Haaretz | 08. 12. 2017 - 21: 18h

Donald Tramp recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and opened Pandora's box. However, almost all countries of the world reacted to this move with great disapproval. Why will more than 160 countries never recognize the Holy City as the capital of the Jewish state?

First, Jerusalem is a sacred place for three religions. It is precisely because of that it presents a barrel of gun powder, and the smallest spark can cause an explosion of a religious war. Until the question of Jerusalem is resolved, the conflict between the Arabs and the Israelis will not be resolved. For Jews, Jerusalem is the city in which their temple is located (the home of the only God). Every time they were expelled from it, they dreamed of returning. The term "Zion" (Zion), the name of one of the hills above Jerusalem, became metonymy not only for Jerusalem as such, but also for the land of Israel in general, along with the root of the word Zionism, a movement that advocated the founding of a Jewish state on that place.

Looking from the perspective of the Israelis, to them it is not clear why more than 160 countries, which have diplomatic relations with Israel, do not want to recognize Jerusalem as their capital, even before, and especially after the United States did it.

The reason lies in the immense importance this city has for Christians and Muslims, who are more than three billion worldwide, according to the Israeli "Harec".

For Christians, Jerusalem is important because in it Jesus Christ died and resurrected. For Muslims, Jerusalem, specifically the "most far away mosque" of Al-Aqsa, was the ultimate destination of the Prophet Muhammad on his Night Voyage, from where he went to paradise to address God.

For all three religions, there is a place in the Jerusalem Old Town which they consider to be their most sacred work, a sign of their strongest, deepest passion and dedication to God. For the Jews, it is the Holy Temple; for Christians, it is the hill of Golgotha, where Jesus is crucified, and where the Church of Christ's resurrection is today, while for the Muslims it is the Al-Aksa mosque.

Milestone 1947.

When on November 29, 1947, the United Nations gave the green light to the division of Palestine into two states, one Arabic, and the other Jewish, Jerusalem (which was then majority Jewish) was omitted from the equation, with the intent, together with the environment including Bethlehem) is was declared an international city, a separate territory, a "corpus separatum".

The Jews accepted the plan, and David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister and "father of the homeland," said that "Jerusalem's losses are the price that must be paid to get their country."

However, the Arabs rejected the UN's division plan, and declared the war on Israel. During the Independence Day, Israeli forces strategically positioned themselves throughout the country, including Jerusalem. When the famous "Green Line" of the armistice was drawn, Israel occupied the western part of Jerusalem, and the Jordanians controlled the eastern part, which includes the Western Wall and Al-Aqsa.

The UN plan on the internationalization of Jerusalem collapsed after the war, and Israel and Jordan were right to leave the city divided, reminds Harec. Israel annexed Western Jerusalem on December 5, 1948, and a week later declared him the capital of the state. Jordan on December 13 annexed East Jerusalem, and declared it "the second capital".

However, the years went by, and the situation was getting tougher. Israel was an enemy in the eyes of the Arab world, which made it impossible to achieve any constructive agreement. The UN decided to hold to the side and not recognize Jerusalem as part of the Israeli but also the Jordanian territory.

It lasted until 1967, when intolerance escalated. The famous Six Day War began, during which Israel took control of eastern Jerusalem, and during later years, moved all the institutions to the eastern part, built a large number of settlements and adopted numerous laws that prevent even the most liberal governments from leaving the millimeter of the city of Palestine.

Negotiations that do not lead anywhere

As the decades went by, the attitude of all sides was getting tougher. The UN and the international community refused to recognize "Israel's unilateral moves in eastern Jerusalem," declaring them a violation of international law, while the Palestinians rejected every kind of compromise as long as the Holy City is being run as the capital of Israel.

Although the talks between Palestinians and Israelis have been in place for decades, they have not come far in the last quarter of the century. Until they agree on a plan that would include a common sovereignty in Jerusalem, neither the international community will change its stance, nor will any country recognize the whole of Jerusalem for the capital of Israel.

Unless that country is led by Donald Tramp.

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