Who owns Jerusalem? Individual, corporate, and religious owners of property.

Which government or proposed government should have its seat in Jerusalem? Start with the governmental entity that will respect the rights of property owners. The Israeli government (and I think they've got the strongest current claim) has a very poor record in regards to the property rights of Palestinian individuals and families, especially in the Old City.

I do understand that Middle Eastern and Mediterranean people have a historical tendency to see themselves not as individuals but as personalities deeply embedded in the groups to which they were born - family, tribe or clan, religion, language group, etc. Therefore individual property rights may not be as important to them as to Europeans and North Americans.

But family rights, clan, religion, and historicity resonate mightily.

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I think that the nation currently known as Israel does not equal != the ancient Davidic kingdom of Israel, nor does it come close to occupying the boundaries of the Promised Land as set forth in the Torah.

Of course the obvious response to the latter statement is that the nation currently known as Israel should be about the business of expansion to fill those Promised boundaries. In making that argument one would have to accept the premise that the nation calling itself Israel is the continuation of the Davidic kingdom which, by the way, split because of the foolish arrogance of Solomon's son Rehoboam. Said expansion, then, would be expected to take place under a restored monarchy ruled by a member of the Davidic line. The capstone of such a restoration would be reconstruction of the Temple and resumption of the daily sacrifices as set forth in the Torah.

Ariel Sharon has always been about the expansion of his nation to fill the boundaries of the ancient Promised Land. Watch him and his close associates. Who is financing him? With whom does he spend his leisure time?

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Yes, the U.N. is a bad thing and ought quickly to be abolished. If the British want the U.N. cancer transplanted to London from New York, let them have it.

vM