Legal Status of JERUSALEM

The issue of status of the Holy City of Jerusalem occupies an important place in the world-be final settlement of the Palestine issue between the Jews and the Arabs.

Historical Background:

The city of Jerusalem located on the West Bank enjoys great importance for the Muslims, Christians and the Jews because it house Holy places of all the three religious. The Al-Aqsa Masjid, the Church of Nativity and the Great Wailing Wall all enjoy great historical importance.

Great Wailing Wall

This is why all the three contenders viz, the Muslims, Christians and the Jews have tried to keep this holy city under their control. The eight crusades fought between the Muslims from 1095 A.D. to 1247A.D. were the high watermark of the Muslims and the Christians desire to keep this city in their possession. Historically speaking the Jews formed the first settled population of  Palestine in the last 1,200years of pre-Christian era. However in 70A.D. the Roman emperor Titus captured Jerusalem and destroyed the Jews Temple there. The story was repeated again in 135 A.D. when the Romans sacked Jerusalem and expelled most of the Jews from Palestine. Thus the Jewish population got scattered throughout Europe. The Jews who remained in Palestine got converted to Christianity in the second century A.D. and then to Islam in the 7th century. Thus the modern Palestine are the descendents of these former converts.

Church of Nativity

Subsequently, Palestine remained under the Muslim control till the 19th century. In the beginning of the 20th century, the demographic nature of this region changed dramatically when the Jews from Europe started settling in Palestine in large numbers after the Balfour Declaration of 1917. The population of Jews increased to a reasonable size by the end of  the Second World War which justified establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 by the United Nations. T he Arabs rejected the division of Palestine into two States. As a result the Arab armies of Syria, Egypt and Jordan forcibly tried to eliminate the state of Israel from the map of the world but failed to do so. This war create permanent enmity and hatred between the two nations. The subsequent Arab-Israeli wars in 1967 and 1973 justified the contention. However, after 1973 USA and Israel changed their strategy regarding eh Palestine issue and took steps for the peaceful settlement of the problem. As a result, Israel signed Camp David Accord with Egypt and a similar deal with Jordan shortly afterwards. Later on, Israel signed Wye River Accord and vacated Ghaza strip and some land on West Bank to give self rule to Palestinians. USA and its allies have committed to establish an independent State of Palestine by 2005. Unfortunately, the Israel Government is presently action upon the policy of the persecution of Palestine.

Al-Aqsa Masjid

Legal Status of Jerusalem:

The Jewish claim to the holy city of Jerusalem is based on their historical reference that they had inhabited the land of Palestine for more than a millennium before the Christ. Similarly, in this context they invoke the concept of religious association of Jews with Palestine. They quote God's promise to Abraham (AS)" To your descendants I will give this land" while quoting this the Zionists forget the fact that the term descendant is not restricted to the Jews only and includes the Christians and Muslims also.

1948 to 2014

The city of Jerusalem was occupied by Israel in the June 1967 Arab-Israel war. After the war, Israeli Defence minister Gen. Moshe Dayan claimed that the Israeli forces has liberated Jerusalem. He said that they had reunited the torn city and returned to that most sacred shrine never to part with it again. However, three months late the UN Security Council in its Resolution 242 of November 22, 1967, emphasized the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force and reaffirmed the principles of the UN Charter. It asked the states who had established diplomatic missions in Jerusalem to withdraw them from the Holy city. Unfortunately, in the recent years, the United States seems to have abandoned its traditional principled stand on Jerusalem that is is an occupied territory and its status cannot be changed arbitrarily. The demise of USSR in 1991 has changed the global scenario and since then USA has been interpreting international law according to its own needs.