Myths
and Facts - Jerusalem
MYTH
“Jerusalem is an Arab City.”
FACT
Jews have been living in Jerusalem continuously for nearly two
millennia. They have constituted the largest single group of inhabitants
there since the 1840's (map of Jerusalem in 1912) .Jerusalem contains
the Western Wall of the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism.
Jerusalem was never the capital of any Arab entity. In fact, it was a
backwater for most of Arab history. Jerusalem never served as a
provincial capital under Muslim rule nor was it ever a Muslim cultural
center. For Jews, the entire city is sacred, but Muslims revere a site —
the Dome of the Rock — not the city. "To a Muslim," observed British
writer Christopher Sykes, "there is a profound difference between
Jerusalem and Mecca or Medina. The latter are holy places containing
holy sites." Besides the Dome of the Rock, he noted, Jerusalem has no
major Islamic significance.1
MYTH
“Jerusalem need not be the capital of Israel.”
FACT
Ever since King David made Jerusalem the capital of Israel more than
3,000 years ago, the city has played a central role in Jewish existence.
The Western Wall in the Old City — the last remaining wall of the
ancient Jewish Temple, the holiest site in Judaism — is the object of
Jewish veneration and the focus of Jewish prayer. Three times a day, for
thousands of years, Jews have prayed "To Jerusalem, thy city, shall we
return with joy," and have repeated the Psalmist's oath: "If I forget
thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning."
Jerusalem "has known only two periods of true greatness, and these have
been separated by 2,000 years. Greatness has only happened under Jewish
rule," Leon and Jill Uris wrote in Jerusalem. "This is so because the
Jews have loved her the most, and have remained constant in that love
throughout the centuries of their dispersion....It is the longest,
deepest love affair in history."3
“For three thousand years, Jerusalem has been the center of Jewish hope
and longing. No other city has played such a dominant role in the
history, culture, religion and consciousness of a people as has
Jerusalem in the life of Jewry and Judaism. Throughout centuries of
exile, Jerusalem remained alive in the hearts of Jews everywhere as the
focal point of Jewish history, the symbol of ancient glory, spiritual
fulfillment and modern renewal. This heart and soul of the Jewish people
engenders the thought that if you want one simple word to symbolize all
of Jewish history, that word would be 'Jerusalem.'” — Teddy Kollek4
MYTH
“The Arabs were willing to accept the internationalization of Jerusalem.
The Jews opposed the idea. Because of their intransigence, Israel
illegally occupies the entire city today.”
FACT
When the United Nations took up the Palestine question in 1947, it
recommended that all of Jerusalem be internationalized. The Vatican and
many predominantly Catholic delegations pushed for this status, but a
key reason for the UN decision was the Soviet Bloc's desire to embarrass
Transjordan's King Abdullah and his British patrons by denying Abdullah
control of the city.
The Jewish Agency, after much soul-searching, agreed to accept
internationalization in the hope that in the short-run it would protect
the city from bloodshed and the new state from conflict. Since the
partition resolution called for a referendum on the city's status after
10 years, and Jews comprised a substantial majority, the expectation was
that the city would later be incorporated into Israel. The Arab states
were as bitterly opposed to the internationalization of Jerusalem as
they were to the rest of the partition plan.
In May 1948, Jordan invaded and occupied East Jerusalem, dividing the
city for the first time in its history, and driving thousands of Jews —
whose families had lived in the city for centuries — into exile. The UN
partition plan, including its proposal that Jerusalem be
internationalized, had been overtaken by events.
After the Arab states' rejection of UN Resolution 181 and, on December
11, 1948, UN Resolution 194, establishing the UN Conciliation Commission
for Palestine, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion declared that Israel
would no longer accept the internationalization of Jerusalem.
From 1948-67, the city was divided between Israel and Jordan. Israel
made western Jerusalem its capital; Jordan occupied the eastern section.
Because Jordan — like all the Arab states at the time — maintained a
state of war with Israel, the city became, in essence, two armed camps,
replete with concrete walls and bunkers, barbed-wire fences, minefields
and other military fortifications.
“You ought to let the Jews have Jerusalem; it was they who made it
famous.”
— Winston Churchill to diplomat Evelyn Shuckburgh, 1955.6
In 1967, Jordan ignored Israeli pleas to stay out of the Six-Day War and
attacked the western part of the city. The Jordanians were routed by
Israeli forces and driven out of East Jerusalem, allowing the city's
unity to be restored. Teddy Kollek, Jerusalem’s mayor for 28 years,
called the reunification of the city "the practical realization of the
Zionist movement's goals."
Because Israel was defending itself from aggression in the 1948 and 1967
wars, international legal scholar Steven Schwebel wrote, it has a better
claim to sovereignty over Jerusalem than its Arab neighbors.7
MYTH
“Jordan accepted internationalization.”
FACT
Jordan opposed internationalization from the start when it joined the
other Arab states in rejecting partition. Jordan's delegate, Fawzi Pasha
Malki, bluntly told the UN Ad Hoc Political Committee on December 6,
1949:
My delegation believes that no form of internationalization...serves any
purpose, as the holy places under the protection and control of my
government are safe and secure, without any necessity for a special
regime.8
When the Trusteeship Council met in Geneva in early 1950 to draw up a
new law governing Jerusalem, Jordan refused to permit UN supervision of
any kind.9
That year, Jordan annexed all the territory it occupied west of the
Jordan River, including East Jerusalem. The other Arab countries denied
formal recognition of the Jordanian move, and the Arab League considered
expelling Jordan from membership. Eventually, a compromise was worked
out by which the other Arab governments agreed to view all the West Bank
and East Jerusalem as held "in trust" by Jordan for the Palestinians.
MYTH
“From 1948 through 1967, Jordan ensured freedom of worship for all
religions in Jerusalem.”
FACT
In violation of the 1949 Armistice Agreement, Jordan denied Israelis
access to the Western Wall and to the cemetery on the Mount of Olives,
where Jews have buried their dead for more than 2,500 years.
Under paragraph eight of the agreement, Jordan and Israel had agreed to
establish committees to arrange the resumption of the normal functioning
of cultural and humanitarian institutions on Mt. Scopus, and free access
to that area; use of the cemetery on the Mount of Olives, and free
access to holy places and cultural institutions.
Under Jordanian rule, "Israeli Christians were subjected to various
restrictions during their seasonal pilgrimages to their holy places" in
Jerusalem, noted Teddy Kollek. "Only limited numbers were grudgingly
permitted to briefly visit the Old City and Bethlehem at Christmas and
Easter."10
In 1955 and 1964, Jordan passed laws imposing strict government control
on Christian schools, including restrictions on the opening of new
schools, state control over school finances and appointment of teachers
and the requirements that the Koran be taught. In 1953 and 1965, Jordan
adopted laws abrogating the right of Christian religious and charitable
institutions to acquire real estate in Jerusalem.
In 1958, police seized the Armenian Patriarch-elect and deported him
from Jordan, paving the way for the election of a patriarch supported by
King Hussein's government. Because of these repressive policies, many
Christians emigrated from Jerusalem. Their numbers declined from 25,000
in 1949 to less than 13,000 in June 1967.11
These discriminatory laws were abolished by Israel after the city was
reunited in 1967.
MYTH
“Jordan safeguarded Jewish holy places.”
FACT
Jordan desecrated Jewish holy places. King Hussein permitted the
construction of a road to the Intercontinental Hotel across the Mount of
Olives cemetery. Hundreds of Jewish graves were destroyed by a highway
that could have easily been built elsewhere. The gravestones, honoring
the memory of rabbis and sages, were used by the engineer corps of the
Jordanian Arab Legion as pavement and latrines in army camps
(inscriptions on the stones were still visible when Israel liberated the
city).
The ancient Jewish Quarter of the Old City was ravaged, 58 Jerusalem
synagogues — some centuries old — were destroyed or ruined, others were
turned into stables and chicken coops. Slum dwellings were built
abutting the Western Wall.12
MYTH
“Jordan strove to improve conditions in Arab East Jerusalem. By
contrast, Israeli authorities bulldozed hundreds of Arab homes in that
part of the city, leaving many Arab residents homeless.”
FACT
As had been the case under previous Islamic rulers, King Hussein had
neglected Jerusalem. After the capture of the Old City in 1967, the
scope of his disregard became clear when Israel discovered that much of
the city lacked even the most basic municipal services — a steady water
supply, plumbing and electricity.13 As a result of reunification, these
and other badly needed municipal services were extended to Arab homes
and businesses in East Jerusalem.
Israeli authorities found that hundreds of squatters had made their
homes in the Jewish Quarter. Israeli civil engineers cleared the ruins
to rebuild the quarter, but only after offering compensation or
alternate housing to the squatters.
MYTH
“Under Israeli rule, religious freedom has been curbed in Jerusalem.”
FACT
After the 1967 war, Israel abolished all the discriminatory laws
promulgated by Jordan and adopted its own tough standard for
safeguarding access to religious shrines. "Whoever does anything that is
likely to violate the freedom of access of the members of the various
religions to the places sacred to them," Israeli law stipulates, is
"liable to imprisonment for a term of five years." Israel also entrusted
administration of the holy places to their respective religious
authorities. Thus, for example, the Muslim Waqf has responsibility for
the mosques on the Temple Mount.
Les Filles de la Charite de l'Hospice Saint Vincent de Paul of Jerusalem
repudiated attacks on Israel's conduct in Jerusalem a few months after
Israel took control of the city:
Our work here has been made especially happy and its path smoother by
the goodwill of Israeli authorities...smoother not only for ourselves,
but (more importantly) for the Arabs in our care.14
Former President Jimmy Carter acknowledged that religious freedom has
been enhanced under Israeli rule. There is "no doubt" that Israel did a
better job safeguarding access to the city's holy places than did
Jordan. "There is unimpeded access today," Carter noted. "There wasn't
from 1948-67."15
The State Department notes that although Israel has no constitution, the
law provides for freedom of worship, and the Government respects this
right.16
“I also respect the fact that Israel allows for a multifaith climate in
which every Friday a thousand Muslims pray openly on the Temple Mount in
Jerusalem. When I saw that, I had to ask myself, where in the Islamic
world can 1,000 Jews get together and pray in full public view?”
— Muslim author Irshad Manji16a
MYTH
“Israel denies Muslims and Christians free access to their holy sites.”
FACT
Since 1967, hundreds of thousands of Muslims and Christians — many from
Arab countries that remain in a state of war with Israel — have come to
Jerusalem to see their holy places. Arab leaders are free to visit
Jerusalem to pray if they wish to, just as Egyptian President Anwar
Sadat did at the al-Aksa mosque. For security reasons, restrictions are
sometimes imposed on the Temple Mount temporarily, but the right to
worship is not abridged and other mosques remain accessible even in
times of high tension. In October 2004, for example, despite high alerts
for terrorism and the ongoing Palestinian uprising, an estimated 140,000
Muslim worshipers attended Ramadan prayers on the Temple Mount.16b
According to Islam, the prophet Muhammad was miraculously transported
from Mecca to Jerusalem, and it was from there that he made his ascent
to heaven. The Dome of the Rock and the al-Aksa Mosque, both built in
the seventh century, made definitive the identification of Jerusalem as
the "Remote Place" that is mentioned in the Koran, and thus a holy place
after Mecca and Medina. Muslim rights on the Temple Mount, the site of
the two shrines, have not been infringed. Although it is the holiest
site in Judaism, Israel has left the Temple Mount under the control of
Muslim religious authorities.
For Christians, Jerusalem is the place where Jesus lived, preached, died
and was resurrected. While it is the heavenly rather than the earthly
Jerusalem that is emphasized by the Church, places mentioned in the New
Testament as the sites of Jesus' ministry have drawn pilgrims and
devoted worshipers for centuries. Among these sites are the Church of
the Holy Sepulcher, the Garden of Gethsemane, the site of the Last
Supper, and the Via Dolorosa with the fourteen Stations of the Cross.
The rights of the various Christian churches to custody of the Christian
holy places in Jerusalem were defined in the course of the nineteenth
century, when Jerusalem was part of the Ottoman Empire. Known as the
"status quo arrangement for the Christian holy places in Jerusalem,"
these rights remained in force during the period of the British Mandate
and are still upheld today in Israel.
MYTH
“Israeli policy encourages attacks by Jewish fanatics against Muslim and
Christian residents and their holy sites.”
FACT
Israeli authorities have consistently attempted to stop fanatics — of
all faiths — from desecrating religious sites or committing acts of
violence near them. When it has been unable to stop such acts from
occurring, Israel has severely punished the perpetrators. Allen Goodman,
a deranged Israeli who in 1982 went on a shooting rampage on the Temple
Mount, for example, was sentenced to life imprisonment.
In 1984, Israeli authorities infiltrated a Jewish group that planned
acts of violence against non-Jewish sites and civilians. The terrorists
were tried and imprisoned.
In 1990, the Temple Mount Faithful, a Jewish extremist group, sought to
march to the Temple Mount on Sukkot to lay the cornerstone for the Third
Temple. The police, worried that such a march would anger Muslims and
exacerbate an already tense situation created by the intifada and events
in the Persian Gulf, denied them the right to march. That decision was
upheld by the Israeli Supreme Court, a fact communicated immediately to
Muslim religious leaders and the Arab press. Despite Israel's preemptive
action, "Muslim leaders and intifada activists persisted in inciting
their faithful to confrontation."17 As a result, a tragic riot ensued in
which 17 Arabs were killed.
Since that time, Israel has been especially vigilant, and done
everything possible to prevent any provocation by groups or individuals
that might threaten the sanctity of the holy places of any faith. In
2005, for example, Israel banned non-Muslims from the Temple Mount to
forestall a planned rally by Jewish ultra-nationalists.
MYTH
“Israel has restricted the political rights of Palestinian Arabs in
Jerusalem.”
FACT
Along with religious freedom, Palestinian Arabs in Jerusalem have
unprecedented political rights. Arab residents were given the choice of
whether to become Israeli citizens. Most chose to retain their Jordanian
citizenship. Moreover, regardless of whether they are citizens,
Jerusalem Arabs are permitted to vote in municipal elections and play a
role in the administration of the city.
MYTH
“Under UN Resolution 242, East Jerusalem is considered 'occupied
territory.' Israel's annexation of Jerusalem therefore violates the UN
resolution.”
FACT
One drafter of the UN Resolution was then-U.S. Ambassador to the UN
Arthur Goldberg. According to Goldberg, "Resolution 242 in no way refers
to Jerusalem, and this omission was deliberate....Jerusalem was a
discrete matter, not linked to the West Bank." In several speeches at
the UN in 1967, Goldberg said: "I repeatedly stated that the armistice
lines of 1948 were intended to be temporary. This, of course, was
particularly true of Jerusalem. At no time in these many speeches did I
refer to East Jerusalem as occupied territory."18
After 1948, the UN General Assembly voted on three resolutions calling
for the internationalization of Jerusalem. The matter was dropped until
Israel gained control of the city. Since 1967, the UN, which for 19
years ignored Jordan's occupation of the city, has adopted numerous
resolutions criticizing Israel for altering the status of Jerusalem.
“The basis of our position remains that Jerusalem must never again be a
divided city. We did not approve of the status quo before 1967; in no
way do we advocate a return to it now .”
— President George Bush19
MYTH
“East Jerusalem should be part of a Palestinian state because all its
residents are Palestinian Arabs and no Jews have ever lived there.”
FACT
Before 1865, the entire population of Jerusalem lived behind the Old
City walls (what today would be considered part of the eastern part of
the city). Later, the city began to expand beyond the walls because of
population growth, and both Jews and Arabs began to build in new areas
of the city.
By the time of partition, a thriving Jewish community was living in the
eastern part of Jerusalem, an area that included the Jewish Quarter of
the Old City. This area of the city also contains many sites of
importance to the Jewish religion, including the City of David, the
Temple Mount and the Western Wall. In addition, major institutions like
Hebrew University and the original Hadassah Hospital are on Mount Scopus
— in eastern Jerusalem.
The only time that the eastern part of Jerusalem was exclusively Arab
was between 1949 and 1967, and that was because Jordan occupied the area
and forcibly expelled all the Jews.
MYTH
“The April 1990 move of 20 Jewish families into St. John's Hospice — a
building in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem, located near the Church
of the Holy Sepulcher — is an example of Israel's intent to drive
non-Jews from their parts of the city.”
FACT
Israel has always respected the rights of all religions to practice
freely. The act of moving into the hospice in no way infringed upon
these rights. The building in question was not a church or holy place of
any kind. Neither these Jews nor the Israeli government had any
intention of interfering with the Christians' access to the Church of
the Holy Sepulcher, or any other holy place in the Old City.
The Israeli government came under fire for its alleged role in financing
the leasing. The government maintains a wide array of housing assistance
programs throughout Israel. It was within this framework that financial
assistance was provided to Ateret Kohanim, a private association that
owns several buildings in the Old City.
The PLO-backed leadership of the intifada issued an order to kill the
Armenian businessman who sold the building to the Jewish families.20
One group that saw through the efforts to exploit this delicate
situation was the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem. "Just as
there are Muslim Arabs living in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City,
there is no reason why — if tenants in their quarter wanted to rent
their property to Jews — that they should not be allowed to take up
residence there," the embassy said in a statement. "We believe that in
Israel, as in all other democratic nations, Christians, Muslims and Jews
should be able to live anywhere they choose." To deny Jews the right to
live anywhere in Jerusalem, it declared, was "absurd."21
The Greek Orthodox patriarchate went into the Israeli courts to file a
complaint against the hospice. The fact that the church took the issue
to court demonstrates its faith in Israel's system of justice. In 1995 a
compromise was reached in which the building lease was turned over to
the city of Jerusalem.
MYTH
“In an unprovoked attack, Israeli police murdered 17 Arab worshippers on
the Temple Mount in 1990.”
FACT
The ostensible reason for the October 8, 1990, riot that led to the
deaths of 17 Arabs, was that a Jewish fringe group known as the Temple
Mount Faithful was going to attempt to lay a cornerstone for the
rebuilding of the Temple.
The group had won the reluctant permission of police to march around the
Temple Mount carrying Israeli flags. But seeing a large crowd of Muslims
gather on the site, police revoked the permit to march. When the riot
broke out, the "Faithful" were praying peacefully nearly a mile away.
Arab radicals had helped pave the way for the violence. Leaders of Fatah
and Hamas were struggling to "mobilize an upsurge of the intifada in the
neighborhoods of Jerusalem."22 When members of their groups heard calls
from sheiks to "defend" the Islamic holy places, they mobilized on the
Temple Mount.
"Once the violence began," the Washington Post reported, "Palestinian
youths attacked police with a ferocity and persistence unprecedented in
Jerusalem during the nearly three years of the intifada. Arab sources
say the fervor of the youth can be connected to what had been a
concerted campaign by Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem in recent weeks
to step up the level of attacks, especially on police."
During the ensuing melee, rioters randomly lobbed stones in the
direction of Jewish pilgrims, who were quietly saying Sukkot prayers in
front of the Western Wall below. Jamal Nusseibah, the son of a prominent
Palestinian professor, admitted people had brought stones with them to
the Temple Mount in their school bags.23
Two official Israeli reports were issued with regard to the tragedy. The
first was the government-appointed Zamir Commission, which concluded
that a rioting mob hurled stone and metal projectiles at police from
close range, that the policemen's lives were in jeopardy and that they
opened fire to defend themselves. The report criticized the Israeli
police for their handling of the incident, in particular their lack of
preparedness in dealing with a situation they could have foreseen would
become violent. It is difficult to imagine any Arab government issuing a
report making such scathing, public criticisms of the performance of its
own police force.
Media accounts inaccurately reported that the second report contradicted
the Zamir Commission's findings. Judge Ezra Kama's investigation
confirmed Zamir on key points. Kama did not conclude that Israel
"provoked" the riot. The report does say, however, that "3,000 Arabs,
mostly youths, heeded the call [by Muslim preachers to come to the
Temple Mount to 'defend' it]; that stones were prepared in advance; that
the Muslim leadership knew that none of the Temple Mount Faithful would
be allowed anywhere near the area, and in fact clearly saw them leaving
almost an hour before the rioting began."24
MYTH
“The United States does not believe Jerusalem should be the united
capital of Israel.”
FACT
Only two countries have embassies in Jerusalem — Costa Rica and El
Salvador. Of the 180 nations with which America has diplomatic
relations, Israel is the only one whose capital is not recognized by the
U.S. government. The U.S. embassy, like most others, is in Tel Aviv, 40
miles from Jerusalem. The United States does maintain a consulate in
East Jerusalem, however, that deals with Palestinians in the territories
and works independently of the embassy, reporting directly to
Washington. Today, then, we have the anomaly that American diplomats
refuse to meet with Israelis in their capital because Jerusalem’s status
is negotiable, but make their contacts with Palestinians in the city.
In 1990, Congress passed a resolution declaring that "Jerusalem is and
should remain the capital of the State of Israel" and "must remain an
undivided city in which the rights of every ethnic and religious group
are protected." During the 1992 Presidential campaign, Bill Clinton
said: "I recognize Jerusalem as an undivided city, the eternal capital
of Israel, and I believe in the principle of moving our embassy to
Jerusalem." He never reiterated this view as President; consequently,
official U.S. policy remained that the status of Jerusalem is a matter
for negotiations.
In an effort to change this policy, Congress overwhelmingly passed The
Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995. This landmark bill declared that, as a
statement of official U.S. policy, Jerusalem should be recognized as the
undivided, eternal capital of Israel and required that the U.S. embassy
in Israel be established in Jerusalem no later than May 1999. The law
also included a waiver that allowed the President to essentially ignore
the legislation if he deemed doing so to be in the best interest of the
United States. President Clinton exercised that option.
During the 2000 presidential campaign George W. Bush promised that as
President he would immediately "begin the process of moving the United
States ambassador to the city Israel has chosen as its capital."25 In
June 2001, however, Bush followed Clinton's precedent and used the
presidential waiver to prevent the embassy from being moved.
While critics of Congressional efforts to force the administration to
recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital insist that such a move would
harm the peace process, supporters of the legislation argue the opposite
is true. By making clear the United States position that Jerusalem
should remain unified under Israeli sovereignty, they say, unrealistic
Palestinian expectations regarding the city can be moderated and thereby
enhance the prospects for a final agreement.
MYTH
“The Temple Mount has always been a Muslim holy place and Judaism has no
connection to the site.”
FACT
During the 2000 Camp David Summit, Yasser Arafat said that no Jewish
Temple ever existed on the Temple Mount.25a A year later, the
Palestinian Authority-appointed Mufti of Jerusalem, Ikrima Sabri, told
the German publication Die Welt, "There is not [even] the smallest
indication of the existence of a Jewish temple on this place in the
past. In the whole city, there is not even a single stone indicating
Jewish history."
These views are contradicted by a book entitled A Brief Guide to al-Haram
al-Sharif, published by the Supreme Moslem Council in 1930. The Council,
the supreme Moslem body in Jerusalem during the British Mandate, said in
the guide that the Temple Mount site "is one of the oldest in the world.
Its sanctity dates from the earliest times. Its identity with the site
of Solomon's Temple is beyond dispute. This, too, is the spot, according
to universal belief, on which David built there an altar unto the Lord,
and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings."
In a description of the area of Solomon's Stables, which Islamic Waqf
officials converted into a new mosque in 1996, the guide states:
"...little is known for certain about the early history of the chamber
itself. It dates probably as far back as the construction of Solomon's
Temple... According to Josephus, it was in existence and was used as a
place of refuge by the Jews at the time of the conquest of Jerusalem by
Titus in the year 70 A.D."26
More authoritatively, the Koran – the holy book of Islam – describes
Solomon’s construction of the First Temple (34:13) and recounts the
destruction of the First and Second Temples (17:7).
The Jewish connection to the Temple Mount dates back more than 3,000
years and is rooted in tradition and history. When Abraham bound his son
Isaac upon an altar as a sacrifice to God, he is believed to have done
so atop Mount Moriah, today’s Temple Mount. The First Temple’s Holy of
Holies contained the original Ark of the Covenant, and both the First
and Second Temples were the centers of Jewish religious and social life
until the Second Temple’s destruction by the Romans. After the
destruction of the Second Temple, control of the Temple Mount passed
through several conquering powers. It was during the early period of
Muslim control that the Dome of the Rock was built on the site of the
ancient temples.
Strictly observant Jews do not visit the Temple Mount for fear of
accidentally treading upon the Holy of Holies, which housed the original
Ark of the Covenant, since its exact location on the Mount is unknown.
Other Jews and non-Muslims do visit with the full knowledge and consent
of the Waqf, respecting prayer schedules and dress codes and providing
no threat of “desecration” to the site.
MYTH
“Israel should not be allowed to control the Temple Mount because it
denies Muslims access to their holy places.”
FACT
Israel has shared the Temple Mount since 1967, when Defense Minister
Moshe Dayan, upon reuniting Jerusalem, permitted the Islamic authority,
the Waqf, to continue its civil authority on the Temple Mount. The Waqf
oversees all day-to-day activity there. An Israeli presence is in place
at the entrance to the Temple Mount to ensure access for people of all
religions.
The only times Israel has prevented any Muslims from going to the Temple
Mount were during periods of high tension when the threat of violence
necessitated restrictions on the entrance into the area. These measures
were taken to protect worshipers of all faiths and the shrines in the
Old City. They usually have lasted only for a day or two.
MYTH
“The Palestinians have been careful to preserve the archaeological
relics of the Temple Mount.”
FACT
Though it has refused to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Temple
Mount, the Waqf cooperated with Israeli inspectors when conducting work
on the holy site. After the 1993 Oslo accords, however, the
Jordanian-controlled Waqf was replaced with representatives beholden to
the Palestinian Authority. Following the riots that accompanied Israel’s
decision to open an exit from the Western Wall tunnel, the Waqf ceased
cooperating with Israel.
The Waqf has subsequently prevented Israeli inspectors from overseeing
work done on the Mount that is believed to be causing irreparable damage
to archaeological remains from the First and Second Temple periods.
Israeli archaeologists charge that during extensive construction work,
thousands of tons of gravel –– which could contain important relics ––
have been removed from the Mount and discarded in the trash. Experts say
that even if artifacts are not destroyed they will be rendered
archaeologically useless because the Palestinian construction workers
are mixing finds from diverse periods when they scoop up earth with
bulldozers.27
Given the sensitivity of the Temple Mount, and the tensions already
existing between Israelis and Palestinians over Jerusalem, the Israeli
government has not interfered in the Waqf’s activities. Meanwhile, the
destruction of the past continues.
“The Zionist movement has invented that this was the site of Solomon's
Temple. But this is all a lie.”
— Sheik Raed Salah, a leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel28
MYTH
“When Israel excavated the Western Wall tunnel, it threatened the
integrity of the Temple Mount and al-Aksa Mosque, and was therefore
condemned by the UN Security Council.”
FACT
The best known part of the remaining Herodian Temple Mount constructions
is the traditional Jewish prayer area of the Western Wall, which has
stood exposed, above ground level, for two thousand years. The capture
of the Old City in the Six-Day War provided an opportunity to explore
along the continuation of the Western Wall from the prayer plaza
northwards. Long sections of the southern wall of the Temple Mount and
its southwestern corner were exposed during the 1970s, furnishing a
comprehensive picture of the monumental Herodian walls surrounding the
Temple Mount and the vast, planned areas of public construction outside
them.
A tunnel allows pedestrians to walk on 2000-year-old stones along one of
the oldest subterranean paths in Jerusalem, beginning at the Western
Wall plaza and ending at the Via Dolorosa. For years, Israel kept the
exit closed to avoid provoking Palestinians already angered by the
excavation. This forced visitors to the tunnel to return the same way
they entered, sometimes literally having to turn sideways and squeeze
past people moving in the other direction.
In September 1996, Prime Minister Benjamin N etanyahu decided to open
the exit. It was done late at night to minimize the prospect for
violence, but gave the impression he was doing something underhanded.
The Palestinians (and Muslims elsewhere) saw the move as a provocative
violation of the peace accords and part of an Israeli campaign to
undermine Muslim holy sites. Palestinians rioted in reaction to the
Israeli action.
The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1093 after the Saudi
representative complained about Israel opening a tunnel "in the vicinity
of al-Aksa mosque." In fact, the tunnel is an archeological site that
has nothing to do with the mosque. The restoration of the Western Wall
tunnel was undertaken as part of an ongoing effort by Israel to reveal
major archeological finds in Jerusalem and to improve the tourism
infrastructure in the Old City.
The tunnel was re-excavated under the supervision of archaeologists and
engineers. No archeological or religious sites were damaged in its
construction. The tunnel does not run underneath the Temple Mount and
its restoration did not endanger any buildings or other structures in
the Old City. No private property was expropriated, condemned or
otherwise confiscated to accomplish this project.
Moreover, the restoration of the tunnel did not violate the Interim
Agreement between Israel and the Palestinians as archeological
restorations in Jerusalem are not covered by the document.
The controversy eventually died down and today the tunnel may be visited
by tourists. By opening the exit, tourists have easier access to the Via
Dolorosa from the Western Wall plaza, which, coincidentally, benefits
merchants in the Muslim Quarter where the visitors depart.
“For us, there is only one Jerusalem, and no other. It will be ours
forever, and will never again be in the hands of foreigners. We will
honor and cherish all lovers of Jerusalem, of all faiths and religions.
We will carefully guard all its sites of prayer, churches and mosques,
and freedom of worship will be ensured, which was not the case when
others ruled it. We will fearlessly face the entire world and will
ensure the future of united Jerusalem. For Jerusalem is the anchor, root
of life, and faith of the Jewish people and we will never again part
with it.”
— Ariel Sharon29
MYTH
“Internationalization is the best solution to resolve the conflicting
claims over Jerusalem.”
FACT
The seeming intractability of resolving the conflicting claims to
Jerusalem has led some people to resurrect the idea of
internationalizing the city. Ironically, the idea had little support
during the 19 years Jordan controlled the Old City and barred Jews and
Israeli Muslims from their holy sites.
The fact that Jerusalem is disputed, or that it is of importance to
people other than Israeli Jews, does not mean the city belongs to others
or should be ruled by some international regime. There is no precedent
for such a setup. The closest thing to an international city was
post-war Berlin when the four powers shared control of the city and that
experiment proved to be a disaster.
Even if Israel were amenable to such an idea, what conceivable
international group could be entrusted to protect the freedoms Israel
already guarantees? Surely not the United Nations, which has shown no
understanding of Israeli concerns since partition. Israel can count only
on the support of the United States, and it is only in the UN Security
Council that an American veto can protect Israel from political mischief
by other nations.
MYTH
“Israel tried to burn down the al-Aksa mosque in 1969.”
FACT
The readiness of Arab leaders to employ falsehood in their propaganda
was demonstrated when Nasser and other leaders called for a Holy War
against Israel when an arsonist set fire to the al-Aksa Mosque in August
1969. The guilty party was an Australian Christian tourist, Michael
Rohan, who confessed to the crime. The accused was tried and found to be
mentally ill.
“I would be blind to disclaim the Jewish connection to Jerusalem.”
— Sari Nusseibeh, the Palestinian Authority's representative in
Jerusalem30
Notes
1Encounter, (February 1968).
2John Oesterreicher and Anne Sinai, eds., Jerusalem, (NY: John Day,
1974), p. 1; Israel Central Bureau of Statistics; Jerusalem Foundation;
Municipality of Jerusalem. The figures for 2000 include 9,000 with no
religion classified.
3Leon and Jill Uris, Jerusalem, (New York: Doubleday and Company, 1981),
p. 13.
4Teddy Kollek, Jerusalem, (DC: Washington Institute For Near East
Policy, 1990), pp. 19-20.
5Kollek, p. 24
6Sir Eveyln Shuckburgh, Descent to Suez; Diaries 1951-56, (London,
1986).
7American Journal of International Law, (April 1970), pp. 346-47.
8New York Times, (December 7, 1949).
9Special Report of the Trusteeship Council, (June 14, 1950).
10Kollek, p. 15.
11Kollek, p. 16.
12Kollek, p. 15.
13Meron Benvenisti, Jerusalem, The Torn City, (MN: University of
Minnesota Press, 1976), pp. 44, 60-61.
14Catholic Herald of London, (October 6, 1967).
15Near East Report, (April 2, 1990).
16U.S. Department of State, "2001 Annual Report on International
Religious Freedom, Released by the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights,
and Labor, (Washington, D.C., December 2001).
16aPearl Sheffy Gefen, “Irshad Manji, Muslim Refusenik,” Lifestyles
Magazine, (Summer 2004), p. 29.
16bJerusalem Post, (October 22, 2004).
17Kollek, p. 62.
18New York Times, (March 12, 1980).
19Letter from President George Bush to Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek,
(March 20, 1990).
20Reuters, (April 19, 1990).
21Statement by International Christian Embassy, (April, 18, 1990).
22Washington Post, (October 14, 1991).
23"60 Minutes," (December 2, 1990).
24Jerusalem Post, (August 17, 1991).
25Speech to AIPAC Policy Conference, (May 22, 2000).
25aInterview with Dennis Ross, Fox News Sunday, (April 21, 2002).
26Jerusalem Post, (January 26, 2001).
27Jewish Telegraphic Agency, (February 12, 2001).
28Jewish Telegraphic Agency, (February 12, 2001).
29Address by Prime Minister Sharon at the Jerusalem Day Ceremony
Ammunition Hill, (June 6, 2005).
30Jerusalem Post, (November 12, 2001).
From:
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/myths/mf20.html
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