Jerusalem: The Unholy of Holies

Jerusalem is a paradox. No city in the world is as much fought for, thought of and venerated to than Jerusalem. Indeed, it is sacred to three religions, Judaism, Islam and Christianity. However, it seems god has not spared Jerusalem the most inhumane cruelty, suffering and pain that was ever inflicted on man. No city incites much passion, hatred and single-minded determinism than Jerusalem.

Iran's new president, Hasan Rouhani, recently called Israel "an Old Wound." The occasion was the annual celebration called "Al-Quds Day," Arabic for Jerusalem. Rouhani, like the rest of the Arab world, wants to exterminate Israel for dispossessing the Palestinians of their land. They claim that Palestine (Judea and Samaria) to the Jews, is Muslim land.

If history is any guide, Palestine became a Muslim country because of great Muslim warriors like Saladdin, who conquered and retained Palestine from its Christian possessors, who in turn took it from the Jews when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. In all these historical events, it is clear that possession of Jerusalem changed because of the use of force, nothing else.

The Arab world had a great opportunity in 1947 when the United Nations approved the partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab sectors. The Jews approved the plan, but the Arabs rejected it, opting instead to retake the whole land by force. And so came a series of wars designed to unilaterally wrest Palestine solely for Arabs. The 1948, 1963 and 1972 Arab-Israeli Wars were a testament to such plan. However, the Arabs overwhelmingly lost the fight. Since they made bullets the deciding factor, and they lost in that bet, they should be mature enough to accept that Israel has now the right to the land, as it always have. Indeed, the Jews have occupied Palestine before the Roman Empire was even born, before Christianity was ever conceived, and certainly way before Mohammad founded Islam. So if anything, the Jews have a historic right to Palestine, such right was taken away from them by the prevailing powers of various actors that came and went throughout history.

It seems that the Arab world has no capacity for self-reflection. And this shows by their sheer arrogance, even in the face of brutal defeat, no less a war they started, to see that the historic opportunity given them to have a reasonable piece of Palestine in 1947 was the best opportunity lost forever to ever have a piece of Palestine. Yet now they complain so vociferously about their state of being landless, only thinking of themselves as the sole and legitimate owners of Palestine, when history has clearly shown otherwise.

Rouhani's speech is symptomatic of the self-delusion of the Muslim world with regards Palestine. They have lost the the decency of clear and reasoned thinking, dwelling instead on empty, religiously fuelled schizophrenic ramblings that incite nothing but violence and bitterness. Yet yearning for the right to retake their so-called "land," at the expense of and without regard for, those who even have an older right to the land.

Unbelievable! That is why Israel can never truly live in peace, and can never truly give up the West Bank, and should forever retain Jerusalem as an undivided capital of Israel. The interest of freedom, justice and yes, peace, will best be served under an Israeli flag than under an Arab extremist government. Unless the Palestinian's fight for a secular and tolerant government, terror will always define Palestine.