If you listen to the world media today, it is only fair to divide Jerusalem- Using the political terms, "East Jerusalem" for the Palestinians, "West Jerusalem" for the Israelis. They say this is a fair offer for the Israelis as the population and land mass of West Jerusalem is much larger than the east side. This way, the Israelis and Palestinians can both claim Jerusalem as their capital and it can be a picture of unity and world peace for all to see. Never mind the fact that no other capital city on earth is divided between 2 nations or has there ever been, let alone one that has been successful. Even the Jewish man, Jesus, said “A house divided cannot stand”. If a divided house cannot stand, how much more a city?
One has to be ignorantly blind or intentionally deceptive with history and archaeology to state that the Jewish people do not have an indelible history with Jerusalem. Today, there are countless discoveries being made in Jerusalem that confirm the validity and accuracy of biblical accounts of ancient Israelite kings and specific locations, all written in Hebrew. The fact that a 10 year old child can go to the Israeli museum today and read the 2000+ year old Dead Scrolls of Isaiah that mention Jerusalem multiple times, in their native language of Hebrew, is stunning. The truth of the archaeology simply cannot be ignored, only maliciously denied.
Throughout the last 2000 years, while there continued to be a small remnant of a Jewish population in Jerusalem, much of the land lay desolate. In that time, the land never became a homeland for any other people group nor did any other conquering nations claim Jerusalem as a capital city of anything. 100 years ago, Jerusalem was still a small crumbing ancient walled city that no one cared about. Today, the nations are fighting over it and wanting to divide it. Yet if it could mean some form of regional peace, what is the big deal of giving the Palestinians the smaller portion of the city and Israelis keeping the larger half?
While “West Jerusalem” is where the modern city is- the Knesset, Supreme Court, Western style malls and restaurants, beautiful parks and growing economy- “East Jerusalem” is where the Jewish roots are. All of the biblical and Jewish history is there- the 3000 year old city of David, the tombs of the kings and prophets, the Temple mount where the 1st and 2nd Temples stood, Mt Moriah where Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac, where Israel would come to celebrate the biblical feasts, the Kidron valley, the Mount of Olives, the Old City, and much more. When the world is pressuring Israel to give up the smaller portion of land of East Jerusalem, what is really being asked is for Jews to relinquish their ancestral and spiritual connection and archaeological evidence to their eternal capital city. In other words, you keep your modern history and growing economy and give us the heart, soul and essence of your ancient people and identity. For any self-respecting Jew or Israeli, giving this to a ”peace partner” who is already denying your history or your right to exist is cultural and spiritual suicide. When you hear of the Palestinian demand for East Jerusalem as their capital, this is what they are going for.
When the US recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and expedited plans to move the US embassy there, it kicked out the core of the Palestinian demands, leading the enraged PA president Mahmoud Abbas (who is serving his 14th year of his “4 year elected term”) to yelling for President Trump’s “house to be destroyed” and sending the Arab world into a panicked tailspin. The real attempt of the world is not dividing a city but dividing a people with their ancient history and homeland and from their biblical and covenantal promises from a faithful God.
The Jewish scriptures warn us in Proverbs 11:3 “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” The Jewish people and Jerusalem cannot be divided from her roots and neither can we ignore our own foundations. If you read a Bible, there are no other conclusions.
~Doug Hershey
In the Bible, the prophets foretold the revival of the physical land of Israel. To see over 100 then/now photo comparisons (including 15 of Jerusalem) that provide visual evidence that the land of Israel is reviving after 2000 years, pre-order Doug’s new book “Israel Rising: Ancient Prophecy/ Modern Lens”, just in time for Israel’s 70th anniversary! Order here.