Jerusalem: Epicentre of Faith or Political bait? Everything you need to know

In May, a missile laden conflict between Israel and Palestinian resistance movement Hamas grabbed global centre stage. The gruelling 11 days war not only resulted in over 200 causalities and annihilation of almost all the Gaza Strip but also highlighted the fragility of the thread with which the status of Jerusalem hangs. The 125.1 sq km city holds prime significance in three major Abrahamic religion-Judaism, Islam and Christianity, has been used as political bait for decades and triggered a dozen wars. 

Religious Disagreements 

A 37-acre esplanade in the Old City of Jerusalem houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina. The esplanade named al-Haram al-Sharif also houses the al-Buraq Wall, where Prophet Muhammad tied his animal (al-Buraq) on which he later ascended to heaven. 

However, the compound also holds pivotal importance in Judaism. In addition to Al-Aqsa, the area also houses Temple Mount which is revered by Jews as Noble Sanctuary. Temple Mount has the Dome of the Rock- a seventh-century structure that was constructed by Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik on the site of the second temple during the city’s historic siege. It also has a Wailing Wall, which is the last remnant of the second temple. For centuries, Jews have revered the whole compound as a place where important Jewish temples once stood. 

'Corpus Sepratum'

On 29 November 1947, the United Nations adopted the Partition Plan for Palestine with 33-13 votes. As per the resolution, Jerusalem was declared as a Corpus Sepratum and was poised to be governed by an international body. Interestingly, the Latin term literally translates to ‘separate body’ implying that Jerusalem wasn’t supposed to be governed by either Palestine or Israel. 

In 2017 former US President Donald Trump- an ardent supporter of the then Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu- announced the acceptance of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. He, subsequently, shifted US Embassy from the city of Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. However, this kindled ire, specifically of the Islamic states.

Image: UN

Blood Wars

For decades, Jerusalem has triggered not only a war of nerves but also ammunition between Palestinians and Israelis. Under the 1947 Partition Plan, the UN divided the conflicted territory into two parts giving Jews 55% of the land and the rest 45% to Palestinians. In 1948 the first Arab Israel war broke out leading to Jewish troops capturing over 78% of the territory including  West Jerusalem. 

In 1967, the six-day war broke out between Israel and Arabs. In the aftermath, Israel occupied the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem. 

Current arrangement

At present, the jews are allowed to visit the compound but only Muslims are permitted to pray under a fragile agreement called ‘the status quo’ signed in the aftermath of the six-day war. The pact also obliges the State of Israel to manage the security at the compound while the Islamic Waqf board oversees the religious affairs there. 

The city of Jerusalem is particularly significant to Palestine’s struggle for statehood. The Palestinian National Authority claims all of East Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount, as the capital of the State of Palestine. 

(File Image: AP)