Jerusalem: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia


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*"Jerusalem is Israel’s largest city." ([http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761572316/Jerusalem.html "Jerusalem"], [[Microsoft]] [[Encarta]], 2006, p. 1. Retrieved [[October 18]], [[2006]].)

*"Jerusalem is the largest city in the State of Israel. It has the largest population, the most Jews and the most non-Jews of all Israeli cities." (Klein, Menachem. ''Jerusalem: The Future of a Contested City'', New York University Press, [[March 1]], [[2001]], p. 18. ISBN 0-8147-4754-X)

*"In 1967, Tel Aviv was the largest city in Israel. By 1987, more ''Jews'' lived in Jerusalem than the total population of Tel Aviv. Jerusalem had become Israel's premier city." (Friedland, Roger and Hecht, Richard. ''To Rule Jerusalem'', University of California Press, [[September 19]], [[2000]], p. 192. ISBN 0-520-22092-7)</ref> both in population and area, with a population of approximately 724,000 (as of 2006) in an area totaling 126 [[square kilometer]]s (49 [[square mile|sq&nbsp;mi]]).<ref name=cbs>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbs.gov.il/hodaot2006n/11_06_106e.pdf |publisher=Central Bureau of Statistics |title=Press Release: Jerusalem Day |date=[[2006-05-24]] |accessdate=2007-03-10 |format=pdf}}{{ref label|cbs-stats|iv|}}</ref> Located in the [[Judean Mountains]] between the [[Mediterranean Sea]] and the [[Dead Sea]], Jerusalem has a storied history that goes as far back as the [[4th millennium BCE]]. Since then, its inhabitants have included [[Jebusite]]s, [[Roman Empire|Romans]], [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]], [[Arab]]s, and [[Israelis]].<ref name="aice">{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/jerutime.html |title=Timeline for the History of Jerusalem |work=Jewish Virtual Library |accessdate=2007-04-16 |publisher=American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise}}</ref> Today the city is governed by Israel but remains meaningful to [[Palestinian people|Palestinians]], who see it as the capital for a future [[Palestinian state]].<ref>{{cite paper|author=Møller, Bjørn |title=A Cooperative Structure for Israeli-Palestinian Relations |version=Working Paper No. 1 |publisher=Centre for European Policy Studies |date=November 2002 |url=http://shop.ceps.be/downfree.php?item_id=171 |format=pdf |accessdate=2007-04-16}}</ref>

Located in the [[Judean Mountains]] between the [[Mediterranean Sea]] and the [[Dead Sea]], Jerusalem is considered important to the three major [[Abrahamic religion]]s: [[Judaism]], [[Christianity]], and [[Islam]]. Jerusalem has been the holiest city in [[Judaism]] and the spiritual center of the [[Jewish people]] since the [[10th century BCE]].<ref name=1000BCE>Since the 10th century BCE:{{ref label|bible-david|v|a}}

*"Israel was first forged into a unified nation from Jerusalem some three thousand years ago, when King David seized the crown and united the twelve tribes from this city... For a thousand years Jerusalem was the seat of Jewish sovereignty, the household site of kings, the location of its legislative councils and courts. In exile, the Jewish nation came to be identified with the city that had been the site of its ancient capital. Jews, wherever they were, prayed for its restoration." Roger Friedland, Richard D. Hecht. ''To Rule Jerusalem'', University of California Press, 2000, p. 8. ISBN 0520220927

*"The Jewish bond to Jerusalem was never broken. For three millennia, Jerusalem has been the center of the Jewish faith, retaining its symbolic value throughout the generations." [http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Facts%20About%20Israel/State/Jerusalem-%20the%20Holy%20City Jerusalem- the Holy City], Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, [[February 23]], [[2003]]. Accessed [[March 24]], [[2007]].

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*"For Jews the city has been the pre-eminent focus of their spiritual, cultural, and national life throughout three millennia." Yossi Feintuch, ''U.S. Policy on Jerusalem'', Greenwood Publishing Group, 1987, p. 1. ISBN 0313257000

*"Jerusalem became the center of the Jewish people some 3,000 years ago" Moshe Maʻoz, Sari Nusseibeh, ''Jerusalem: Points of Friction - And Beyond'', Brill Academic Publishers, 2000, p. 1. ISBN 9041188436

*"The Jewish people are inextricably bound to the city of Jerusalem. No other city has played such a dominant role in the history, politics, culture, religion, national life and consciousness of a people as has Jerusalem in the life of Jewry and Judaism. Since King David established the city as the capital of the Jewish state circa 1000 BCE, it has served as the symbol and most profound expression of the Jewish people's identity as a nation." [http://www.adl.org/israel/advocacy/glossary/jerusalem.asp Basic Facts you should know: Jerusalem], [[Anti-Defamation League]], 2007. Accessed [[March 28]], [[2007]].</ref> The city contains a number of significant and ancient [[Christianity|Christian]] landmarks, and wasis considered the first[[Holiest sites in Islam|third-holiest]] city in ''[[qiblahIslam]]''.<ref directedname="3rd-holiest">Third-holiest bycity in Islam:
*{{cite book|title=What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=[[Muhammad2002-11-02]] |last=Esposito |first=John L. |authorlink=John Esposito |date=2007-03-11 |isbn=0195157133 |pages=157 |quote=The Night Journey made Jerusalem the third holiest city in Islam}}
*{{cite book|title=Religion and State: The Muslim Approach to Politics |last=Brown |first=Leon Carl |publisher=Columbia University Press |date=[[2000-09-15]] |isbn=0231120389 |pages=11 |chapter=Setting the Stage: Islam and Muslims |quote=The third holiest city of Islam—Jerusalem—is also very much in the center... |accessdate=2007-03-11}}
*{{cite book|title=The Holy City: Jerusalem in the Theology of the Old Testament |last=Hoppe |first=Leslie J. |publisher=Michael Glazier Books |month=August |year=2000 |isbn=0814650813 |pages=14 |quote=Jerusalem has always enjoyed a prominent place in Islam. Frequently Jerusalem is spoken of as the third holiest city in Islam... |accessdate=2007-03-11}}</ref> Thus, while the city has a large Jewish majority, a wide range of national, religious, and socioeconomic groups are represented. The walled area of Jerusalem, which until the late nineteenth century formed the entire city, is now called the [[Old City of Jerusalem|Old City]] and was added to the list of [[List of World Heritage Sites in danger|World Heritage Sites]] in 1982.<ref>List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The site of Jerusalem was nominated in 1981 by Jordan. [http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/148 Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls]</ref> It consists of four ethnic and religious sections — the [[Armenian Quarter|Armenian]], [[Christian Quarter|Christian]], [[Jewish Quarter|Jewish]], and [[Muslim Quarter|Muslim]] Quarters. Barely one square kilometer,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.publicpolicy.umd.edu/IPPP/Fall97Report/negotiating_jerusalem.htm |title=Negotiating Jerusalem |last=Segal |first=Jerome M. |year=1997 |publisher=The University of Maryland Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy |accessdate=2007-01-11}}</ref> the Old City is home to several of Jerusalem's most important and contested religious sites, including the [[Western Wall]] and [[Temple Mount]] for [[Jew]]s, the [[Dome of the Rock]] and [[al-Aqsa Mosque]] for [[Muslim]]s, and the [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre]] for [[Christian]]s.

Surrounding the Old City are more modern areas of Jerusalem. The civic and cultural center of modern Israel extends from western Jerusalem toward the country's [[Gush Dan|other urban areas]] to the west, while areas populated mostly by [[Arab]]s could be found in the northern, eastern and southern districts. Today, Jerusalem remains central to the [[Arab-Israeli conflict]]: Israel's [[Jerusalem Law|annexation]] of the primarily Arab neighborhoods that form [[East Jerusalem]] (captured as a result of the [[1967]] [[Six-Day War]]) has been particularly controversial since Jerusalem has been claimed by [[Palestinian Authority|Palestinians]] as the capital for a future [[Palestinian state]]. Thus, the status of united Jerusalem as Israel's "eternal capital"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/1990_1999/1999/3/The%20Status%20of%20Jerusalem |publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs |title=The Status of Jerusalem |date=[[1999-03-14]] |accessdate=2007-02-12}}</ref><ref name="ben-gurion">{{cite web|url=http://www.knesset.gov.il/docs/eng/bengurion-jer.htm |last=Ben-Gurion |first=David |authorlink=David Ben-Gurion |publisher=The Knesset |title=Statements of the Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion Regarding Moving the Capital of Israel to Jerusalem |date=[[1949-12-05]] |accessdate=2007-04-02}}</ref> is [[Positions on Jerusalem|not widely recognized]] by the international community, and most countries locate their embassies in [[Tel Aviv]].

==Etymology==

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{{see also|History of ancient Israel and Judah|History of Palestine|Timeline of Jerusalem}}

Archaeological findings indicate the existence of development within present-day Jerusalem as far back as the [[4th millennium BCE]],<ref>{{cite web|urlname=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/jerutime.html |title=Timeline for the History of Jerusalem |work=Jewish Virtual Library |accessdate=2007-01-15 |publisher=American-Israeli Cooperative"aice" Enterprise}}</ref> but the earliest written records of the city come in the [[Execration Texts]] ([[circa|c.]]&nbsp;[[19th century BCE]]) and the [[Amarna letters]] (c.&nbsp;[[14th century BCE]]).<ref name="vaughn">{{cite book|title=Jerusalem in Bible and Archaeology: the First Temple Period |author=[http://www.gustavus.edu/academics/religion/Profiles/andyvaughn.cfm Vaughn, Andrew G.] |coauthors=[http://jbe.la.psu.edu/cams/killebrewvita.htm Ann E. Killebrew] |date=[[2003-08-01]] |accessdate=2007-01-15 |chapter=Jerusalem at the Time of the United Monarchy |isbn=1589830660 |pages=32-33}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biu.ac.il/JS/rennert/history_2.html |publisher=Bar-Ilan University Ingeborg Rennert Center for Jerusalem Studies |title=History of Jerusalem from Its Beginning to David |work=Jerusalem: Life Throughout the Ages in a Holy City |accessdate=2007-01-18 |last=Shalem |first=Yisrael |date=[[1997-03-03]]}}</ref> According to [[Bible|Biblical]] accounts, the [[Jebusite]]s, a [[Canaan]]ite tribe, inhabited the area around the present-day city (under the name ''[[Jebus]]'') until the late [[11th century BCE]]. At that point (c.&nbsp;[[1000s BCE]]), the [[Israelite]]s, led by [[David|King David]], invaded and conquered the city, expanded it southward, established it as the capital of the [[United Monarchy|United Kingdom of Israel and Judah]] (the ''United Monarchy''), and renamed it to its present-day name of ''Yerushalayim'' (Jerusalem).<ref name="promise">{{cite book|title=A Promise Fulfilled: Theodor Herzl, Chaim Weizmann, David Ben-Gurion, and the Creation of the State of Israel |last=Greenfeld |first=Howard |date=[[2005-03-29]] |publisher=Greenwillow |isbn=006051504X |accessdate=2007-01-18 |pages=32}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityofdavid.org.il/timeline_eng.asp |work=City of David |title=Timeline |publisher=Ir David Foundation |accessdate=2007-01-18}}</ref>{{ref label|bible-david|v|b}}

===The Temple Periods===

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[[Image:Dome of the rock distance.jpg|The [[Dome of the Rock]] atop the [[Temple Mount]]|right|thumb]]

According to tradition, Jerusalem is the [[Holiest sites in Islam|third-holiest city]] in Islam.<ref>{{cite book|titlename=What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=[[2002"3rd-11-02]] |last=Esposito |first=John L. |authorlink=John Esposito |date=2007-03-11 |isbn=0195157133 |pages=157 |quote=The Night Journey made Jerusalem the third holiest" city in Islam}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Religion and State: The Muslim Approach to Politics |last=Brown |first=Leon Carl |publisher=Columbia University Press |date=[[2000-09-15]] |isbn=0231120389 |pages=11 |chapter=Setting the Stage: Islam and Muslims |quote=The third holiest city of Islam—Jerusalem—is also very much in the center... |accessdate=2007-03-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Holy City: Jerusalem in the Theology of the Old Testament |last=Hoppe |first=Leslie J. |publisher=Michael Glazier Books |month=August |year=2000 |isbn=0814650813 |pages=14 |quote=Jerusalem has always enjoyed a prominent place in Islam. Frequently Jerusalem is spoken of as the third holiest city in Islam... |accessdate=2007-03-11}}</ref> Before it was permanently switched to the [[Kabaa]] in [[Mecca]], the ''[[qibla]]'' (direction of [[salah|prayer]]) for Muslims was Jerusalem.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Israeli-Palestinian War: Escalating to Nowhere |last=Cordesman |first=Anthony H. |publisher=Praeger Security International |date=[[2005-10-30]] |isbn=0275987582 |pages=62 |chapter=The Final Settlement Issues: Asymmetric Values & Asymmetric Warfare |accessdate=2007-03-11 |authorlink=Anthony Cordesman}}</ref> The city's lasting place in Islam, however, is primarily due to [[Muhammad]]'s [[Isra and Mi'raj|Night of Ascension]] (c. [[620|620 CE]]). Muslims believe Muhammad was miraculously transported one night from [[Mecca]] to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, whereupon he ascended to [[Jannah|Heaven]] to meet previous [[prophets of Islam]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Monotheists: The Peoples of God |last=Peters |first=Francis E. |publisher=Princeton University Press |date=[[2003-10-20]] |isbn=0691114609 |authorlink=Francis Edwards Peters |chapter=Muhammad the Prophet of God |pages=95-6 |accessdate=2007-03-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Sahih Bukhari |url=http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/093.sbt.html#009.093.608 |publisher=University of Southern California |work=Compendium of Muslim Texts |accessdate=2007-03-11}} (from an English translation of [[Sahih Bukhari]], Volume IX, Book 93, Number 608)</ref> The first verse in the [[Qur'an]]'s ''[[al-Isra|Surat al-Isra]]'' notes the destination of Muhammad's journey as ''al-Aqsa'' (the farthest) mosque,<ref>From [[Abdullah Yusuf Ali]]'s English translation of the [[Qur'an]]: "Glory to (Allah) Who did take His servant for a Journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did bless,- in order that We might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the One Who heareth and seeth (all things)." ([[al-Isra|17]]:1)</ref> in reference to the location in Jerusalem. Today, the Temple Mount is topped by two Islamic landmarks intended to commemorate the event — [[al-Aqsa Mosque]], derived from the name mentioned in the Qur'an, and the [[Dome of the Rock]], which stands over the [[Foundation Stone]], whereupon Muslims believe Muhammad ascended to Heaven.

===Sports===