Since Israel took back the eastern half of Jerusalem in 1967, the shrines of all three faiths have been open to all three faiths’ worshippers. Today, Christians from all over the world are making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. And they’re doing it in peace—thanks to Israel.
The cobblestone alleyways of Jerusalem’s Old City became moving forests of wooden crosses as Christian pilgrims and clergymen commemorated the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, Good Friday.
Black-robed nuns filed past metal barriers erected by police as dozens of tourists in matching red baseball hats held up digital cameras. Some pilgrims carried elaborately carved crucifixes, while others had crude crosses made of two planks held together with tape.
Good Friday rituals center on the ancient Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Christian tradition says Jesus was crucified and buried before his resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Compare this to Egypt’s recent restoration of the Maimonides synagogue. It was for show only. Jews were not allowed to pray in it during Passover.
Amid the crush of Christians from all over the world, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man in black tried to make his way along the crowded street by pressing against one of the walls. Jews are currently celebrating the weeklong spring holiday of Passover, and thousands of Jewish pilgrims and tourists were also in the Old City.
In addition, Muslims were holding weekly Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa mosque, located in a compound they call the Noble Sanctuary and Jews call the Temple Mount.
What’s the argument used to bolster the “Jerusalem should be an international city” claim? That all three faiths should have access to their holy sites.
Under Israeli stewardship, they already do.
Update: Welcome, Hot Air readers. And an early happy Easter to you.
Yes Indeed!
Fox news is really starting to sound like a pali propaganda machine.
They had a blurb this morning about celebrating the Easter holiday in Israel, but Rina Ninan had to add that Israel had refused some pali Christians permission to travel to Israel. Yeah all three of em.Apparently that’s newsworthy, yet no mention of the fact that the pali frauds bar any Jews from even existing in the west bank and visiting Jewish religious sites that they are also trying to destroy. Nice partners in peace.
I’m boycotting Fox, they are not much better then CNN.
Any Christian who doesn’t acknowledge our debt to the Jewish state in making the holy sites available to us in safety is doing the name of Christianity a disservice.
So let me as a Catholic say: “Thanks muchly”.
Christians know that we are safe and welcome in Jerusalem, and we are grateful to Israel for that.
Chag Pesach Sameach and Happy Easter to all!
Congrats on getting the HotAir linkage, especially on this subject. The whole issue with Dr. Hawass and the Rambam synagogue is a perfect illustration of the double standard Israel is held to, regarding access to “holy” sites. The only time that there has been full & equitable access for all faiths in modern Jerusalem has been under Israeli jurisdiction.
Thanks. I got this story from HotAir. Figured from the teaser title that the reason was because of Israel having security over the area. I’d like to visit Israel and the Holy sites before I die so could you please keep control of the area for the next 40 years as that’s when I plan to arrive and stay at the 5 star hotel the King David? I would appreciate it greatly. God save Israel…as Israel, the home of 3 religions.
“In addition, Muslims were holding weekly Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa mosque, located in a compound they call the Noble Sanctuary and Jews call the Temple Mount.”
In the MSM, the Muslim narrative is preeminent and the Jewish description is secondary. Sometimes they’ll go for the full Monty and say something like:
“The Al-Aqsa mosque, located in a compound Muslims call Haram al Sharif, the Noble Sanctuary, and what Jews call the Temple Mount.”
They will use the Arabic term, Haram al Sharif, but they will never call it Har HaBayit, the Temple Mount’s name in Hebrew.
Of course the MSM won’t explain that Masjid Al-Aqsa means “the farthest mosque” from the Quran’s account of Mohammed’s supposed “night journey”. Since no mosques existed in Jerusalem prior to the Muslim conquest, this is generally taken to be an implicit acknowledgment of the site being the location of the Jewish Temple, though Muslims are not likely to admit it.
I’m a Christian, and it’s not a “Holy Land.” There is no such thing as a “Holy Land” for Christians. This is nonsense.
Nic,
I don’t think any Christian of any seriousness would claim there is something literally holy about the Levant for us. We all know that Christ taught that we a re to worship God “in spirit and in truth” rather than in any one place. Calling it “the holy land” is a mere historical convention, like calling Resurrection Sunday “Easter”, or burning a yule log on Christmas. That being said, I don’t think anyone can deny that marking and visiting places described in the Bible can have a positive and nurturing effect on our collective faith. I think you know this.
I think your real point might be that Christians should strive to sever any emotional connection with biblical sites, such that our faith is based on belief alone without any external supports. That seems too severe to me.
I agree, Nic. Our Holy Land in being a new creation in Christ Jesus, not a physical place.