Jerusalem: City of God, City of Blood
Jerusalem’s name has been historical linked to two concepts; the “City of Peace” and the “City of God.” Although history has proved the “City of God” to be true, the former has rarely occurred for continuous decades. Jerusalem is constantly a city in dispute, where even the age of the city is an example of this concept. Jews consider Jerusalem's history to start 3000 years ago when David established the city as capital of the United Kingdom of Israel. Palestinians, believing they are the descendants of the Canaanites, say the city is 5,000 years old.
The great disputes seem unjustified when pictures of Jerusalem are viewed. The city is a desert between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea lying at the intersection of Israel and the West Bank (Jerusalem). Jerusalem is composed of two distinct sections: West Jerusalem and East Jerusalem on about 10,000 square miles of land(Jerusalem). As with any desert, plants do not grow well on it’s soil but strong religious convictions thrive here.
Over the centuries groups ranging from the religions of Abraham to the secular Egyptian, Roman, Ottoman, and British Empires have battled for ownership to allow their people the best access to the religious sites. The claims of the Jews, the Arab Muslims & Christians, and other Christian groups all stem from both their historical ownership of the land and their own religious tenants. The battles of today are different because religion has been shifted to the background. It’s no longer just Christians, Muslims, and Jews vying for the land, it’s far more complicated than that. We now have an Israeli nation and disenfranchised Palestinians, we have the ethic Israelis disputing with Arab Christians and Muslims. The secular aspects include international peace keeping forces, treaties, economic sanctions, the United States, weapons of mass destruction versus suicide bombers, and many more complexities. Somewhere within complicated political, social and economic issues the religion and
The great disputes seem unjustified when pictures of Jerusalem are viewed. The city is a desert between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea lying at the intersection of Israel and the West Bank (Jerusalem). Jerusalem is composed of two distinct sections: West Jerusalem and East Jerusalem on about 10,000 square miles of land(Jerusalem). As with any desert, plants do not grow well on it’s soil but strong religious convictions thrive here.
Over the centuries groups ranging from the religions of Abraham to the secular Egyptian, Roman, Ottoman, and British Empires have battled for ownership to allow their people the best access to the religious sites. The claims of the Jews, the Arab Muslims & Christians, and other Christian groups all stem from both their historical ownership of the land and their own religious tenants. The battles of today are different because religion has been shifted to the background. It’s no longer just Christians, Muslims, and Jews vying for the land, it’s far more complicated than that. We now have an Israeli nation and disenfranchised Palestinians, we have the ethic Israelis disputing with Arab Christians and Muslims. The secular aspects include international peace keeping forces, treaties, economic sanctions, the United States, weapons of mass destruction versus suicide bombers, and many more complexities. Somewhere within complicated political, social and economic issues the religion and