jerusalem, hurling rocks and damaging Jewish property.

The rioters were protesting the death of 17-year-old Milad Said Ayash, who Saturday morning of wounds sustained Friday after being shot during a Nakba Day riot in eastern Jerusalem.

Media reported that an Israeli security officer shot the teen in response to a perceived threat to his own life.

Jewish residents vehemently rejected the report and noted that the boy's family refused to allow officials to verify the report through an autopsy to determine the truth.

Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld confirmed that police asked to perform an autopsy on Ayash to aid in their investigation of the incident, but that the family refused. Jerusalem police arrested 34 Arabs on Friday for participation in riots and hurling firebombs.

Hundreds of Arabs began rioting during the funeral for the teen on Saturday morning as they wound their way toward the burial ground near Jerusalem's Old City.

Arabs began hurling rocks at police and at Jewish residents of the Moscowitz housing project in the Muslim Quarter. Police used tear gas to try to break up the riot, which continued as the mob made its way to the Al Aqsa Mosque in the Old City. At the mosque, located on the Temple Mount – the holiest site in Judaism – young men draped PA flags on the roof.

Nakba Day unrest continued into the later hours of the day and on into the evening. Palestinian Authority Arabs also hurled firebombs and rocks at Border Police posts near Rachel's Tomb on Saturday evening. No one was injured and no damage was reported.

Rioting continued Saturday night in eastern Jerusalem, where Arabs hurled rocks at police. Two officers who were injured were treated at the scene. Three Arabs were arrested for throwing rocks.

Arabs also hurled stones at police in Issawiya. One person was arrested. 

One Dead in Blast at Jerusalem Bus Station
by Gil Ronen and Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Mar 23 '11, Adar Bet 17, 5771

An explosion across from Jerusalem's Central Bus Station Wednesday afternoon in Jerusalem killed one elderly woman and wounded 50 others, two seriously.

The explosive charge was placed at a public telephone booth and was detonated as two packed buses passed by. The buses sustained moderate damage in the explosion.

The terrorist who planted the bomb apparently escaped the scene. Security officials said there were no specific indications of an impending terrorist attack in Israel's capital.

Jerusalem's Mayor, Nir Barkat, was on the scene minutes after the blast encouraging citizens not to allow the attack to change their lives. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was in his Jerusalem residence, preparing to fly to Moscow, when the bombing occurred.

At approximately 3:45 P.M., the ZAKA rescue service reported gunfire near the Sakharov Gardens, not far from the scene of the blast. This report was retracted a few minutes later.

Wednesday's attack was the first major terrorist incident in Jerusalem since the tractor attacks and the massacre of eight people at the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva in March 2008.


Eeuwige stad Jeruzalem
Door: F.t.H. ( Aangemaakt: juli 1998, laatste bewerking: 6 januari 2011)

De Soemerische god Sjamasj

In 1975 werd in Ebla, in het noorden van Syrië, een kleitablettenbibliotheek opgegraven. Op een van de tabletten in Soemerisch spijkerschrift, dook de naam Urusalim op. Deze naam vertoont veel overeenkomst met de naam op een kleitablet welke in 1887 in de ruïneheuvel van Tell el-Amarna, ten zuiden van Memphis in Egypte is gevonden. In één van deze zogeheten Amarna-brieven uit de veertiende eeuw voor Christus schreef ene Abdi-Chepas aan Amenhotep3 van Egypte, het verzoek om hulp tegen de aanvallen van de Habiri op zijn staat Uru-salimmu.

Egyptische hiërogliefen uit de tijd van deze farao vermelden een stad met de naam Ruschalimum. Of deze stad iets met Jeruzalem van doen heeft, is niet bekend. Gelet op hoe de stad wordt genoemd in bepaalde Bijbelgedeelten, zoals in Jozua 15:63 en Richteren 1|21, weten we dat Jeruzalem in de veertiende eeuw vóór Christus een stad van de Kanaänitische Jebusieten was. Dit wordt ook bevestigd in de Tell-el-Amarna brieven. Jeruzalem was nog steeds een Jebusitische stad toen koning David haar in 1000 voor Christus veroverde.

Bij de dood van Saul (1012) werd David te Hebron door de Judeërs tot koning uitgeroepen. David was door God uitverkoren om Israëls tweede koning te worden. Soms roept God individuele mensen tot een speciale rol of daad. Verscheidene profeten uit het Oude Testament- Amos, Ezechiël, Hosea, Jesaja, Jeremia en Samuël- zo ook David- zijn door God geroepen en geïnstrueerd. God riep David vanuit de onbekendheid tot koning van Israël. In 1 Samuël 16:18 staat over hem: Ik heb een zoon van de Bethlehemiet Isaï gezien, die spelen kan; en hij is een dapper held, een krijgsman, wel ter tale, schoon van gestalte; en de Here is met hem. In Galilea beantwoorden de apostelen Petrus, Andreas, Jakobus en Johannes de roep van Jezus hem te volgen en Zijn afgezanten te worden bij de verkondiging van Zijn leer.

Ruim 7 jaren strijd met de heersers uit het noorden en uitschakeling van Sauls erfgenaam Isboset en diens veldheer Abner brachten hem de erkenning als koning over geheel Israël. Op het slagveld verwierf hij grote reputatie. Voorspoedig waren zijn oorlogen met de Filistijnen die tijdens twee grote veldslagen werden verpletterd met een geweld 'zoals water doorbreekt' , Moabieten, Ammonieten, Syriërs en Edomieten, allen kwamen onder zijn heerschappij. Zijn rijk breidde zich uit van Damaskus (het grote centrum van handel en cultuur) en van de Rode zee tot aan de Eufraat, in het huidige Irak. In 2 Samuël 5 en in 1 Kronieken 11 wordt de verovering van Jeruzalem -het door Kanaänieten bewoonde Jebus - beschreven. De vesting Jebus, bleek een moeilijk te nemen hindernis. De Jebusieten gingen er prat op dat zelfs blinden en lammen haar konden verdedigen.

2 Samuel 5:6 De koning (David) trok met zijn mannen naar Jeruzalem op, tegen de Jebusieten, die in die landstreek woonden. Dezen zeiden tot David: Gij Komt hier niet binnen, blinden en lammen zullen u terugdrijven! Zij bedoelden: David komt hier nooit binnen.

Maar David vond voor zijn aanval een opening in de verdediging van de vesting. Terwijl David een schijnaanval op de muren uitvoerde sloop Joab met zijn keurtroep via een bijna verticale waterschacht tussen de vesting en de bron van Gihon, naar binnen. Archeologen hebben deze schacht later blootgelegd. Reeds in 1867 werd dicht bij de Gihon-bron, (links onder op afbeelding) aan de oostkant van het oudste deel van de stad, een 13 meter lange schacht ontdekt. Op 24 oktober 1876 klommen kapitein Charles Warren en een medewerker door deze schacht naar boven, daarbij gebruik makend van een steiger van houten balken.Bovenaan kwamen ze terecht in een horizontale tunnel die uit kwam in de oude stad. Via de tunnels konden de bewoners van het oude Jeruzalem in het watersysteem komen. Archeologen gaan ervan uit dat Joab en zijn mannen via deze schacht naar boven geklommen zijn en zo in de stad zijn gekomen.



Zo kon David de vesting binnentrekken en haar tot hoofdstad van zijn koninkrijk maken. Hij spaarde de inwoners en maakte velen van hen tot zijn bondgenoten. Vanaf dat moment heette de stad Jeruzalem, de woonplaats van Israels God. In Psalm 132:13-14, geïnspireerd door Davids wapenfeit, wordt hieraan herinnerd:  'Want de Here heeft Sion verkoren, Hij heeft het zich ter woning begeerd. Dit is Mijn rustplaats voor immer, hier zal Ik wonen, want haar heb Ik begeerd'. Om Jeruzalems belang als godsdienstcentrum te onderstrepen, liet David de Ark des Verbonds naar de stad overbrengen.

Naast de naam Jeruzalem werd de stad ook de "Burcht Sion" genoemd. Later werd de naam Sion ook specifiek gebruikt om er de Tempelberg mee aan te duiden. De naam Sion stond voor de berg des Heeren, voor de geografische plaats op aarde die God zich had verkozen.

In wat genoemd wordt de  Oude Stad van David zijn Israelische archeologen bij opgravingen gestoten op het paleis van koning David. De befaamde Israëlische archeologe Dr.Eilat Mazar van de Hebreeuwse Universiteit in Jeruzalem zegt er zeker van te zijn dat zij het paleis van Koning David heeft ontdekt. Het gaat om een belangrijke ontdekking omdat er maar weinig harde bewijzen uit de tijd van koning David voorhanden zijn, aldus archeoloog Gabriel Barkay van de Bar-Ilan Universiteit (Ramat Gan). Met verschillende Bijbelboeken als gids; heeft Mazar in de  Oude stad van David een groot gebouw ontdekt uit de 10e eeuw voor Christus. In een deel van de fundamenten van het gebouw heeft men aardewerk uit de 10e tot de 9e eeuw voor Christus gevonden, uit de tijd van het koninkrijk van Israël. Een groot aantal archeologen zijn het er wel over eens dat in de 10e eeuw voor Christus er een centrale bestuursmacht bestond in Jeruzalem die een groot aantal openbare gebouwen en vestingwerken tot stand heeft gebracht, en geïdentificeerd kan worden met het Verenigd Koninkrijk van David en Salomo. Zowel David als Salomo knoopten betrekkingen aan met buitenlandse vorsten.

De Bijbel maakt duidelijk dat David contacten onderhield met koning Hiram uit Libanon. De naam van deze koning komt voor in een lijst van koningen van Tyrus die Menander van Efeze (tweede eeuw v. Chr) vermeldt en die door Flavius Josephus wordt aangehaald. Hiram is bewezen een historische figuur te zijn. De constructie van Davids paleis vond plaats met materialen afkomstig van Hiram. Hij hielp David met de bouw van zijn paleis. (1 Kron. 14:1). Daarnaast zijn de regeringsjaren van David en Salomo, onder andere met behulp van de Assyrische chronologie, vrij nauwkeurig te reconstrueren. Een andere aanwijzing voor het bestaan van koning David buiten de Bijbel om is een oude inscriptie die gevonden is in Tel Dan. Hierin staat een verwijzing te lezen naar een koning uit het  Huis van David . Deze inscriptie bevestigt indirect dus het bestaan van de historische koning David.

David wilde ook een tempel voor zijn God bouwen, maar moest dit op God' s bevel aan zijn zoon Salomo overlaten. God wilde eerst aan David zelf een huis geven en dat huis van David moest blijvend over Israël regeren 'Uw huis en uw koningschap zullen voor immer bestendig zijn' . Aan mijn knecht David heb ik gezworen: 'Voor altoos zal Ik uw nakroost bevestigen en uw troon bouwen van geslacht tot geslacht.' Nog voordat er aan de Babylonische ballingschap een einde kwam, voorzegden de profeten dat God op een dag uit het 'Huis van David' een rechtvaardige Spruit zal verwekken; die zal als koning regeren en verstandig handelen, die zal recht en gerechtigheid doen in het land. Het Nieuwe Testament wijst op het verband tussen Jezus en David. Mattheüs en Lucas geven aan dat Jezus niet alleen van koning David afstamde, maar ook dat veel gelovigen in hem de langverbeide Koning zagen.

Jeruzalem is de enige stad ter wereld die God 'Mijn stad' heeft genoemd. De stad werd gekozen om een eeuwige en goddelijke waarheid te vertegenwoordigen en Gods licht aan deze wereld over te dragen. Nadat David Jeruzalem had ingenomen versterkte hij de stad die daardoor zowel het politieke als het godsdienstige middelpunt werd van Gods volk. Psalm 132 onderstreept nog eens de unieke en belangrijke rol die de stad in het godsdienstige leven van de kinderen van Israel vervulde.

Psalm132: 13-14 Want de Here heeft Sion verkoren, Hij heeft het Zich ter woning begeert: Dit is Mijn rustplaats voor immer, hier zal Ik wonen, want haar hen Ik begeert.

En zo werd in de loop van de tijd het huis van David het symbool van Gods liefde voor Israel. Koning David was gedurende een periode van veertig jaar aan de macht. Hij regeerde zeven jaar en zes maanden over Juda en vervolgens 33 jaar over Juda en Israel samen. In de visie van de profeet Natan beloofde God dat Hij Davids troon voor altijd in stand zou houden. Het machtige tijdperk door David in gang gezet vond zijn bekroning toen Salomo het roer overnam. God had David geïnspireerd tot de bouw van de Tempel op de berg Moria en het was Salomo die omstreeks 960 voor Christus een luisterrijke Tempel liet bouwen. Naar deze heilige stad kwamen later de profeten in tijden van religieuze bloei en verval om er hun donderende aanklachten uit te spreken en gloedvolle voorspellingen over de toekomst te doen.

Later kocht David de dorsvloer van de Jebusiet Arauna, op de berg Moria, de plek waar Abraham bijna zijn zoon Isaak had geofferd en richtte daar een altaar voor de Here op. Ook bracht hij de "Ark des Verbonds" naar de stad over.

2 Samuel 6:12-17 Toen ging David heen en haalde de ark Gods onder gejuich uit het huis van Obed-Edom naar de stad Davids. Nadat zij de ark des Heren binnengebracht hadden, zetten zij haar neer op haar plaats, in de tent die David voor haar gespannen had.



Ark des Verbonds

Door het koningschap van David met het aansluitende koningschap van diens zoon Salomo, heeft God een profetisch beeld willen geven. Het was de uitbeelding van het toekomstige Koninkrijk der Hemelen onder leiding van Jezus Christus. Salomo was koning van Juda en Israel in de periode van ca. 965 tot 926 voor Christus. Kort na zijn kroning had Salomo een ervaring die het karakter van zijn regeerperiode zou bepalen. God verscheen hem in een droom en vroeg hem welke bijzondere gave hij graag zou willen hebben. De koning antwoordde: Een opmerkzame geest, om recht te kunnen spreken voor Uw volk en onderscheid te kunnen maken tussen goed en kwaad. Verheugd over dit verzoek beloofde God hem niet alleen wijsheid, maar ook rijkdom en aanzien, vooropgesteld dat hij Gods wegen zou blijven bewandelen en Zijn wetten en geboden zou onderhouden.

Salomo hield toezicht op de bouw van Jeruzalem en van de schitterende Tempel die was toegewijd aan God. Iedereen was onder de indruk van zijn bouwactiviteiten, waaronder ook buitenlandse koningen en koninginnen zoals de koningin van Sjeba. Salomo's rijk was een hoogtepunt in Israëls geschiedenis. Het verval begon toen de oud geworden Salomo zich tot afgodendienst liet verleiden. Met zijn sterven ging ook zijn glorieuze rijk ten onder. Na de dood van Salomo in 931 voor Christus viel het mooie rijk van de twaalf stammen van Juda en Israel al spoedig uiteen. Israel koos Jerobeam tot koning en Juda werd het rijk van Salomo's zoon Rechabeam.

Zoals gezegd was het God Zelf die Jeruzalem op haar plaats verkoos. De stad werd niet gekozen tot hoofdstad van de natie vanwege haar geweldige ligging want de plaats waarop de stad gebouwd werd, had op de Gihon-bron na geen enkel natuurlijk voordeel. Ze lag niet op een belangrijk kruispunt, of zelfs aan een belangrijke handelsroute. De belangrijkste handelsroutes liepen in de oudheid ten oosten of ten westen van de stad. In het oosten verbond de 'Koningsweg'  Arabië met Damascus, in het westen verbond de 'Weg van de Zee'  Egypte met Damascus, Mesopotamië en Klein-Azië. De genoemde Gihon-bron lag oorspronkelijk buiten de stadsmuren. Koning Hizkia zag dat dit een ernstige bedreiging was voor de veiligheid en het voortbestaan van Jeruzalem. Hij bedacht hiervoor een oplossing die ingenieurs sindsdien versteld heeft doen staan. Hij liet een 533 meter lange tunnel uithakken uit de harde rots die het water van de Gihon de stad in bracht, naar de vijver van Siloam.

Nee, Jeruzalem werd geen hoofdstad van de natie vanwege haar economische ligging, maar omdat God haar op die plaats verkoos. Daarom is Jeruzalem uniek onder de steden van de wereld, maar ook maakt het haar tot een voortdurend brandpunt van botsende volken en religieuze belangen. Achter alle strijd en verwoesting gaan geestelijke machten schuil die vastbesloten zijn Gods eeuwige bedoeling en roeping te vernietigen. De geschiedenis van Jeruzalem is daarom een geschiedenis van strijd. Haar verhaal is het verhaal van triomf en succes, van lijden en smart. Haar geschiedenis is treffend samengevat in een oud Joods gezegde.

Tien maten van lijden zijn door God naar de wereld gezonden, en negen van de tien vielen op Jeruzalem.

De lijst van naties en volken die om Jeruzalem hebben gestreden is bijna eindeloos. Tussen 587 voor Christus en heden werd de stad meer dan twintig keer veroverd en vele malen totaal verwoest, om daarna weer uit haar as te herrijzen. Jeruzalem werd veroverd door de legers van alle grote naties uit het verleden en dat gebeurde meestal wanneer het volk van Israel hun geloof in God hadden verzaakt. De stad werd onder Joodse heerschappij voor het eerst volledig verwoest door Nebukadnezar. De Bijbel vertelt dat in het negende regeringsjaar van Sedekia, de koning van Juda, Nebukadnezar de koning van Babel met zijn gehele leger tegen Jeruzalem oprukte. Hij belegerde de stad en bouwde er een belegeringswal omheen. Jeruzalem werd achttien maanden lang, tot de zomer van 587, belegerd. De omstandigheden werden door het langdurige beleg zo nijpend dat sommige bewoners door de honger gedreven hun toevlucht namen tot kannibalisme. Toen de Babyloniërs de stad in handen kregen, probeerde koning Sedekia naar het gebied aan de overkant van de Jordaan te vluchten, maar hij werd bij Jericho gevangen genomen en naar Ribla gebracht.

Omdat hij zijn verdrag met Babylon had geschonden werd hij voor Nebukadnezar geleid. Hij moest toezien hoe zijn zoons werden geëxecuteerd, waarna hemzelf de ogen werden uitgestoken en hij in ketenen werd weggevoerd naar Babylonië waar hij stierf. Gedurende de maand daarop legden de Babyloniërs Jeruzalem en de Tempel volledig in de as. De stadsmuren werden geslecht en de bevolking gedeporteerd. Slechts enige families mochten achterblijven als wijngaardeniers en als landbouwers. Door deze deportatie en verwoesting werd het land een oord van puinhopen en woestenij en hield het koninkrijk Juda op te bestaan. Voor talrijke Joden was de ballingschap al tien jaar eerder begonnen toen koning Jojakin na Nebukadnezars eerste aanval op Jeruzalem had gecapituleerd. Die keer had de capitulatie nog tot gevolg dat Juda een totale verwoesting bespaard bleef, ook al werd er, zoals zowel de Bijbelse als de Babylonische kronieken getuigen, een enorme oorlogsbuit geroofd. Hoewel er over de aantallen gedeporteerden onduidelijkheid bestaat, staat vrijwel vast dat reeds bij de eerste deportatie het grootste deel van de heersende klasse naar Babylon verdween.

Als de Perzische koning Cyrus de opperheerschappij in Babel krijgt, mogen de ballingen terug. In 520 voor Christus wordt een nieuwe Tempel gebouwd en begint Ezra en later Nehemia aan de mentale opbouw van het Joodse volk. Met kracht wijzen zij op het feit dat het volk drager is van de belofte voor land en volk. In de jaren die volgden werd de stad in al zijn glorie hersteld. Jeruzalem werd nu het middelpunt van een kleine Joodse staat, die bestuurd werd door een hogepriester. Maar het werd allesbehalve rustig, want in 200 voor Christus verovert de Seleucide Antiochus 3 Jeruzalem. Diens opvolger, de beruchte Antiochus 4 Epiphanus trachtte de Joden de Hellenistische cultuur op te dringen. De Tempel in Jeruzalem werd aan Zeus gewijd en alle religieuze voorschriften vooral inzake de viering van de hoogtijdagen, sabbat en besnijdenis werden op straffe des doods verboden.

Ook het bezit van het Wetboek van Mozes was strafbaar, ook daarvoor kon men de doodstraf krijgen. Alle vindbare exemplaren werden vernietigd. Voorts werd de Joodse offercultus verboden. In de Tempel werden varkens geslacht en in de heilige zalen hadden de heidenen gemeenschap met vrouwen. De Joden die zich tegen deze terreur verzetten werden op gruwelijke wijze gemarteld. Bovendien maakte Epiphanus zich meester van de tempelschatten. De Joden spraken van 'Een gruwel der verwoesting' over deze tijd. Er ontstond echter onverwacht hevig verzet van de kant van de Joodse bevolking. Deze besefte dat de Hellenistische leefwijze met zijn vele afgodische elementen niet in overeenstemming te brengen was met de trouw aan Gods geboden. Dit had de opstand der Makkabeeën tot gevolg. Deze Joodse vrijheidsbeweging maakte in 164 voor Christus een eind aan de terreur van Epiphanus. Een verslag van deze opstand en de daarop volgende onafhankelijkheidsstrijd is te vinden in de boeken van de Makkabeeën die bewaard zijn gebleven in de Griekse Septuaginta. De Tempel werd ontdaan van alle Hellenistische attributen en opnieuw ingewijd. Deze gebeurtenis wordt tot op de dag van vandaag gevierd tijdens het Chanoekah-feest.

Gedurende een periode van veertig jaar werd de Joodse geschiedenis beheerst door Herodes de Grote. Hij werd als zoon van de Idumeeër Antipater omstreeks 73 voor Christus geboren en kreeg in 47 voor Christus het burgerschap van Rome. Zijn vader stelde hem aan tot militair gouverneur van Galilea met de taak het gebied te zuiveren van terroristen. In 40 voor Christus verleende de Romein Antonius hem de alleenheerschappij over Galilea en gaf hem de beschikking over een Romeinse strijdmacht om het gebied in 37 voor Christus in bezit te nemen. Uit de tijd van Herodes stammen prachtige forten en paleizen en net als koning Salomo gedaan had, liet Herodes voor de Tempelconstructie de beste architecten uit Fenicië komen. Bij de bouw waren 10.000 man ingeschakeld. Herodus had 1000 priesters tot timmerman en metselaar laten opleiden om het Allerheiligste op te trekken en af te werken, want de Joodse wetten stonden niet toe dat ongewijde handen het materiaal zouden beroeren.

Het Allerheiligste werd in achttien maanden voltooid, maar het hele tempelcomplex vergde tachtig jaar. De bouw duurde tot 64 na Christus. De Tempel werd in 10 voor Christus ingewijd maar ondanks deze inspanningen waarin Herodus toonde respect te hebben voor de godsdienstige tradities van het Joodse volk dat hij regeerde, bleef hij in de ogen van het volk een gehate vreemdeling, want uiteindelijk was hij ook degene die kort na de geboorte van Jezus het bevel gaf tot het doden van kinderen in Bethlehem. Hij stierf in 4 voor Christus op een leeftijd van 69 jaar. Zijn sterfdag werd een feestdag, de Joden waren blij van hem verlost te zijn.

Langzamerhand groeide "Het Beloofde land "uit naar een status van een Romeinse provincie en werd het met strenge hand bestuurd. Voor de Romeinen waren de Joden onhandelbare onderdanen, met hun exclusieve geloof en nationale bewustzijn. De volkstelling van 6 na Christus bracht een zekere Judas ertoe om een opstand te beginnen. Hij zou een nieuwe godsdienstige sekte hebben gesticht die zestig jaar lang moeilijkheden bleef veroorzaken. Barabbas was zo, n vrijheidsstrijder, evenals de in het Bijbelboek Handelingen 21 genoemde Egyptenaar. Een groep stond bekend als de dolkdragers. Bij de grote opstand van 66 na Christus werden Joodse vrijheidsstrijders ,rovers, bandieten en Zeloten genoemd. Problemen veroorzaakt door met name corrupte Romeinse gouverneurs waren er de oorzaak van dat de zaak escaleerde. Gessius Floris kwam met een strijdmacht naar Jeruzalem, eiste gevangenname van de opstandige Joden en kondigde de staat van beleg af. Tijdens rellen erna werden 3000 Joden gedood.

Nu ontstond openlijk verzet. De Romeinse bezetting van Jeruzalem en Masada werd door de opstandelingen uitgeschakeld. Hierop rukte Cestius Gallus, gouverneur van Syrië, met het twaalfde legioen en hulptroepen op tegen Jeruzalem. Na een eerste succes trok hij zich terug maar liep in een hinderlaag waarbij 6000 van zijn soldaten het leven verloren. Nu was een oorlog onvermijdelijk geworden. Nero droeg de oorlogvoering op aan Flavius Vespasianus. Hij kreeg 60.000 man tot zijn beschikking maar vanwege ongeregeldheden in Rome, waarbij Nero zelfmoord pleegde, werd Vespasianus teruggehaald en tot keizer uitgeroepen. Vespasianus had voor zijn prestige een spectaculaire zege nodig en deze kon hij behalen door Jeruzalem in te nemen. Titus trok in de lente van het jaar 70 na Christus op om de stad te verwoesten. Hij omsingelde de stad en liet een muur bouwen zodat aanvoer van voedsel voor de stadbewoners en ontsnappen niet meer mogelijk waren.

Vluchtelingen die de Romeinen in handen vielen, werden binnen het zicht van de stad gekruisigd, soms wel 500 op een dag tot er geen hout meer was. Op zes augustus werd de Tempel bestormd en tegen het bevel van Titus in brand gestoken en volledig verwoest. De Tempel, het hart van de natie, het levenscentrum van Gods volk, het middelpunt van Gods Koninkrijk op aarde was in vlammen opgegaan. Spoedig was de hele stad ingenomen en verwoest. Joseph ben Mathitjahu (Flavius Josephus) beschrijft in zijn  Geschiedenis van de Joodse oorlog uitvoerig de verwoestingen die de Romeinse soldaten aanrichtten, toen zij van huis tot huis gingen, om de Joodse bewoners van de stad Jeruzalem te vermoorden. Flavius schrijft dat Caesar het bevel had gegeven slechts de bewapenden en weerspanningen te doden, maar dat de Romeinse soldaten ook de ouden en de zwakken neermaaiden die ze tegen kwamen. Er zijn schatting 1.100.000 mensen om het leven gebracht of van ellende gestorven. Vele gevangenen werden meegenomen om als gladiatoren in de arena's van de Romeinen op te treden. Zevenhonderd Joden werden in triomf in Rome te kijk gezet, met de buit van de Tempel, waaronder de Menora. Zo gingen de woorden die Jezus gesproken had in vervulling. Jezus wist dat Jeruzalem een bijzondere stad was. Hij had Jeruzalem en haar inwoners lief. Toen Hij Jeruzalem eens benaderde, "weende Hij over haar"

Lucas 19:41 En toen Hij nog dichterbij gekomen was en de stad zag, weende Hij over haar, en zeide: Och, of gij ook op deze dag verstondt wat tot vrede dient; maar thans is het verborgen voor uw ogen. Want er zullen dagen komen, waarin uw vijanden een bolwerk tegen u zullen opwerpen en u omsingelen en u van alle zijden in het nauw brengen, en zij zullen u en uw kinderen in u vertreden en zij zullen in u geen steen op de andere laten, omdat gij de tijd niet hebt opgemerkt, dat God naar u omzag.

Na de verwoesting van Jeruzalem werden de Joden uit de stad verdreven en was hun nationale en godsdienstige middelpunt verloren gegaan. De band tussen land en volk leek naar het scheen, voorgoed verbroken.Maar het duurde niet lang voor ze weer in straten van Jeruzalem terugkeerden net als in alle voorbije eeuwen, koppig en vasthoudend aan Gods beloften. De diaspora, de verstrooiing van het Joodse volk trad pas goed in toen in 135 na Christus Bar Kochba door de Romeinse keizer Hadrianus verslagen werd. Volgens historici verloren ruim 600.000 Joden bij deze strijd het leven. Talloze anderen werden gedeporteerd of in slavernij gevoerd en vele Joodse religieuze en politieke leiders, waaronder rabbi Akiva en zijn discipelen, geëxecuteerd. Hadrianus probeerde elke verbinding tussen stad en volk te vernietigen. Jeruzalem werd geheel verwoest en in Romeinse stijl weer opgebouwd en Aelia Capitolina genoemd. Ook liet hij de naam Judea veranderen in  Palaestina (Land der Filistijnen). De na de verwoesting van 70 deels herstelde Tempel werd gewijd aan Zeus. Tenslotte vaardigde Hadrianus een edict uit waaronder Joden niet meer in Jeruzalem mochten wonen. Daarnaast liet hij het land, dat als gevolg van drie jaar oorlog ernstig ontvolkt was, koloniseren door Romeinse ex-legionairs. Ook de Romeinen betaalden een hoge prijs aan mensenlevens in de strijd tegen Bar Kochba, zo hoog zelfs, dat Hadrianus zonder de gebruikelijke rituelen thuis welkom werd geheten. Pas in 362 na Christus stond de Romeinse keizer Julianus de Afvallige de Joden toe naar de stad terug te keren. Aan het einde van de vierde eeuw trokken ook voor het eerst op grote schaal christennen als pelgrims naar Jeruzalem.

Over het algemeen wordt aangenomen dat het islamitisch bewind over Jeruzalem in 638 n.C. begon toen de stad veroverd werd door het moslimleger van kalief Omar. De komst van de Kruisvaarders (1099-1187) vormde opnieuw een zwarte bladzijde in de geschiedenis van de stad Jeruzalem en het joodse volk. Zij vermoorden grote aantallen joodse en islamitische inwoners. Joden werden in synagogen opgesloten waarna deze in brand werden gestoken. De belangrijkste moskeeën werden omgebouwd tot kerken en de Rotskoepel en Al-Aksa-moskee vielen in handen van de Tempeliers. Uitgezonderd de Kruisvaarders verkoos niet één veroveraar Jeruzalem als hoofdstad. Noch de Egyptisch-Mammalukse heersers ( 1260-1516), noch de Ottomaanse Turken ( 1516-1917) maakten Jeruzalem tot hun hoofdstad. Hoewel de Engelsen in 1922 het bestuurlijk centrum van het Palestijns mandaatgebied in Jeruzalem vestigden, berustte het uiteindelijke gezag in Londen. Na de verovering van de stad door Jordanië in 1948 deed de Jordaanse koning in feite hetzelfde als zijn voorgangers gedurende het dertien eeuwen lange islamitische bestuur over de stad. Niet één Arabische heerser of veroveraar heeft Jeruzalem ooit tot zijn hoofdstad gemaakt. Op 27 juli 1953 riep koning Hoessein Oost-Jeruzalem uit tot  de alternatieve hoofdstad van het Hasjemitisch koninkrijk. Maar Amman bleef het werkelijke centrum van het Jordaanse bestuur. Het Jodendom heeft zijn claim op Jeruzalem nooit opgegeven. Het was hun 'Eeuwige stad'. Er woonden al 1600 jaar Joden in Jeruzalem voordat de moslims hun intrede in de geschiedenis deden. De stad Jeruzalem behoort aan het Joodse volk. God heeft hen deze stad gegeven. Niet voor bepaalde tijd maar voor eeuwig. En God liegt niet!

Numerie23:19 God is geen man, dat Hij liegen zou; of een mensenkind, dat Hij berouw zou hebben. Zou Hij zeggen en niet doen, of spreken en niet volbrengen?

Met uitzondering van de periode 1948-1967 is Jeruzalem nooit een gedeelde stad geweest. Onder leiding van Glubb Pasha, een Engelsman die in werkelijkheid John Bagot heette, heeft het Jordaans Arabisch Legioen in 1948 Jeruzalem ingenomen. Jordanië annexeerde eenzijdig de Bijbelse gebieden Judea en Samaria en verdreven alle Joden uit deze gebieden en Oost-Jeruzalem richting Israël. Joodse beztittingen in Oost-Jeruzalem en in Judea en Samaria, werden door de Jordaniërs geconfisceerd zonder enige compensatie. Zij hielden deze gebieden inclusief de ommuurde Oude Stad van Jeruzalem, onder controle tot 1967. De wereld heeft hier nooit tegen geprotesteerd . Er kwam geen enkel protest van de Verenigde Naties toen de Joodse wijk werd verwoest en Joodse begraafplaatsen werden geschonden.



Joodse begraafplaats in Jeruzalem ontheiligd.

De wereld protesteerde ook niet toen 58 synagogen werden verwoest of ontheiligd door ze te gebruiken als stallen of kippenhokken en zelfs als toiletten. En de wereld protesteerde ook niet toen, in strijd met de wapenstilstandbepalingen, het Joden werd verboden de Oude Stad te betreden en bij de Klaagmuur te bidden. In 1967 veroverde Israël de Oude Stad, annexeerde die. Op 30 juli 1980 nam de Knesset de Jeruzalemwet aan, waarmee Jeruzalem tot ondeelbare hoofdstad van Israël werd uitgeroepen. Men noemde de Israelische maatregel onwettig en eiste dat die zou worden teruggedraaid, de stemverhouding was 99 tegen 0. De Israelische annexatie werd door de Veiligheidsraad van de Verenigde Naties door middel van Resolutie 476 en Resolutie 478 verworpen. Prompt trokken pratisch alle landen haar ambassades terug uit Jeruzalem. Geen enkele land erkend Jeruzalem als de hoofdstad van Israël, ook niet toen het tot juni 1967 enkel het westelijk deel van Jeruzalem bezat. Maar historisch gezien is het volkomen duidelijk van wie deze stad is. Een ieder die de Bijbel kent weet dat de verbondenheid van de Joden met Jeruzalem uniek is en onvergelijkbaar met welk ander volk dan ook.  Jeruzalem is de enige plaats die onze natie historisch en religieus verenigt zei Uzi Arad, de voormalige chef van de Mossad. Het internationaliseren van de stad zoals Brussel en vele andere bemoeials willen, zal Hamas en andere Palestijnse terreurgroepen alleen maar in de kaart spelen. Zij zullen het machtsvacuüm onmiddellijk opvullen zodat wandelende zelfmoordbommen weer hun moorddadige werk kunnen doen.

Bijbelse periode (1004-586 v.Chr.)
1004 v.Chr. Koning David maakt Jeruzalem tot zijn hoofdstad.
954 v.Chr. Koning Salomo begint met de bouw van de EersteTempel.
586 v.Chr. De Babylonische koning Nebukadnezar neemt de stad in, verwoest de Tempel en voert de bewoners weg naar Babylon.

Perzische periode ( 539-332 v.Chr.)
538 v.Chr. De Perzische koning Cyrus laat de ballingen terugkeren.

Griekse periode ( 320-63 v.Chr.)
313 v.Chr. Ptolemaeus I , generaal onder Alexander de Grote, neemt Jeruzalem in.
164 v.Chr. Juda de Maccabeeër bevrijdt Jeruzalem.

Romeinse periode ( 63 v.Cht-324 n.Chr.)
20 v.Chr. Koning Herodus bouwt de Tweede Tempel.
33 n.Chr. Jezus wordt gekruisigd.
70 n.Chr. De Tweede Tempel wordt door Titus verwoest.

Byzantijnse periode ( 324-638)
333 Bouw van de Heilige Grafkerk en andere kerken door Constantijn en Helena.

Islamitische periode ( 638-1099)
638 Jeruzalem geeft zich over aan kalief Omar.
692 Abdel-Malik laat over de Offersteen van Abraham de Rotskoepel bouwen.

Kruisvaarderperiode (1099-1260)
1099 Inname van Jeruzalem door Godfried van Bouillon.
1187 Saladin verovert Jeruzalem en staat de joden toe terug te keren.

Mammalukse periode ( 1260-151
De uit Egypte afkomstige Mammalukken vallen Jeruzalem binnen en blijven 250 jaar aan de macht.

Ottomaanse periode ( 1516-1917)
1260 Soleiman de Prachtlievende herbouwt de muren van Jeruzalem.

Britse periode ( 1917-1948)
1917 generaal Allenby trekt Jeruzalem binnen.

1948
Oprichting van de staat Israël door Ben Goerion.

1967
Zesdaagse oorlog. Jeruzalem wordt herenigd onder Israëlisch bestuur.

Volgens sjeik Raid Salah, de leider van een islamitische beweging in Noord-Israel zal het Israelische bewind over de Tempelberg eindigen en Jeruzalem de hoofdstad worden van een nieuw islamitisch kalafaat. Salah zegt dat dit sneller zal gebeuren dan menigeen verwacht. De sjeik hield op 15 september 2006 een toespraak in het voetbalstadion van de plaats Umm el-Fahm in Galilea. Maar volgens de profeet Zacharia zal iedereen die zich met Jeruzalem bemoeit en zich vergrijpt aan Jeruzalems bestemming, gewisselijk doorsneden zal worden. Er zullen door de wereldleiders en het Vaticaan nog vele pogingen ondernomen worden om van Jeruzalem een internationale stad te maken. Het maakt geen verschil of het de grootmachten zijn, de Verenigde Naties of de Kerkelijke machthebbers, ze zullen allen ten val komen en zichzelf beladen met Jeruzalem.

Zacharia12:2 Zie, Ik maak Jeruzalem tot een schaal der bedwelming voor alle volken in het rond. Te dien dage zal Ik Jeruzalem maken tot een steen, die alle natiën moeten heffen, allen die hem heffen zullen zich deerlijk verwonden.

Ondanks alle conflicten en vele verwoestingen, bestaat Jeruzalem nog steeds op de plaats waar het altijd gestaan heeft. Nineve, Ur en Babylon zijn gekomen en gegaan, net als de grote steden in Egypte, maar Jeruzalem is gebleven. Dit Jeruzalem trotseert de eeuwen, zo niet de eeuwigheid. Zelfs in de laatste grote veldslag van Armageddon, wanneer de stad zal worden ingenomen en de helft van haar bevolking in gevangenschap zal worden weggeleid, zal Jeruzalem blijven bestaan.  Jeruzalem was en zal altijd de hoofdstad van Israel blijven, en is nooit de hoofdstad geweest van een andere staat aldus president Simon Peres in mei 2009.  Jeruzalem is de hoofdstad van Israel. Ze is dat altijd geweest, zal dat altijd blijven en zal nooit worden verdeeld. De band tussen het Joodse volk en Jeruzalem gaat duizenden jaren terug. Ze zal verenigd blijven onder onze soevereiniteit. Sinds de stad werd herenigd is de vrijheid van godsdienst voor allen nooit zo volledig verzekerd aldus Benjamin Netanyahu op 21 mei 2009.  De realiteit is dat er helemaal geen Oost Jeruzalem bestaat. Er is maar één Jeruzalem, en dat is de ongedeelde hoofdstad van Israel aldus Shlomo Z.Mostofsky, president van Young Israel op 15 maart 2010.

Zacharia 14:2-3-4 En de Heere zal uittrekken, en Hij zal strijden tegen die heidenen gelijk ten dage als Hij gestreden heeft, ten dage des strijds. En Zijn voeten zullen te dien dage staan op de Olijfberg die voor Jeruzalem ligt.

Profeten voorzegden het verval en de verbanning, evenals de terugkeer van het volk en de herbouw van Jeruzalem- de Stad van God. Voor hen, wiens ogen zien en wiens oren horen, openbaart zich menigmaal Gods Plan en Zijn werk met de mens en zijn wereld. Jeruzalem zal de eerste stad ter wereld zijn die de Messias ontvangt. Jeruzalem heeft alles te maken met het voortbestaan van de wereld. Alle machten der duisternis zullen zich mobiliseren om de terugkeer van de Messias te belemmeren. Maar zij die in Gods Woord geloven weten dat Jeruzalem de stad is waar Hij zal terugkeren met heerlijkheid en grote macht. Dan zal de profetie van Jesaja worden vervuld.

Jesaja2:4 want uit Sion zal de wet uitgaan, en des Heeren woord uit Jeruzalem. En Hij zal rechten onder heidenen, en bestraffen vele volken, en zij zullen hun zwaarden slaan tot spaden, en hun spiesen tot sikkelen; het ene volk zal tegen het andere volk geen Zwaard opheffen, en zij zullen geen oorlog meer leren.

Te dier tijd zullen zij Jeruzalem noemen "Des Heeren troon "(Jeremia 3:17) Dan zal de lange barensnood van Jeruzalem voorbij zijn en Gods bedoeling aangaande haar vervult. Alles wat de mens op deze aarde heeft opgebouwd is de bloem en de vrucht van de "Gevallen mens ". Ze vertegenwoordigen het bouwen zonder fundament. Maar straks zal alles onverwoestbaar en heilig zijn, delend in Gods gunst.

Overige bronnen: E.Davidson,Wie is God,tempel of moskee,Uitgeverij, Sjofar Breda. Lance Lambert,Israel is Uniek,Chai Pers. Alfred Muller, Geheim offensief,Chai Pers. Wim Malgo,Jeruzalem, Brandpunt der Wereld. Zendingswerk Middernachtsroep. Klaus Gerth, Der Anti-Christ kommt,Verlag Schulte+Gerth, Aszalar. Uitgeverij Het Spectrum, Grote Spectrum Encyclopedie,deel 9 blaz 495. Jan Willem van der Hoeven, Babylon of Jeruzalem,Novapres. Martin Gilbert, Jeruzalem verleden en toekomst, Uitgave van het Cidi. Hal Lindsey,De bevrijding van de planeet Aarde,en Op weg naar een nieuwe wereld, Novapres,Laren. Gordon Lindsey,Tekenen van de spoedige komst van Christus, Gazon Uitgeverij 's-Gravenhage. Tom Hess,Wacht niet op de jagers, Stichting Hebron Twente,Almelo. Jeruzalem,Palphot Ltd.P.O.B.2,Herzlia, Israel. Bronnen: Bijbel, Geschiedenis en Archeologie, Jaargang 6, nummer 1, maart 1999. Jaargang 6, nummer 2, juni 1999.Jaargang 10, nummer 1, mei 2003. Israel News from Jerusalem Newswire, PA rejects discovery of King David's palace, 11 augustus 2005.Larousse Encyclopedie, Deel 8 Uitgeverij Scheltens & Giltay N.V.  's-Gravenhage.

One Dead in Blast at Jerusalem Bus Station
by Gil Ronen and Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Mar 23 '11, Adar Bet 17, 5771

An explosion across from Jerusalem's Central Bus Station Wednesday afternoon in Jerusalem killed one elderly woman and wounded 50 others, two seriously.

The explosive charge was placed at a public telephone booth and was detonated as two packed buses passed by. The buses sustained moderate damage in the explosion.

The terrorist who planted the bomb apparently escaped the scene. Security officials said there were no specific indications of an impending terrorist attack in Israel's capital.

Jerusalem's Mayor, Nir Barkat, was on the scene minutes after the blast encouraging citizens not to allow the attack to change their lives. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was in his Jerusalem residence, preparing to fly to Moscow, when the bombing occurred.

At approximately 3:45 P.M., the ZAKA rescue service reported gunfire near the Sakharov Gardens, not far from the scene of the blast. This report was retracted a few minutes later.

Wednesday's attack was the first major terrorist incident in Jerusalem since the tractor attacks and the massacre of eight people at the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva in March 2008.

Arabs Hurl Fire Bomb at Jewish Home in Jerusalem
by Gil Ronen
Sep 22 '10, Tishrei 14, 5771

 

Arabs threw a fire bomb (“Molotov cocktail”) at the porch of an apartment in a building that houses Jewish families in the Abu Tor neighborhood of southern Jerusalem. The bomb did not ignite and no one was hurt.

A woman who lives next to the building told Arutz Sheva's Hebrew-language service that the firebomb was thrown from a nearby Arab building. This structure was built illegally but nothing has been done to demolish it, she said.

The neighbor said the phenomenon is not new. “About a month and a half ago, three firebombs were thrown into the building's yard. The bottles ignited and burned a very tall cypress tree. Another firebomb that did not ignite was thrown subsequently and this is the third time in a month and a half.”

"My husband called the police but instead of arriving immediately they started to question him and inquire about all sorts of irrelevant things,” she said.

"This week,” she went on, “Major General Franco, the District Commander, visited here, and my husband told me that he intends to sleep in his wooden sukkah during the Sukkot holiday. Major General Franco promised to secure the place and make it possible to sleep in the sukkahs.” 

Part of Abu Tor was liberated in the 1967 Six Day War, and is inhabited by Arabs. The other part was liberated in 1948, and is inhabited by Jews. The neighborhood was quiet until the general deterioration in security in Israel which has taken place in the past two decades.

Arab Killed in Silwan Valley Ambush of Jewish Security Guard
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Sep 22 '10, Tishrei 14, 5771

A Jewish security guard from The City of David (Ir David), opposite the Old City, killed one Arab and wounded another after he was ambushed before dawn Wednesday morning. Angry Arabs rioted and threw rocks at police officers, wounding at least one of them. Police responded with tear gas and stun grenades, and riots continued Wednesday afternoon as the Sukkot holiday approached.

Ir David residents said the guard was driving his car to a nearby gas station when a narrow road was blocked by garbage carts that Arab used to set up an ambush. He saw three Arabs waiting for him and he asked them to let him turn his car around and leave the area.

The three-member gang began throwing rocks at him, and the car’s engine died. The guard shot at the ground, but the gang ignored the warning shots and continued approaching him, one of them branding a knife. Fearing for his life, the security guard pulled out his revolver and shot at them, mortally wounding one of them in the stomach. A second attacker also was wounded, and Arabs claimed he also died, but there has been no confirmation.

The dead attacker, age 32, was later discovered to be carrying three knives, and police identified him as having been involved in previous riots.

Ir David residents said he was the same terrorist who was part of an ambush several weeks ago, when four cars and a house were set on fire. One of the vehicles belonged to the same doctor who rushed to the scene of the ambush early Wednesday morning after the guard shot at the Arab attackers.

The doctor unsuccessfully tried to save the attacker’s life, partly because he was missing the medical equipment that had been destroyed when the same man set his car on fire. The doctor had asked the government for compensation for a terrorist attack, but authorities refused the request, explaining that the damage was due to a "dispute among neighbors.”

Protest: Red Cross Headquarters or Hamas Base?
by Hillel Fendel 
Sep 7 '10, Elul 28, 5770

A group of concerned citizens held a protest outside the Red Cross offices in Jerusalem last night, demanding an end to what they called the “disgrace” taking place in the heart of the capital. 

Three Hamas leaders, fearful of arrest and/or deportation by Israeli authorities, have taken refuge in the Red Cross offices, near the Shimon HaTzaddik/Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. They have been receiving visitors for more than two months, giving press interviews, and in general making themselves at home there both personally and professionally.

David Ish-Shalom, who organized the protest, told INN TV, “The police and government are, for the meanwhile, allowing Hamas leaders safe haven just 100 meters away from the National Police Headquarters – precisely as Hamas plans more terrorist attacks, perhaps from this very place, of the kind they perpetrated last week in which four Jews were killed and two were wounded.”

“We are here to demonstrate against both the Israeli government and the Red Cross,” another protestor, Dr. Aryeh Bachrach of the Terrorist Victims Association, said. “How can the government allow this situation to continue, in which diplomatic asylum is given to Hamas leaders in the heart of the country? ... At the same time, we believe that it is an unacceptable disgrace for the Red Cross, which is supposed to be a neutral organization working for peace, to not demand and insist and receive the right to visit Gilad Shalit, while at the same time it hosts and gives support and asylum to the leaders of the very organization that is holding him captive. This is hypocrisy that we cannot ignore.”

Video: Gilo Security Wall Comes Tumbling Down - for Now
by Hezki Ezra & Yoni Kempinski
Aug 15 '10, Elul 5, 5770

The IDF has begun removing the wall which was put up in 2001 in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo when it came under intense near-daily rifle attacks from the adjacent Arab neighborhood of Beit Jalla. Israel National News TV was on the scene Sunday and spoke with the IDF representative and local residents.

"We were approached by the Jerusalem municipality, which requested that we remove this wall." explained IDF Home Front Command's Brig. Gen. Chezi Revivo "After a professional assessment of the current situation at the IDF Home Front Command, the Home Front commander issued an order to dismantle this wall."

One of the local residents told Israel National News TV that he is very scared now that the wall is being removed; "It must not be moved now! Do you think that they're not waiting for this? Tomorrow morning there will be firing towards here, and when that happens and someone dies, we'll talk again." 

However, the head of the local administration of the neighborhood chose to express complete support in the act: "When the security authorities decided that it was necessary, we were behind them," he said. "When they decide today that it can be removed, then we still back them up and believe in them."

And what will be if, G-d forbid, the attacks are renewed? The IDF will not be putting these cement pieces too far away, in case of need. "We're trying to keep everything in order, according to how it was placed here" explained Birg. Gen. Revivo, "but we of course hope that we won't need to put this puzzle back together."

Defencewall in Israel
Er zijn nog veel meer muren in de wereld, maar daar hoor je nooit over....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0sawJGxj3k

PA Denies Report that It Offers Israel Control of Jewish Quarter
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Jul 4 '10, Tammuz 22, 5770

Palestinian Authority chief negotiator Saeb Erekat categorically denied Saturday a report that the PA told George Mitchell it would allow or accept Israeli sovereignty over the Western Wall in a new Arab state.

The London-based Al-Hayat Arabic language daily reported Saturday that PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas gave U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell a signed letter that the PA would surrender its demand that the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem be part of his proposed PA state.

Erekat told Voice of Israel government radio that the talks are secret and that he would not release details to the public.

The Al Hayat report also claimed that Abbas agreed to leave large Judea and Samaria communities, such as Gush Etzion, in Jewish hands, in return for Israeli land that would link Gaza with Arab communities in Judea and Samaria.

The supposed offer, headlined by mainstream Israeli media, would be surprising if true because the PA has claimed for years that the Western Wall is a Muslim site and has no connection with Judaism. It also has denied the existence of the First and Second Temples.

Al Hayat said that Abbas’ offer was part of written proposals he handed over to Mitchell, who is leading indirect discussions with Israel, dubbed by the United States as proximity talks.

‘Impartial’ UN Expert: Israeli Actions are ‘War Crimes'
by Hillel Fendel
Jul 1 '10, Tammuz 19, 5770

 

A United Nations appointee termed by Israel’s ambassador to the U.N. as not “independent, impartial or objective” warns that Israeli actions against illegal construction and residence could amount to “war crimes under international humanitarian law.”

Richard Falk, who holds the position of “U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967,” warned Israel against attempting to deport four top Hamas members from Jerusalem, and against the plan to demolish 22 illegal buildings – while retroactively authorizing 66 others – in a historic Jewish area of Jerusalem below the Temple Mount.

“These actions, if carried out, would violate international law, with certain actions potentially amounting to war crimes under international humanitarian law,” warned Falk, who was appointed by the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council.

Among the four Hamas members that Israel wishes to deport is the orange-bearded Muhammed Abu-Tir, who was convicted in the past of the attempted poisoning in the early 1990s of Israel's water supplies and running the murderous Hamas military arm, the Izz a-Din al-Kassam Brigades. That organization is responsible for the kidnapping of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, as well as many shootings, suicide bombings, and the like.

Abu Tir was sentenced to life in prison on terrorism charges; Amira Hass of Haaretz lamented last week that "his parents died, his daughters were married, and his grandchildren were born and grew up while he was in prison." Released in 2005 and allowed to run for a seat on the PA Legislative Council, he was held most recently as a bargaining chip for the release of Shalit. MK Dr. Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) expressed his “shock” at hearing that Abu Tir was to be released from prison. “In any normal country,” Ben-Ari stated, “a man like Abu Tir, whose hands are soaked with the blood of Jews, would find himself deep in the ground - or at least in jail for the rest of his life.”

Despite the above, Mr. Falk said it was “disturbing” and “shocking” that Israel is considering revoking the residency permits of Abu Tir and his three Hamas comrades and “appears ready to forcibly transfer these individuals based on their supposed lack of loyalty to the State of Israel.” He called Israel “an occupying Power” that is “prohibited from transferring civilian persons from East Jerusalem, and is prohibited from forcing Palestinians to swear allegiance or otherwise affirm their loyalty to the State of Israel.”

Background Explains All

Falk’s background includes the following: He described his family as “assimilationist Jewish with a virtual denial of even the ethnic side of Jewishness,” has stated that the United States wars in Vietnam and Iraq were either war crimes or in violation of international law. Falk is a former advisory board member of the American Movement for World Government.

Well before his appointment to his current position in March 2008, Falk said it would not be an "irresponsible overstatement to associate the treatment of Palestinians with the criminalized Nazi record of collective atrocity." He also took part in a U.N. fact-finding mission that found that suicide bombings were a valid method of “struggle.”

When Falk was appointed to the U.N. body, Israel’s then-Ambassador to the U.N. Yitzchak Levanon lambasted the appointment using terms such as "hopelessly unbalanced" and “malicious.” Levanon said that someone with views like Falk’s “could not possibly be considered independent, impartial or objective." Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton said about Falk's appointment, "He was picked for a reason, and the reason is not to have an objective assessment; the objective is to find more ammunition to go after Israel.”

Whose Garden?

Confusing events of 2,500 years ago with those of today, Falk said, “International law does not allow Israel to bulldoze Palestinian homes to make space for the mayor’s project to build a garden, or anything else.” In fact, the area in question is known as The King’s Garden because it is mentioned by that name in the Biblical Books of Kings and Jeremiah.

Jewish tradition and historians agree that the area, located below the City of David, also known as Silwan or Shiloach, served Kings David and Solomon. Though it was purposely kept pristine by the Ottoman and British governments, and remained that way under Jordanian rule as well, Arabs have built nearly 90 pirate buildings there since 1967, without authorization and without basic infrastructures.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat's plan, which has now been approved by the city’s governing coalition, calls for the retroactive approval of 66 of the illegal houses, land grants for the remaining illegal squatters for the construction of new and larger houses, and turning much of the King's Garden area into a green area that will be preserved as a historic treasure.       

PA Finds Bibi's Biblical Reference 'Distasteful'
by Maayana Miskin
May 14 '10, Sivan 1, 5770

 

Senior Palestinian Authority negotiator Saeb Erekat has criticized Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for mentioning the Jewish people's historic tie to Jerusalem as described in the Bible. He accused the prime minister of “[using] religion to incite hatred and fear.”

Netanyahu had made reference to numerous Biblical references to Jerusalem while addressing the Knesset in a session honoring Jerusalem Day – the anniversary of the day on which Israel's capital was reunited after 19 years during which Jordan held control of the eastern half of the city.

The Bible refers to Jerusalem and Zion 850 times, Netanyahu said.

At first he did not say how many times Jerusalem is mentioned in the holy writings of other faiths, but after he was challenged by an Israeli Arab MK, he said Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Koran at all, although a 12th century interpretation of the Koran does say one passage referred to the city. However, the prime minister clarified, “It is not my intention to detract from the bond other peoples have with Jerusalem... I am challenging the attempts to distract from, distort or erase our unique bond with Jerusalem.”

Leaders in the PA, and Muslims leaders in Israel, have often portrayed the Jewish connection to Jerusalem, and to the Temple Mount in particular, as a threat to Islam. Israel has been accused of attempting to “Judaize” Jerusalem and to damage or destroy the Al-Aksa mosque.

The PA has claimed all of the neighborhoods formerly held by Jordan, including the Old City, the City of David and the Temple Mount, as the future capital of a PA state. Speaking Wednesday, Erekat warned, “East Jerusalem cannot continue to be occupied if there is to be peace.”

Netanyahu, like previous prime ministers, states that Israel's capital will not be divided.

Barkat: Jerusalem Freeze Would be Illegal
by Maayana Miskin
Apr 30 '10, Iyar 16, 5770

 

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat is in Washington this week to meet with senior United States officials. In a news conference held during his tour, Barkat took a firm stance on the Obama administration's pressure to stop building houses for Jews in eastern Jerusalem, saying a construction freeze would be “illegal”.

“There's no freeze... We're going to build, and we're not going to stop it,” Barkat told reporters. “It is illegal to stop it.”

Barkat admitted that construction in certain parts of the city had temporarily slowed following the Obama administration's angry reaction to a housing project in the Jewish neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo, in northern Jerusalem. However, he said, the slowdown was a momentary gesture of respect for the US, and construction has since picked up steam again.

Barkat added that the Jerusalem municipality will not change its planning process despite the diplomatic incident regarding Ramat Shlomo. The city will continue to approve construction without involving the prime minister, he said. “It doesn't work like that,” he said. “Each of us has his own authority and his own decisions to make.”

During his visit Barkat met with several US lawmakers, among them House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Republican Whip Eric Cantor. Cantor backed Barkat's statement that Jerusalem will remain Israel's united capital, and said that both Democrats and Republicans back that view, despite the position taken by Obama and his staff.

Gathering support for continuing Israeli sovereignty over a united Jerusalem appears to be a central goal of Barkat's trip.

Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have pushed for a freeze on construction of Jewish housing in all parts of Jerusalem east of the 1949 armistice line, including those neighborhoods such as Mei Shiloach (Silwan) and the Old City that are historically Jewish. The Palestinian Authority demands those neighborhoods as part of a future PA state, to be established in Judea and Samaria with Jerusalem as its capital.

'Obama Behind Jerusalem Apartheid'
by Maayana Miskin
May 10 '10, Iyar 26, 5770

 
Recent days have seen conflicting reports on construction in Jerusalem. While Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu states that construction in Jerusalem will continue, reports indicate that in practice, Jews are barred from building in some parts of the capital city. Arutz Sheva's Hebrew news service spoke to Jerusalem Construction and Building Planning Committee member Yair Gabbai to clarify the situation.

According to Gabbai, there is definitely a distinction being made between “west” Jerusalem, meaning the territory that has been under Israeli sovereignty since 1948, and “east” Jerusalem, the lands that were under Jordanian control from 1948 until 1967. Recently, officials have begun making a distinction between Jews and Arabs, allowing Arabs to build in neighborhoods where Jews are turned down for construction permits, he said.

"The most recent meetings have taken on a certain apartheid-like quality,” he said. “Construction permits in eastern Jerusalem are given exclusively to Arabs, while in the western half of the city there's no discrimination.”

United States President Barack Obama is behind the de facto construction freeze, Gabbai believes. “Obama is the source of the pressure on the prime minister and the government to freeze construction in eastern Jerusalem, even though it's not good for Jerusalem,” he said.

The construction freeze is not only discriminatory, but is even criminal, he said. By law, the entire city of Jerusalem is under Israeli sovereignty, and no distinction should be made between various neighborhoods.

Gabbai suggested two ways in which Israelis can fight the Jerusalem building freeze. One path would be a legal battle. “I'm convinced that if a Jew can prove he's been discriminated against, and that suddenly only Arab construction plans are coming before the committee even though he was supposed to come before the committee as well, the court won't allow it,” he said.

Another possibility is to fight the freeze at its source, by putting pressure on Obama, he said. If tens of thousands of Americans take to the streets and tell Obama to leave Jerusalem alone, the president will be forced to do so, he stated.

“The American public... is sensitive to the subject of Jerusalem, more so than to any other part of American foreign policy. If the public's anger is aroused, he will be forced to change his policy,” Gabbai said. Proof of the Obama administration's need for public support can be seen in the administration's efforts to enlist support from Jewish organizations in the wake of tensions over Jerusalem, he added.

Report: US Ensuring Construction Freeze in Jerusalem
by Avi Yellin
May 11 '10, Iyar 27, 5770

A recent Makor Rishon-Hatzofeh inquiry has uncovered that United States officials in Israel have been enforcing a de facto ban on Jewish construction in Jerusalem. In what is being seen by many Israelis as a clear violation of the Jewish state’s national sovereignty, American officials have been consistently “showing interest” in Israel’s construction plans in her capital.

Last November, at the commencement of the 10 month ban for Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria, several reports circulated that American inspectors answering directly to U.S. Middle East Envoy George Mitchell were visiting Jewish towns and villages in the region, asking questions and taking photographs. Today officials suspect that the same is taking place in many parts of Jerusalem.

While Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and senior cabinet ministers vehemently deny all reports of an agreement to freeze construction in most of Jerusalem, the reality on the ground appears to tell a different story. No Jewish construction is currently being seen in any neighborhoods of the capital liberated by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War, and no such construction seems to be planned for the foreseeable future.

The reason for the de facto construction freeze in Jerusalem is said in political circles to be the result of fear of a negative American reaction to Jewish building. The United States ambassador, the Jerusalem consul and other American officials have been meeting frequently with the relevant ministers over the last weeks and have been extracting from them detailed information on Jerusalem construction plans.

“This interest is not very pleasant,” said an anonymous source close to the matter. “Each minister understands the significance when an American official asks him about the nature of the next project, how many housing units it will include, when it will occur and so forth. Some ministers are also calculating their next step… They understand that a refusal on their part to meet American expectations could prove detrimental later on, especially if they are seeking major appointments. It would not be clever for a minister to get branded as the guy who said 'no' to the United States.”

Just prior to the Passover holiday, tenders for some 1,000 housing units in Ramot were expected to be released, but these were reportedly halted by a directive from the political echelon. A similar situation occurred with 130 housing units in Har Homa. Both projects were ready for immediate advancement but lacked the political approval to progress.

Housing Minister Ariel Attias (Shas) confirmed to the Knesset last week that there is indeed a construction freeze in Jerusalem. In response to a question from Member of Knesset Uri Ariel (National Union) concerning the report that the government was refraining from releasing 1,000 housing units which had already been approved in the neighborhoods of Gilo, Har Homa, Pisgat Z'ev and Neve Yaakov, Attias confirmed that such information was correct.

“The last time apartments were put on the market was in December 2009,” the housing minister admitted, “and since then no housing units have been put on the market.”

MK Ariel, chairman of the parliamentary lobbying group for Jerusalem, sent a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu in which he demanded that the premier allow construction in the capital despite intrusive American demands.

A freeze for any significant length of time would cause imbalance in the Jewish/Arab demographics in the city. There is no ban on Arab construction which is proceeding as usual.

Knesset Committee Rejects Inspector Budget

Meanwhile,this week the Knesset Finance Committee rejected the Defense Ministry's fifth request to authorize the funding necessary for inspectors to enforce the West Bank building moratorium. Coalition and opposition MK's, led by National Union's Uri Ariel, demanded that Defense Minister Barak appear before the committee before the funding is brought to a vote.

Maj.-Gen. Eitan Dangot, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, attended the meeting to explain the need for the NIS 18 million in additional funds and claimed they were not exclusively for freeze inspectors.

De oude stad van Jeruzalem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J8VPyyw13w&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzlcETJ869w&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO1dLoFmINY&feature=fvw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFvvqbZUfC4&feature=related

Kidron dal - Jeruzalem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS6mHhbyjws&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf6xrWXZrVg&feature=related

Archaeological and Historical Evidence of Jews in Jerusalem
11 mei 2010



Archaeological site at the City of David in Jerusalem

Modern Israel is the renewal of the Jewish State in the Land of Israel, the birthplace of the Jewish people. Archaeological evidence shows that the Jewish people began developing its distinctive religion and culture some 4,000 years ago in Israel.[1] For millennia, the Jewish people have had an unbroken physical presence—whether Israel existed as a sovereign state or under foreign domination.

As archaeology shows, Jerusalem is the religious and political focus of the Jewish people from the time King David, from the Tribe of Judah and the village of Bethlehem, made it his fortress and the capitol of a united Jewish nation called Israel around 1000 BCE (II Samuel 25:7).[2]

Christians and Muslims also have religious freedom and access to key holy sites in Jerusalem, although none date longer than the continuous Jewish presence in Jerusalem.[3]

Experts agree that the Biblical history of David was written shortly after his reign and that it is “perhaps the oldest piece of historiography in the Western world.”[4] The historical succession of kings and the archaeology of Jerusalem provide historical evidence for the Biblical narrative.

Archaeological evidence of Jews in Jerusalem

Recently, a Hebrew University archaeologist discovered a Jerusalem city wall from the time of King Solomon (10th century BCE), and said the finding “is the first time that a structure from that time has been found that may correlate with written descriptions of Solomon’s building in Jerusalem.”[5] Artifacts found inside excavations around the City of David and within the Old City, the Temple Mount and Solomon’s Stables date the Jewish presence in Jerusalem as far back as 1000 BCE, during the time of King David.[6]

David established Jerusalem as an administrative, religious and military capital of a state which extended beyond Israelite and Judean settlements. He built what is now known as the City of David and brought what Jews consider to be the sacred Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. The Ark held the tablets of the Ten Commandments and symbolized to Jews the presence of God. David’s placement of the Ark in his new capital gave the city a lasting religious and political significance for the Jewish nation.[8]

After the Roman destruction of Judea in 70 CE, Jews were subject to exile, persecuted and massacred during subsequent foreign rule over Jerusalem. But still, the Jewish presence was constant in Jerusalem.[9] Throughout the centuries, Jerusalem was not only an object of longing but also of actual Jewish habitation during the rule of the Romans (70 CE-324), the Byzantines (324-614), Persians (614-640), Arabs (640-1099), Crusaders (1099-1291), Mamluks (1291-1516) and the Ottoman Turks (1516-1918).

In the 19th century, Jews came to Jerusalem and worked as farmers, doctors and teachers on the outskirts of the city. A Jewish printing press was operating there by 1841, and a Jewish bank was established there in 1848. In 1845 – before the modern Zionist movement – the Prussian consul in Jerusalem estimated that the population of Jerusalem comprised about 7,120 Jews, 5,000 Muslims and 3,390 Christians. The New York Daily Tribune published an article in April 1854 by communist theorist Karl Marx stating that “the sedentary population of Jerusalem numbers about 15,500 souls, of whom 4,000 are Mussulmans [Muslims] and 8,000 Jews.” [11]

By 1868, there were 21 synagogues, 21 convents and 11 mosques, according to an early guidebook to Jerusalem. After about 1860, there was a hospital and a library, as well as schools, hotels and other businesses. Jews comprised the most numerous builders of areas outside the walls of the city. In 1888, Yemenite Jews built and lived in an area in Silwan, now part of what is considered East Jerusalem. The Sultan of Turkey granted permission to a Jerusalemite Jew named Joseph Navon to build a railway from Jaffa to Jerusalem in 1888. By the time Jerusalem was declared the capital of the State of Israel in 1949, it had had a substantial Jewish majority for many years.[13]

League of Nations’ early recognition of Israel as national homeland for Jews

In 1922, the League of Nations Palestine Mandate recognized the land of Israel as the national home of the Jewish people, citing “the historic connection of the Jewish people with Palestine.” The Mandate called for “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people,” and thus Jerusalem is a site of pilgrimage for the whole Jewish nation.[14]

Ottoman Turkey renounced its previously claimed sovereignty rights over all of Palestine in 1923, after the Covenant of the League of Nations Mandates Commission was organized to decide to which country disputed territories would belong.

Although Jews were permitted to pray at the Western Wall until the end of Ottoman control, authorities had gone out of their way to create an onerous atmosphere: Jews were forbidden to bring Torah scrolls, chairs or screens used to separate men from women during prayer. Businesses emanating noxious odors were opened next to Jewish and Christian holy sites. Mosques were built with looming minarets over other houses of worship, and churches and Jewish holy sites could be decreed mosques. The restrictions continued as Britain based its policies on Arab claims that the Western Wall was part of the Temple Mount and thus was Muslim.

The League of Nations formally dissolved in April 1946. The United Nations, the League’s successor organization, preserved the rights of the Jewish people in Palestine and Jerusalem in particular when it passed Article 80 of the UN Charter.

The UN partition resolution of Nov. 29, 1947 recommended that Jerusalem be a separate entity, a suggestion the Palestinian leadership of 1947-48 rejected and which was rendered moot by the invasion of Arab armies into the newly declared State of Israel in 1948.

When the Israel Defense Forces broke the Arab armies’ siege of Jerusalem, Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, said Israel “can no longer regard the UN Resolution of the 29th of November as having any moral force. After the UN failed to implement its own resolution, we regard the resolution of the 29th of November concerning Jerusalem to be null and void.”[20] Since then, no other entity or sovereign power has superseded the legal rights of the Jewish people acknowledged by the League of Nations Mandate.

Despite the fact that UN Secretary General Trygve Lie called Jordan’s 1948 invasion of Jerusalem an act of “aggression,” Jordan annexed the West Bank in 1950. Only the United Kingdom and Pakistan recognized this action, and the UK clarified that its recognition of Jordanian sovereignty did not extend to Jerusalem.

Jordan’s mistreatment of Jerusalem, religious rights

Jordan failed to respect religious freedom in the parts of Jerusalem it controlled from 1948-1967 – a violation of Article 8 of the General Armistice Agreement signed on April 3, 1949. Further, the UN passed no resolutions protecting minority religious rights there.[23]

During this period, Jordan denied Jews access to most of Judaism’s holy sites. The Jewish citizens of the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem were expelled from their homes, and 58 synagogues were destroyed and/or desecrated; some were used as horse stables. The historic Hurva Synagogue and the Porat Yosef Yeshivah were decimated, and tombstones from ancient cemeteries on the Mount of Olives were used for paving stones, walls and latrines. Neither Jewish Israelis nor Jews who were citizens of other countries were permitted to visit the Western Wall. Jews were forbidden to go to the tombs of the prophet Samuel and Simon the Just, the tomb of Rachel or the burial site of the patriarchs in Hebron.

During Jordanian control, Muslim Israelis were not permitted to pray at the two Muslim shrines on the Temple Mount. Christian access to holy sites in East Jerusalem was available only on Christmas. Christian land purchases were limited, and Jordanian law infringed upon Christian educational institutions. From 1949-1967, the Christian population dropped from 25,000 to 11,000.[25] Click here for more information about Christian sites in Jerusalem

Nascent Israeli state reunites Jerusalem, opens it up to all religions

After Israel’s defensive Six-Day War in 1967, Israel established all of Jerusalem as its capital and, based on history and legal precedent, extended Israeli law, jurisdiction and administration to East Jerusalem. New city boundaries, including strategic high points, were also approved. Palestinian Arabs of East Jerusalem had the right to apply for and receive Israeli citizenship but were not forced to do so or surrender their Jordanian passports.

UN Security Council Resolution 242[28] of November 1967 did not call for a complete Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines, nor did it mention Jerusalem. Instead, it called for a withdrawal to “secure and recognized boundaries.”[29]

Jerusalem, a city holy to the three monotheistic religions, is the object of centuries of struggle and division.[30] The demand for a special international status is unique to Jerusalem. No other city with important holy sites is subject to such a demand.

All the main holy sites for Jews lie within the post-1967 municipal borders of Jerusalem. Jews throughout the world pray toward the Temple Mount. In the Torah (Old Testament), Jerusalem is mentioned 656 times, and prayers for its safety and peace are repeated three times daily. It is the focus of prayer.

Since Israel unified Jerusalem in 1967, the Israeli government has not interfered with the administration of the Temple Mount and Muslim holy sites by the Jordanian-financed Waqf (Islamic trust) in East Jerusalem. Although Israel does not interfere with the day-to-day administration, religious observances or regulation of the Muslim holy sites, Israel has not surrendered its sovereignty of those places. Israel’s policy is that a united city under Israeli sovereignty will allow worshipers of all faiths unrestricted access to their holy places throughout the city. However, to protect Muslim sensitivities, Jewish and Christian prayer are barred on the Temple Mount. Because of previous incidents, Israel has a police presence on the Temple Mount.[35]

Disagreements about Jerusalem borders

In the ensuing years, different parties have developed different concepts of Jerusalem’s borders and its geography; there is no single agreed-upon border. Some parties have even more than one idea of how the borders should be drawn. Palestinian Arabs speak not only about defying Israel’s 1967 annexation of the East Jerusalem municipality, but also against the Jordanian pre-1967 borders. Furthermore, these entities do not accept what Israel considers its city boundaries. Some of Jerusalem’s suburbs are built over the Green Line—and therefore could be considered by the Palestinian Arabs as West Bank settlements.[36]

For Israel, on the other hand, these large suburbs are located in the larger metropolitan Jerusalem area, and the intertwined economic and social infrastructure of these suburbs support Jerusalem as a center. For Israelis, Jerusalem comprises the municipal borders established in 1967 after the Six-Day War, including pre-1967 West Jerusalem; East Jerusalem (including the Old City), previously Jordanian-controlled; as well as parts of the West Bank annexed to Jerusalem but not within formerly Jordanian Jerusalem.

Further complicating the situation is that Palestinians and Israelis depend on the same roads into and out of Jerusalem, and both consider the city a key communication nexus between north and south, just as King David did millennia ago. Facilities introduced by Israel for East Jerusalem and integrated within the city-wide systems include a sewer, drainage and piped water system; clinics, libraries, parks and gardens; a postal system; electricity; and unrestricted access to Israeli hospitals.[40]

Biblical and Archaeological Evidence of the Jewish Presence in Jerusalem since 1000 BCE

Early history

The earliest permanent settlements, dating to the Early Bronze Age (third millennium BCE), were Canaanite. Several rectangular buildings with benches along their interior walls from that period are excavated.[41]

A massive wall, some of which is exposed, was built around the city above the Kidron Valley as early as the 18th century BCE, the Middle Bronze Age.

Though Jerusalem is thought to have been an important Canaanite urban center, based on mention of the king of Jerusalem in a 14th century BCE archive found in Egypt, evidence from the Late Bronze Age (1600-1200 BCE) is rare. That archive referenced the defeat, not the conquest, of Adonitzedek, king of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is later mentioned as a Jebusite city (the Amorite and Jebusite peoples were part of what was known collectively as “Canaanites”) in Judges 19:10-12.

By the end of the 12th century BCE, the upper part of the city was terraced, and the citadel of the Canaanite-Jebusite city of Jerusalem had been built. The solid Jebusite defense wall which King David had to overcome to conquer Jerusalem was excavated in the 1960s.

King David chose Jerusalem as his capital because the city was not specifically tied to any of the 12 tribes. He conquered Jerusalem with royal forces, retaining it as royal property. As Jerusalem was the symbol of the united nation of Israel, David brought with him the Ark of the Covenant, making the city Israel’s political and religious center. He bought the threshing floor of Aravna the Jebusite and built an altar there (II Samuel 24:21-25). But because he was a warrior, David could not build the Temple, so he instead designated Solomon to do so when he became king.[45]

The City of David

The Bible recounts that "David occupied the stronghold and renamed it the City of David; David also fortified the surrounding area, from the Millo inward" (II Samuel 5:9). The City of David is currently the site one of the most exciting archaeological finds of the ancient world. The archaeological exploration of the City of David, begun in the middle of the 19th century, continues to this day.[46]

The City of David is the original hilltop upon which King David dedicated ancient Jerusalem as his capital 3,000 years ago. Located just south of the present-day walled Old City, the City of David was built on a hill of hard limestone, on a narrow ridge bordering the Kidron Valley. The Kidron Valley is filled with erosion and debris accumulated over the millennia. It is where the Gihon Spring, the city’s water source, is located. The Gihon Spring made the founding of the City of David possible and sustained its existence for thousands of years.

The Siloam Channel

The Siloam Channel, cut at the beginning of the second millennium BCE, emerges from the Gihon Spring and extends southward along the low, eastern slope of the City of David, around the city's southern end and empties into a reservoir in the Tyropoeon Valley. The channel's northern part is covered by large stones; the southern part is open, but becomes a rock-cut tunnel toward the end. Openings along the channel allowed water to flow out and irrigate the terraces on the eastern slope of the City of David.

Hezekiah's Tunnel

Hezekiah's tunnel is the latest and most impressive of the water systems built in the City of David. Its systematic investigation was undertaken only in the last century. The Siloam Inscription, discovered in the tunnel at the end of the 19th century, was removed and is today in the Archaeological Museum of Istanbul.

The tunnel was cut during the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah (end of the eighth century BCE) into the rock beneath the City of David, in an "S"-shaped course. The tunnel, finely carved, with visible chisel marks, is described in detail in a six-line inscription in paleo-Hebrew script, cut into the rock near the exit:

"…breakthrough and this was the account of the breakthrough. While the laborers were still working with their picks, each toward the other, and while there were still three cubits to be broken through, the voice of each was heard calling to the other, because there was a zdh [crack?] in the rock to the south and to the north. And at the moment of the breakthrough, the laborers struck each toward the other, pick against pick. Then the water flowed from the spring to the pool for 1,200 cubits. And the height of the rock above the heads of the laborers was 100 cubits."

The project is mentioned in the Bible in II Kings 20:20: "...and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city…," and again in II Chronicles 32:30: "This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David."

Hezekiah’s Tunnel is also open to visitors who may walk through the water that flows in it to the Pool of Siloam.   
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Zu4eMi_aVA&feature=related

First Temple period

A most important discovery at the City of David is the massive Stepped Stone Structure, a unique 12 story-high foundational structure and the largest Iron Age construction in Israel, which may have been used to buttress David’s palace. The structure dates to the time of the United Monarchy but the substructure and core was originally built as early at the end of the 13th century BCE.[53]

The late Professor Yigal Shiloh headed the City of David excavation from 1978 – 1985, discovering and excavating ruins mainly from the First Temple period. He studied the stone-stepped structure which probably supported the fortress for David and the kings of Judah. The milloh (from Hebrew: to fill) that David built, were earth and stone areas built between stone walls, forming the terraces upon which houses of the fortress-city were built.[54]

Toward the end of the First Temple period, dwellings were built within and upon the stone foundation. These were destroyed when the Babylonians captured and razed Jerusalem in 586 BCE. Archaeological evidence found on the eastern slope of the City of David of the Babylonian destruction of 587-6 BCE, illuminates the Biblical descriptions of the destruction of Jerusalem (II Kings 25:8-10; Jeremiah 39:8; II Chronicles 36:18-19).

The eastern area of the City of David has yielded a valuable collection of bullae (seal impressions made of clay). The seals were apparently used by officials of the kingdom. The bullae from the City of David, uncovered in controlled excavation in clear stratigraphic context and supported by historical evidence, are one of the most important discoveries ever made in Jerusalem.[56]

Recent archaeological proof shows Jewish beginnings of Temple Mount area

No single archaeological relic of the First Temple or Solomon’s Temple has yet been found. However, on Feb. 22, 2010, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced the discovery in Jerusalem of a section of the city wall dating from the 10th century BCE which may have been built by King Solomon. The section is located in the “Ophel” area between the City of David and the Temple Mount’s southern wall[57] and further attests to the Jewish beginnings of the area.

Said Israeli archaeologist Eilat Mazar, “The city wall that has been uncovered testifies to a ruling presence. Its strength and form of construction indicate a high level of engineering…A comparison of this latest finding with city walls and gates from the period of the First Temple, as well as pottery found at the site, enable us to postulate with a great degree of assurance that the wall that has been revealed is that which was built by King Solomon in Jerusalem in the latter part of the tenth century BCE.”

“This is the first time that a structure from that time has been found that may correlate with written descriptions of Solomon’s building in Jerusalem,” Mazar added. “The Bible tells us that Solomon built -- with the assistance of the Phoenicians, who were outstanding builders -- the Temple and his new palace and surrounded them with a city, most probably connected to the more ancient wall of the City of David.” Mazar specifically cites the third chapter of I Kings which refers to the structure: “until he (Solomon) had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.”

Pottery shards discovered in the lowest floor of the royal building near the gatehouse also corroborate that the complex’s dating to the 10th century BCE. Large storage jars that survived destruction by fire were found. A partial inscription in ancient Hebrew on one jar indicates it belonged to a high-level government official.

Jar handles with seal impressions “to the king,” testifying to their usage within the monarchy, were found. Seal impressions with Hebrew names, also indicating the royal nature of the structure, were found as well.[60]

More ancient treasure discovered among rubble dating back to First, Second Temple periods

In April 2005, a series of relics dating back to the periods of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem were found in piles of rubble which had been discarded at a garbage dump in the Kidron Valley by the Islamic Waqf authorities. As excavation has not been possible on the Temple Mount because the Waqf will not permit it, these discoveries are the first of their kind.[61] The former head of the Israeli Antiquities Authority called the removal and dumping of these artifacts "an unprecedented archaeological crime."[62]

Archaeologists at the site discovered some pottery dating to the Bronze Age and First Temple periods and more than 100 ancient coins, including some from the Hasmonean dynasty. One coin from the period of the First Revolt against the Romans reads "For the Freedom of Zion" and was created before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.[63]

The so-called Antiochus coin was discovered in December 2008 in the rubble from the Temple Mount. This coin was minted by, and bears a portrait of, the Greek leader Antiochus Epiphanes IV, who ruled from 175 – 163 BCE. During that time, Antiochus looted the Temple of its treasures and erected a statue in the sanctuary. The Hasmonean rebellion was directed against his actions. The rebellion – the Hasmoneans' liberation of the Temple – and the events surrounding the Chanukah story took place on the Temple Mount.[64]

Building remains from the First Temple Period (8th-9th centuries BCE) were found in the northwest part of the Western Wall plaza near the Temple Mount in 2008. Finds included a colonnaded street from the Late Roman period (2nd century CE) that appear on the Madaba Map mosaic and is called the Eastern Cardo. The 6th century CE Madaba Map, is the oldest surviving original map of Israel and especially Jerusalem. A replica is in the Eastern Cardo today. The Cardo is paved with heavy limestone blocks set atop a layer dating to the end of the First Temple period. The Roman road pavers had covered the earlier finds and prevented them from discovery. This was the first time that building remains from the First Temple period were exposed so close to the Temple Mount.

Additionally, a scarab-like elliptical seal that was probably inlaid in a ring was found there. The name of the owner of the seal is engraved in ancient Hebrew script; it translates as “[belonging] to Netanyahu ben Yaush.” This was the first time that these names were mentioned together, although both are Biblical names. Netanyahu ben Yaush is mentioned a number of times in the Book of Jeremiah and in Chronicles, and the name Yaush appeared in the Lachish letters. Lachish was the most important city in Judah after Jerusalem during Hezekiah’s reign. It was destroyed in 701 B.C.E. by the Assyrian monarch Sennacherib on his way to laying siege to Jerusalem.[67] Also, an inscription written in ancient Hebrew script was preserved on a jar handle which reads, “[belonging] to the king of Hebron.”

Different kinds of coins were uncovered in numerous excavations at the foot of the Temple Mount – some more ancient than 2,000 years old. Some are unique coins that were minted in Jerusalem during this period and burned during the Great Revolt by the Jews (in which the Second Temple was destroyed). A very rare shekel, minted by the rebels during the last months of the revolt in 70 CE, was also uncovered.[69]

Excavators also discovered a fragment of a large sarcophagus lid, engraved with the words in square script characteristic of the Second Temple period reading “…Ben HaCohen HaGadol…” (son of the High Priest).

These artifacts as well as others found there were characteristic of the Kingdom of Judah in the latter part of the First Temple period—the end of the eighth century BCE until the destruction of the Temple in 586 BCE.[71]

Monarchic period

A massive retaining structure for a monumental building from the 10th century BCE was probably part of King David’s residence (II Samuel 5:7-9), the Fortress of Zion.[72]

Jerusalem expanded in the 8th century BCE during the reign of Hezekiah, King of Judah, as the hill west of the City of David was also within the walls. There is evidence that the city was densely populated. The populated areas seem to have been abandoned during the Assyrian siege of 701 BCE described in the Biblical narrative (II Kings 18-19 and II Chronicles 32-5). When the Assyrian army approached, the king decided to fortify the city and wall in the newly built areas. The city’s eastern wall was integrated and – in some places – incorporated with the course of its Bronze Age predecessor. The King had houses that stood along the wall’s route demolished and their stones used to reinforce the wall. According to Isaiah (22:9-10): "And you took note of the many breaches in the City of David... and you counted the houses of Jerusalem and pulled houses down to fortify the wall."[73]

During the 8th and 7th centuries BCE, Jerusalem enjoyed a period of prosperity, as shown by the remains of structures such as the four-roomed Israelite dwelling typical of this period, called the House of Ahi’el, which was excavated on the northeastern slope of the City of David. The house was named after the Hebrew inscription on a pottery fragment found in it. The dwelling not only had an external stone staircase leading to a second story, but also a small storage room where more than 50 restorable jars were found. Moreover, in another small room excavators found a limestone toilet seat embedded in the plaster floor, beneath which was a cesspit.[74]

Large trove of clay seal impressions in Hebrew

East of the House of Ahi’el is the Bullae House, where a collection of almost 50 clay seal impressions (bullae) with Hebrew lettering was found. The bullae date to the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 587-6 BCE. Made of fingernail-sized lumps of soft clay flattened into disks, the bullae were stuck to strings binding papyrus documents and then stamped with a seal. The bulla seal had to be broken in order to separate it from the string so the scroll could be opened. The fire that destroyed the house and burnt the documents stored in it also fired the bullae, thus preserving their legibility.

The bullae are stamped with dozens of Hebrew personal names, some of which are Biblical: For example, Gemaryahu son of Shafan, a high official at the court of King Jehoiakim of Judah who reigned on the eve of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (Jeremiah 36:10; see also 11-12, 25); Azaryahu son of Hilkiyahu, a member of the family of high priests who officiated at the end of the First Temple period (I Chronicles 9:10); Gedaliah ben Pashur whose name appears in the Book of Jeremiah (38:1); and Yehuchal ben Shelemayahu, whose name was found on an identical clay bulla in the same area in 2005. The last two men were ministers in King Zedekiah’s court; King Zedekiah was the last king to rule in Jerusalem before the First Temple’s destruction.

These last bullae are well preserved and were written in ancient Hebrew. They were found among the debris of the destruction of the First Temple period (eighth-sixth centuries BCE). Their discovery was the first time in Israeli archaeology that two clay bullae with two Biblical names appearing in the same Biblical verse were unearthed in the same location. The fact that these two bullae were found on the site indicates that the king’s administration may have used the building in which they were found until the destruction of the First Temple.

“And Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashchur, and Yehuchal the son of Shelamayahu, and Pashhur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah spoke unto all the people…” (Jeremiah 38:1).

Yehuchal the son of Shelamayahu and Gedaliah the son of Pashchur were both ministers of King Zedekiah (a descendant of King David and the last king to rule in Jerusalem before the destruction of the First Temple). They unsuccessfully plotted to kill the prophet Jeremiah by throwing him into a pit. Pashchur, Gedaliah’s father, may have been the deputy chief priest of the temple who “smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper gate of Benjamin, which was in the house of the Lord” (Jeremiah 20:3).[78]

Additionally, a seal made of bone and engraved with the name “Shaul” was found in May 2009 in the City of David excavation. The seal owner’s name is completely preserved and written in the shortened form of the name, "Shaul," which is known from both the Bible (Genesis 36:37; I Samuel 9:2; I Chronicles 4:24 and 6:9) and from other Hebrew seals.[79]

Jews exiled to Babylon returned during the Persian period (sixth century BCE). Nehemiah later built a new wall atop the northeastern slope of the City of David.[80]

Second Temple period

Hasmonean rulers later restored the First Wall, built by King Hezekiah and damaged in 587-6 BCE when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem.[81]

The Citadel of Jerusalem, known as the “Tower of David,” was rebuilt with a thick wall and two large towers. Located on the western side of the Old City, just south of the Jaffa Gate, it lies on the highest point of Jerusalem. The remains of Jerusalem’s fortifications from the end of the eighth century BCE dating from Hezekiah, king of Judah are in the Citadel’s foundations.

An ancient quarry, dating to the end of the Second Temple period (c. 2,030 years old), was recently uncovered in excavations in Jerusalem on Shmuel HaNavi Street. 

Dr. Ofer Sion, the excavation director on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, believes that “the immense size of the stones (maximum dimensions: length 3 m, width 2 m, height 2 m) indicates it was highly likely that the large stones that were quarried at the site were destined for use in the construction of Herod’s magnificent projects in Jerusalem, including the Temple walls....

“The dimensions of the stones that were produced in the quarry that was revealed are suitable for the Temple walls... Today, with the exposure of this quarry, the intensity of the building projects as described in the historical sources can be proven: Flavius Josephus wrote that before Herod built the Temple he prepared the infrastructure for it: the quarrying of the Temple’s stones lasted eight whole years. The Temple itself was built in a relatively short period of time of two years. With the exposure of the quarries in Sanhedria and Ramat Shlomo, it is clear that Herod began quarrying closest to the Temple and worked away from it: first he exploited the stone on the nearby ridges and subsequently he moved on to quarry in more distant regions.”[83]

At the end of the first century BCE, King Herod strengthened the fortifications of the Citadel and added three huge towers to the First Wall—all of which is described in Josephus Flavius’s history. One of the towers, the Tower of David, has survived and is incorporated into the fortifications on the eastern side of the Citadel. Even as far back as the first century BCE, ancient historian Josephus Flavius referred to the southwestern hill as the “Citadel of King David” (War V, 3,1). The Tower of David is an important example of Second Temple period royal construction. The destruction of Jerusalem in the first century is reflected in the thick layer of debris, including charred wooden roofing beams uncovered in another part of the Citadel. In the Citadel’s courtyard remains of the First Wall, its towers, and towers of the Second Temple period are exhibited.

In December 2007, ruins were uncovered in the City of David which are thought to be from the Second Temple period, belonging to the family of Queen Helena of Adiabene.[85] According to the writings of Josephus Flavius, the edifice was probably built by the Hadyab family, which includes Queen Helena of Adiabene who converted to Judaism, made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was buried there. The excavation of the ruins yielded pottery, stone vessels and coins dating to the Second Temple period. The latest coin dates to the end of the Great Revolt against the Romans in 69-70 CE. The remains strewn across the basement’s destruction layer and the narrow openings from which people tried to flee, demonstrate the building was destroyed during the Roman conquest. A silver half-shekel coin was the First Temple and says "Half-Shekel."

Excavations carried out in 1979 at the Hinnom Flank exposed nine burial caves. Extending from the three sides of each cave are "shelves" on which dead bodies were placed. In some of the caves, secondary burial bone vaults were dug beneath the shelves. The many items found in these vault-like areas – including vessels, arrowheads, jewelry, a perfume bowl and others – provide evidence about Jerusalem life during the Kingdom of Judah.[87]

However, the most exciting find at the Hinnom Flank was undoubtedly two minuscule silver scrolls containing the earliest known version of Birkat Hakohanim — the Priestly Benediction (Numbers 6:24-26): "May the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord cause his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and grant you peace.” This is the earliest biblical passage ever found in ancient artifacts. Two tiny strips of silver, each wound tightly like a miniature scroll and bearing the inscribed words, were from the period just before Nebuchadnezzar’s destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE and the subsequent exile of the Israelites in Babylonia.[88]

According to researchers at the University of Southern California the scrolls "preserve the earliest known citations of texts also found in the Hebrew Bible and that they provide us with the earliest examples of confessional statements concerning Yahweh [God]."

Another discovery from the end of the Second Temple period was of a ritual bath (mikveh) discovered inside a structure located very near the Western Wall. It is one of the most magnificent structures from the Second Temple period ever uncovered. From an architectural and artistic standpoint, similarities between this structure and the three other magnificent Herodian compounds including at the Temple Mount, at the Cave of the Patriarchs and at Allonei Mamre, demonstrate the building’s great significance in the Second Temple period.[90]

According to archaeologist Alexander Onn, director of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, “Immersing oneself in the mikveh and maintaining ritual purity were an inseparable part of the Jewish way of life in this period, and mikve’ot were absolutely essential, especially in the region of the Temple.”

Burial sites and tombs of the First and Second Temple periods

There are many burial sites and tombs dating from the Second Temple period (second century BCE - first century CE) in Jerusalem, hundreds of which were built in areas around the city mainly on the Mount of Olives and Mount Scopus.[92]

Burial caves were used by the same family for generations. The bones of the deceased were collected for secondary burial, a tradition based on the Jewish belief of the resurrection of the dead when the Messiah comes.

Following are examples of burial sites and tombs from the First and Second Temple periods:

1. Yad Avshalom (the monument to Absalom, traditionally ascribed to the rebellious son of King David), is the most complete funerary monument dating to the Second Temple period. The adjacent cave is that of King Jehoshaphat of Judah which has eight burial chambers.
2. The Tomb of Zechariah is the burial site of, by tradition, the Prophet Zechariah or, by another tradition, the father of John the Baptist.
3. The Tomb of Benei Hezir has a long Hebrew inscription carved above the columns, identifying it as the tomb of several members of the (Jewish) Hezir family who had served as priests in the Temple and were buried in the tomb below. The name appears in the Priestly Roster of the First Temple: “...the seventeenth to Hezir” (I Chronicles 24:15), and again among the Second Temple priests (Nehemiah 10:20).
4. The Tomb of Queen Helene of Adiabene is the largest tomb in Jerusalem. The tomb is ascribed to Helene, Queen of Adiabene (in the north of modern Iraq), who converted to Judaism in the first century CE at a palace in Jerusalem. According to Josephus Flavius (Antiquities of the Jews 20: 95; The Jewish War 5: 55, 119, 147), she died in Adiabene but her remains and those of some family members were transferred for burial to the family mausoleum she built.
5. The Tomb of Jason is located in Jerusalem’s Rehavia neighborhood.
6. The Tombs of the Sanhedrin are in the neighborhood still called Sanhedria. The large burial cave has roughly the number of burial niches as the number of the members of the Sanhedrin (120).
7. The Funerary Inscription of King Uzziah was discovered in the Russian Convent on the Mount of Olives. There is no record of its original provenance. The Aramaic inscription and the script’s style, dated to the latter part of the Second Temple period, tells of the reburial of the remains of Uzziah, king of Judah (769 - 733 BCE):

"Hither were brought
the bones of Uzziah
King of Judah
and do not open"

The Bible not only recounts King Uzziah's deeds and conquests, it also describes his burial: “Uzziah rested with his fathers in the burial field of the kings, because, they said, he is a leper” (II Chronicles 26:3).

8. The Tomb of Simon the Temple Builder contained an ossuary bearing an Aramaic inscription reading, "Simon the Temple Builder." The ossuary presumably contains the remains of a man who participated in the building of Herod's Temple in Jerusalem, an experience that was a source for pride.

Two heel bones pierced by a large iron nail, indicating crucifixion were found in another ossuary there.

9. The Tomb of Abba contains an Aramaic inscription in ancient Hebrew letters (very unusual in the Second Temple period) which reads:

“I, Abba, son of the priest
Eleaz(ar), son of Aaron the high (priest),
I, Abba, the oppressed
and the persecuted (?),
who was born in Jerusalem,
and went into exile into Babylonia
and brought (back to Jerusalem) Mattathi(ah),
son of Jud(ah), and buried him in a
cave which I bought by deed.”

One theory is that the remains are of the last Hasmonean king, Mattathias Antigonus who was defeated and killed by the Romans in 37 BCE.

10. The Cave of Jehosef Son of Caiphas contains an ossuary bearing the Hebrew inscription "Jehosef bar [son of] Caifa [Caiphas]." The name Caifa appears for the first time in Hebrew and in an archaeological context. It was a nickname, as related by Josephus Flavius: "Joseph who is called Caiaphas" (Antiquities of the Jews 23: 35, 39). It is also the name of the High Priest mentioned in the New Testament (Matthew 26: 3, 57) from whose Jerusalem house Jesus was delivered to the Roman procurator Pontius Pilatus who ordered his crucifixion.

Over time, Jerusalem, the Judean capital city, grew well beyond the City of David. At first, the Temple Mount was an addition to the city and was, apparently, fortified in some way (which still remains unknown). The process of expansion "beyond the walls" occurred after the population continued to increase.[95]

The Bible mentions Mishneh (II Kings 22;14) and Makhtesh (Zephania 1;11), the names of residential neighborhoods outside the City of David. The main growth in population occurred when the Northern Israelite kingdom of Israel was destroyed by Assyria, and the people fled to the Southern Israelite kingdom of Judea; and when King Sennacherib of Assyria later led a military campaign, conquering the coastal cities of the land of Israel.

The Temple Mount

King Herod rebuilt the Second Temple at the end of the first century BCE. The Roman legions under Titus, son of Emperor Vespasian, had crushed the five-year revolt of the Jews against Rome, conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple in 70 CE. Herod built the foundations for massive retaining walls that supported the podium on which the Temple stood, and these foundations are visible to this day; the best-known section is the Western Wall, the venerated remnant of the Temple where Jews pray to this day.

Excavations began in the 1970s along the southwestern corner of the Herodian Temple Mount enclosure. Remains of structures covering 2,000 years of history were uncovered bit by bit above the Second Temple period layer of destruction.[98]

From 1993-1997, new excavations were conducted between the Western Wall and the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount. After removing the debris of later periods, the Herodian street running along the western wall of the Temple Mount was exposed in its full length. It followed the course of the Tyropoeon Valley between the Temple Mount and the western hill, where the Upper City, the quarter of the well-to-do in the Herodian period, was located (the area of today's Jewish and Armenian quarters within the Old City wall and Mt. Zion south of the wall).

The base of a massive arch protruding from the Western Wall is known as Robinson's Arch. Opposite it, the remains of a pier which supported the other end of Robinson’s Arch have been exposed. The pier is constructed of large ashlars, similar to those of the Herodian walls of the Temple Mount. South of the pier, the foundations of a row of vaults which gradually rise from south to north were exposed. This row of vaults and Robinson's Arch, which is perpendicular to it, supported a huge staircase which connected the street in the valley with the Temple Mount, just as described by Josephus Flavius (Antiquities XV, 410-415).

The street was found covered by large stones fallen from the western retaining wall of the Temple Mount. Among the hundreds of stones weighing several tons each, architectural fragments were found which make it possible to reconstruct the staircase of Robinson’s Arch and the upper part of the Temple Mount retaining wall. A large corner stone with a typical Herodian profile found during the 1970s lying in the street below the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount has a Hebrew inscription, partially preserved: “To the trumpeting place to…” The most likely reconstruction of the missing ending of the inscription is "proclaim" or "separate."

The stone had been affixed at the top of the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount, where the Temple priests announced the onset of the Sabbath (on Friday evenings).

The site now is open to visitors, who can walk on the original pavement of this street from the Second Temple period and follow in the footsteps of the throngs of pilgrims who walked here 2,000 years ago on their way to participate in the rituals on the Temple Mount.

After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, only one foundation wall was left standing, the Western Wall, which was an outer wall supporting the Temple Mount. This remnant surrounding the most sacred building in the Jewish world became the holiest spot in Jewish life. For millennia, Jews from throughout the world made the pilgrimage to Palestine to visit the Kotel ha-Ma'aravi (the Western Wall) to thank God.[104]

During the more than 1,000 years Jerusalem was under Muslim rule, Arabs often used the Wall as a garbage dump to humiliate the Jews who visited it. Today, under Israeli control, all religions have free, safe and open access to holy sites in Jerusalem.[106]

Footnotes:

[1] “The Status of Jerusalem,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web site, March 14, 1999, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/1990_1999/1999/3/The+Status+of+Jerusalem.htm

[2] “Jerusalem in International Diplomacy,” JCPA, www.jcpa.org/art/jid-intro.htm, accessed April 16, 2010, p. 9

[3] “Jerusalem city wall from 10th century B.C.E. uncovered,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Feb. 22, 2010, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Israel+beyond+politics/Jerusalem_wall_10th_century_BCE_22-Feb-2010.htm

[4] “David (king of Israel),” Encyclopedia Britannica (online), http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/152497/David/1725/Kingship#ref=ref219229, accessed April 20, 2010

[5] “Jerusalem city wall from 10th century B.C.E. uncovered,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Feb. 22, 2010, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Israel+beyond+politics/Jerusalem_wall_10th_century_BCE_22-Feb-2010.htm

[6] “Ten Top Discoveries,” Biblical Archaeology Review, July/August/September/October 2009, http://www.bib-arch.org/bar/article.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=35&Issue=4&ArticleID=15

[8] “What Is the Ark of the Covenant?” American Bible Society, http://www.americanbible.org/absport/news/item.php?
id=113, accessed April 20, 2010

[9] “The Status of Jerusalem,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web site, March 14, 1999, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/1990_1999/1999/3/The+Status+of+Jerusalem.htm

[13] Gilbert, Martin, Jerusalem: Illustrated History Atlas, Jan. 18, 1987, http://www.lambsound.com/Reading/books/Martin.Gilbert.-.Jerusalem.Historical.Atlas.1987.pdf

[14] “Jerusalem in International Diplomacy,” JCPA, www.jcpa.org/art/jid-poldim/htm, accessed April 16, 2010

[23] Steinberg, Gerald M., “Explaining Israel's Policy on Jerusalem: 1948, 1967, 2000,” JCPA, Aug. 15, 2000, http://www.jcpa.org/jl/jerusalem-gms.htm

[25] “Jerusalem in International Diplomacy,” JCPA, www.jcpa.org/art/jid-intro.htm, accessed April 16, 2010

[28] “UN Security Council Resolution 242,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nov. 22, 1967, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Peace+Process/Guide+to+the+Peace+Process/UN+Security+Council+Resolution +242.htm

[29] “Jerusalem in International Diplomacy,” JCPA, www.jcpa.org/art//jid-poldim.htm, accessed April 16, 2010, p. 6

[35] Eldar, Akiva, "Temple Mount police are turning into tour guides," Haaretz, July 1, 2003, http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/temple-mount-police-are-turning-into-tour-guides-1.92840

[36] “Jerusalem in International Diplomacy,” JCPA, www.jcpa.org/art/jid-intro.htm, accessed April 16, 2010

[40] Gilbert, Martin, “Jerusalem: A Tale of One City,” The New Republic, Nov. 14, 2004

[41] “Archaeological Sites in Israel - Jerusalem - The City of David,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, July 29, 1998, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Early+History+-+Archaeology/Archaeological+Sites+in+Israel+-+Jerusalem+-+The+C.htm

[45] “Biblical Jerusalem: From Canaanite City to Israelite Capital,” Jewish Virtual Library, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/canaan.html, accessed April 19, 2010

[46] “Archaeological Sites in Israel - Jerusalem - The City of David,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, July 29, 1998, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Early+History+-+Archaeology/Archaeological+Sites+in+Israel+-+Jerusalem+-+The+C.htm

[53] “Ten Top Discoveries,” Biblical Archaeology Review, July/August/September/October 2009, http://www.bib-arch.org/bar/article.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=35&Issue=4&ArticleID=15

[54] “Area G,” Jewish Virtual Library, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/AreaG.html, accessed April 20, 2010

[56] “Jerusalem — The City of David,” Jewish Virtual Library, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/jerdavid.html, accessed April 20, 2010

[57] “Jerusalem city wall from 10th century B.C.E. uncovered,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Feb. 22, 2010, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Israel+beyond+politics/Jerusalem_wall_10th_century_BCE_22-Feb-2010.htm

[60] Photos available at “The Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Photos - Jerusalem city wall from the tenth century B.C.E ,” http://bit.ly/cRvAeH

[61] Etgar Lefkovits, "Temple Mount relics saved from garbage," The Jerusalem Post, April 15, 2005

[62] Ami-El, Mark, "The Destruction of the Temple Mount Antiquities," JCPA, Aug. 1, 2002, http://www.jcpa.org/jl/vp483.htm

[63] “Articles,” City of David Web site, http://www.cityofdavid.org.il/Articles_eng.asp?id=64, accessed April 20, 2010

[64] “2 Rare Coins Discovered at the Emek Tzurim National Park Temple Mount Sifting Operation,” IsraelonBlog Web site, Dec. 24, 2008, http://www.israel-on-blog.com/2-rare-coins-discovered-at-the-emek-tzurim-national-park-temple-mount-sifting-operation/

[67] Deutsch, Robert, “Tracking Down Shebnayahu, Servant of the King,” Biblical Archaeology Review, May/June 2009, http://members.bib-arch.org/publication.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=35&Issue=3&ArticleID=9

[69] “(10/110/09) Coins from the Temple Mount -New Exhibition,” Israel Antiquities Authority Press Office, http://www.antiquities.org.il/article_Item_eng.asp?sec_id=25&subj_id=240&id=1626&module_id=#as, accessed April 20, 2010

[71] “Building remains from First Temple period exposed west of Temple Mount,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, March 13, 2008, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Early+History+-+Archaeology/Building+remains+from+First+Temple+period+exposed+west+of+Temple+Mount+13-Mar-2008.htm; “Articles,” City of David Web site, http://www.cityofdavid.org.il/Articles_eng.asp?id=64, accessed April 20, 2010

[72] “Jerusalem — The City of David,” Jewish Virtual Library, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/jerdavid.html, accessed April 20, 2010

[73] “The Broad Wall,” Jewish Virtual Library, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/Broadwall.html, accessed April 20, 2010

[74] “Archaeological Sites in Israel - Jerusalem - The City of David,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, July 29, 1998, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Early+History+-+Archaeology/Archaeological+Sites+in+Israel+-+Jerusalem+-+The+C.htm

[78] “Seal of King Zedekiah's Minister Found,” City of David Press Release, http://www.cityofdavid.org.il/ArticleDetails_eng.asp?id=199, accessed April 20, 2010

[79] “‘Shaul’ Bone Seal,” City of David Web site, http://www.cityofdavid.org.il/ArticleDetails_eng.asp?id=237, accessed April 20, 2010

[80] Mazar, Eilat. “The Wall That Nehemiah Built.” Biblical Archaeology Review, March/April 2009. http://members.bib-arch.org/publication.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=35&Issue=2&ArticleID=7&UserID=4551

[81] “The Citadel of Jerusalem,” Jewish Virtual Library, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/Citadel.html, accessed April 20, 2010

[83] “A Large Stone Quarry from the End of the Second Temple Period was Exposed on Shmuel HaNavi St. in Jerusalem,” Israel Antiquities Authority, http://www.antiquities.org.il/article_Item_eng.asp?sec_id=25&subj_id=240&id=1586&module_id=#as, accessed April 20, 2010

[85] “Jerusalem — The City of David,” Jewish Virtual Library, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/jerdavid.html, accessed April 20, 2010

[87] Gabriel Barkay et al.,"The Challenges of Ketef Hinnom: Using Advanced Technologies to Recover the Earliest Biblical Texts and their Context," Near Eastern Archaeology, Vol. 66, No. 4 (December 2003), pp. 162-171

[88] Wilford, John Noble, “Solving a Riddle Written in Silver,” The New York Times, Sept. 28, 2004, http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/28/science/28scro.html

[90] “Large 2,000 year old miqve exposed in Western Wall Tunnels,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sept. 23, 2009, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Israel+beyond+politics/2000-year-old-miqve-exposed-in-Western-Wall-Tunnels-23-Sep-2009.htm

[92] “Archaeological Sites in Israel - Jerusalem- Burial Sites and Tombs of the Second Temple Period,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, July 29, 1998, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Early%20History%20-%20Archaeology/Archaeological%20Sites%20in%20Israel%20-%20Jerusalem-%20Burial

[95] “Biblical Jerusalem: The Growth of Judean Jerusalem,” Jewish Virtual Library, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/Judean.html, accessed April 20, 2010

[98] “Archaeological Sites in Israel - The Western Wall and its Tunnels,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, July 29, 1998, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Early%20History%20-%20Archaeology/Archaeological%20Sites%20in%20Israel%20-%20The%20Western%20Wall

[104] “The Western Wall,” Jewish Virtual Library, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Western_Wall.html, accessed May 10, 2010

[106] “The Status of Jerusalem,” Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web site, March 14, 1999, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/1990_1999/1999/3/The+Status+of+Jerusalem.htm  

PM's Office: Jerusalem to Remain Undivided, No PA Offices to Open
by Hana Levi Julian

The United States government is allegedly helping the Palestinian Authority re-establish an official foothold in Jerusalem, according to a report published this week by WorldNetDaily – but Mark Regev, spokesman for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu insists the report is inaccurate.

According to a senior official in the office of PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas quoted in the report, Israel has silently agreed to allow the PA to open official offices in the eastern section of the capital. The report alleged that in recent months, the PA government has opened a number of offices, including PA ministry offices, in eastern Jerusalem, in defiance of an Israeli law banning the opening of any official PA institution in the capital city.

The previous PA headquarters in Jerusalem, Orient House, not far from Damascus Gate, was closed by the Israeli government in 2001 following a series of terrorist attacks in the capital. Security officials said at the time that Orient House had been a locus of operations for planning and funding the attacks.

The report claims the U.S. has also been helping the PA develop infrastructures within the Jerusalem municipal boundaries, specifically in Arab neighborhoods such as Kfar Akeb, Kalandiya and Samir Amis, all in eastern and northern parts of the city. One road sign, bearing the USAID emblem (U.S. Agency for International Development), even proclaims, “Rehabilitation of Ramallah-Jerusalem Road. This project is a gift form [si the American people to the Palestinian people in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority and PECDAR. July 2007.”

Fatah: No PA State Without Jerusalem

Dmitri Ziliani, a spokesman for the Jerusalem division of Fatah, allegedly confirmed that the PA holds regular official meetings in Jerusalem in anticipation of a future PA state that would encompass the eastern portion of the city. Ziliani was quoted by WND as saying, “Our political program, as Fatah, dictates that there will be no Palestinian state if these areas – all of east Jerusalem – are not included.”

When asked about the PA's claims, the prime minister's spokesman told WND, “The prime minister's position on Jerusalem is clear. Jerusalem will remain the united capital of Israel.”

But an official from Netanyahu's office, who was not named, allegedly confirmed that the prime minister “did acquiesce to a U.S. request to allow the PA to open institutions in Jerusalem.” The official said that U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell and U.S. National Security Adviser Jim Jones had recently met with and pressed Netanyahu to freeze construction in the eastern part of the city as a “confidence-building” measure to re-start talks with the PA.

Abbas has said that he will not re-enter negotiations with Israel until all Jewish construction is completely frozen in every part of Judea, Samaria and areas of Jerusalem that were restored to the city in the 1967 Six Day War. Netanyahu did not agree to a construction freeze in any part of Jerusalem, and last month coalition members announced modifications – “clarifications” -- to the 10-month freeze imposed on Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria. Nevertheless, the “modifications” have yet to be honored, and field inspectors have appeared to be unaware of them.

Regev Firmly Denies

INN: “You show me one credible source that can point to a single official PA office really opening in Jerusalem,” challenged Regev after being contacted by Israel National News. “Then you can talk about whether there is a need to deny the story."

Asked to specifically clarify whether the prime minister has acquiesced, silently or otherwise, to the opening of PA offices in Jerusalem, he reiterated that there is no intention to divide the capital, now or in the future.

Regev: “The prime minister's position is clear and unchanged. Jerusalem is the united capital of Israel and will remain such in the future.”

INN: “Does that mean that no neighborhoods will be removed from Israeli sovereignt?"

Regev: “That's exactly what I said. It will remain such in the future.”

U.S. Jews to Biden: Leave Jerusalem Alone
by Maayana Miskin
14-03-2010

The veteran United States-based Young Israel movement condemned U.S. Vice President Biden on Thursday, telling Biden to leave Jerusalem alone. The American vice president had condemned Israel's decision to allow Jews to build in historic Jerusalem, in an area that has been annexed by Israel but is claimed by the Palestinian Authority.

"We strongly 'condemn' Vice President Biden's statements and respectfully urge him to rescind his incendiary remarks about Jerusalem,” said Young Israel President Shlomo Mostofsky.

"The reality is that there is no such entity as 'East Jerusalem,' there is only Jerusalem, which is the united capital of Israel,” Mostofsky continued. “Only Israel can make determinations regarding Jerusalem's future expansion and development.”

Mostofsky compared the situation to construction of homes in the American capital. “It would be anathema for a Vice President to support a statute that banned any American from relocated to, or from building a home in, Washington D.C. Or any American community because the neighbors objected to their presence based solely on religion, ethnicity or origin,” he said. By expecting Jews to be banned from certain Jerusalem neighborhoods simply because they are Jewish, Biden 'ignored our American values of equality and justice,” he charged.

Biden made the mistake of giving the Palestinian Authority a false impression, said Mostofsky. Biden led the PA to believe that America would pressure Israel into negotiating the status of Jerusalem, he said, when in reality, Israelis overwhelmingly oppose putting Jerusalem on the table in talks with the PA.

"Instead of pandering to terrorists, the Vice President should have told the PA to amend its charter, stop preaching hatred in their schools and mosques, and immediately halt all plans for terrorist attacks,” Mostofsky suggested.



Yesha Council to Clinton: Jerusalem is Ours
by Hillel Fendel
18-03-2010

In a letter to US. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Jewish leaders in Judea and Samaria explain the unshakeable historic and religious bonds between the Jewish People and Jerusalem.

The letter was written in response to President Obama’s and Clinton’s criticism of Israel’s intentions to build in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo. The neighborhood is a part of Jerusalem-proper, and is surrounded nearly completely by Jewish-populated areas. Though it is part of area liberated by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War, it was not recaptured from Jordan, but was rather considered no-man’s land between 1949 and 1967.

“We wish to share with you the sentiment and consensus among the Israeli public” regarding Jerusalem, the leaders of the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria (Yesha Council) wrote to Ms. Clinton, who sharply berated Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu this week over the issue.

The letter continues:

“We Israelis believe in the integrity of a strong, unified and undivided capital for our nation – Jerusalem, the Holy City. We Jews are the descendants of King David, and of a hundred generations of Jews who built and glorified Jerusalem as our capital, beginning over 3,000 years ago.

"From time immemorial, the Jews have worshipped towards Jerusalem and the Holy Temple – and prayed for Jerusalem since the dawn of our civilization.

"Neither Romans nor Greek, Crusaders nor Arabs, Ottomans nor British ever succeeded in shaking our bonds with Jerusalem. Thus, when you demand that we not build housing in our capital, or that we divide our capital and surrender parts of it to others, you must realize that this is unacceptable to Jews everywhere and to us Israelis.

"We will not negotiate on the issue of Jerusalem. We will never divide Jerusalem.

"The Jewish People worldwide support Prime Minister Netanyahu’s action, and stand firmly behind him on this important issue of Israel’s right to defend itself as a sovereign nation.

"We deeply appreciate America’s friendship, but it must be clearly understood: We are a free and sovereign people, and we have the right to determine our destiny."

Jerusalem: Facts and sources
http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=hsJPK0PIJpH&b=3587015&ct=8107371¬oc=1&tr=y&auid=6124575&tr=y&auid=6184849

Elie Weisel: Jerusalem is Above Politics
by Arutz Sheva staff
Apr 18 '10, Iyar 4, 5770

World renowned author and activist Elie Weisel, a Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor, took out full page ads in major American newspapers to express his views on the city of Jerusalem. Here are his words as published in The International Herald Tribune, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal on April 16, 2010 and in The New York Times on April 18, 2010:

It was inevitable: Jerusalem once again is at the center of political debates and international storms. New and old tensions surface at a disturbing pace. Seventeen times destroyed and seventeen times rebuilt, it is still in the middle of diplomatic confrontations that could lead to armed conflict. Neither Athens nor Rome has aroused that many passions.

For me, the Jew that I am, Jerusalem is above politics. It is mentioned more than six hundred times in Scripture -- and not a single time in the Koran. Its presence in Jewish history is overwhelming. There is no more moving prayer in Jewish history than the one expressing our yearning to return to Jerusalem. To many theologians, it IS Jewish history, to many poets, a source of inspiration. It belongs to the Jewish people and is much more than a city, it is what binds one Jew to another in a way that remains hard to explain. When a Jew visits Jerusalem for the first time, it is not the first time; it is a homecoming. The first song I heard was my mother's lullaby about and for Jerusalem. Its sadness and its joy are part of our collective memory.

Since King David took Jerusalem as his capital, Jews have dwelled inside its walls with only two interruptions; when Roman invaders forbade them access to the city and again, when under Jordanian occupation, Jews, regardless of nationality, were refused entry into the old Jewish quarter to meditate and pray at the Wall, the last vestige of Solomon's temple. It is important to remember: had Jordan not joined Egypt and Syria in the war against Israel, the old city of Jerusalem would still be Arab. Clearly, while Jews were ready to die for Jerusalem they would not kill for Jerusalem.

Today, for the first time in history, Jews, Christians and Muslims all may freely worship at their shrines. And, contrary to certain media reports, Jews, Christians and Muslims ARE allowed to build their homes anywhere in the city. The anguish over Jerusalem is not about real estate but about memory.

What is the solution? Pressure will not produce a solution. Is there a solution? There must be, there will be. Why tackle the most complex and sensitive problem prematurely? Why not first take steps which will allow the Israeli and Palestinian communities to find ways to live together in an atmosphere of security. Why not leave the most difficult, the most sensitive issue, for such a time?

Jerusalem must remain the world's Jewish spiritual capital, not a symbol of anguish and bitterness, but a symbol of trust and hope. As the Hasidic master Rebbe Nahman of Bratslav said, "Everything in this world has a heart; the heart itself has its own heart."

Jerusalem is the heart of our heart, the soul of our soul.

Netanyahu: Jerusalem is not a Settlement; It’s Our Capital’
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Mar 23 '10, Nisan 8, 5770

 
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu challenged U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s strong anti-united Jerusalem stand and told a cheering American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) crowd Monday night, “Jerusalem is not a settlement; it’s our capital.”

He pointed out that Israel has made constant to the concessions to the United States and Palestinian Authority but drew the red line at Jerusalem, reasoning that building houses for Jews in all of united Jerusalem “in no way precludes the possibility of a two-state solution.”

More than half of the American Congressmen were among the more than 7,000 people listening to the speech at the annual conference of the pro-Israel lobby group in Washington. The speech was delayed in order to allow people to enter the packed convention hall.

The Prime Minister spoke several hours after Secretary Clinton charged that Israel’s building in parts of Jerusalem that the United States does not recognize as being under Israeli sovereignty “undermines” U.S. policy.

The United States the past two years has rapidly moved towards including Jerusalem as an issue to be discussed with the Palestinian Authority even before the subjects of Arab terrorism and incitement and the Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria are settled. Secretary Clinton’s stand inherently backs PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ claim that Jerusalem must be the capital of a future PA state, leaving little room for “negotiations” in the talks.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, receiving a standing ovation, said that Jewish neighborhoods where Clinton and the PA oppose further building for Jews “are an integral and inextricable part of modern Jerusalem. Everyone knows that these neighborhoods will be part of Israel in any peace settlement.”

His and Secretary Clinton's speech made it clear that the two allies have agreed to make their differences public and not to compromise. However, behind the scenes, it is generally assumed that Israel will keep a lower profile on new building in united Jerusalem in order to allow the continuation or American-mediated talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Before his speech to AIPAC, the Prime Minister met with Clinton and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and outlined the complicated and long process before houses can be built in Israel.

The Obama administration sharply protested and even "condemned" Israel’s announcement earlier this month that it is building 1,600 new homes in the totally Jewish neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo, located across the road from a large industrial park that includes offices of Teva Pharmaceuticals, Intel and dozens of other high-tech firms.

The PA and the Obama government seized the building project to condemn Israel for building even though the announcement only referred to the fourth of seven steps before construction begins in at least two more years.