Jerusalem is arguably the most fought over piece of land. King David fought the Canaanites for it, the Babylonians fought for it, the Assyrians fought for it, the Persians fought for it, the Romans fought for it, the Ottoman Turks fought for it, the British army's fought for it, the newly formed Israeli army's fought for it in 1948, and again in 1967, and now the Palestinians are fighting for it.
Jerusalem is home to three major religions: Judaism, Christianity and islam.
The modern Israeli armies have always strived to unite Jerusalem. Under David Ben-Gurion, IDF units tried to take east Jerusalem, but failed. During the June '67 war, Israeli paratroopers broke through the Jordanian lines into E. Jerusalem. They fought their way to the Western Wall, the only remnant of the temple. The force had lost close to 90% of their men, but still they pushed on.
The only way to get to the Wall was through a locked gate. Before blasting through it, an old Arab man walked up and unlocked the door. The paratroopers all lined up at the Wall, and began to pray.
And now, with Israel winning and losing Jerusalem many times, the City of David is in danger again. This time from the P.A., or Palestinian Authority. Many people, including American president Barak Obama, are trying to separate Jerusalem again. Please pray these efforts will fail, and Jerusalem will remain the united capital of Israel.
Test your knowledge about the history of Jerusalem here.
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