Jerusalem, a city that is compact together
The Balfour Declaration, dated November 2, 1917, in which the British government recognised the national rights of the Jewish people to the land of Palestine is 99 years.
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The Palestinian Authority announced its intent to sue Britain for its support of the Balfour Declaration.
In view of this intention and the recent political decision of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) (October 13, 2016), which was led by the Palestinians, not recognising the Jewish connection to Jerusalem and to the Temple, we wish to refresh and clarify some historical facts.
The long lasting link between the Jewish people, Jerusalem and the Temple does not need to be proved, as it is well recognised by countless cultures around the world that are respecting the Old Testament and its messages.
The Jewish people are indigenous to the land of Israel and have had a continual presence there for a millennia. Jews have been striving to reconstitute their national homeland since the destruction of the Judean Kingdom in 70CE.
Ever since, Jews have been praying to come back to Jerusalem, as commonly stated as taken from the Passover ritual text : "Next Year in Jerusalem", and till now during every Jewish wedding ceremony, the groom will quote Psalms 137: 5 (KJV): "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning."
New ideas
The Enlightenment Movement in Europe, at the end of the 18th Century, has brought new ideas into the Jewish world such as emancipation, a call for equal rights for all human beings to get an education and to fulfill their identity as individuals and as a national group.
The Zionist movement aroused that time and encouraged the Jews to return to their homeland and to renew the language of the Bible.The political movement of the Jews to return to their homeland was established at the Zionist Congress in 1897 in Basel, headed by Benjamin Ze'ev Herzl.
The Balfour Declaration, issued by the then Foreign Secretary of Britain, Lord Arthur James Balfour, marked one of the first times in the modern era that a significant world power officially recognised the Jewish people’s right to their ancient homeland.
This document was then incorporated into the 1922 decision by the League of Nations [the precursor of the United Nations] to create a mandate aimed at establishing a national home for the Jewish people in the land of Israel.
Home for Jewish
The League of Nations’ decision of 1922 transformed the Balfour Declaration and its call for the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people from a policy position into an international legal obligation accepted by the international community as a whole.
It should be clarified that the use of the term "Palestine" in that declaration, relates to the last name of the land of Israel that was given by Hadrian, the Roman Empire.
Hadrian wanted to erase all traces of Jewish existence in the land of Israel. He, therefore, stated the term "Syria Palestina" to that land of Israel and even tried to change the name of Jerusalem to "Aelia Capitolina.”
As it is well known, he did not succeed in creating that change. The name "Jerusalem" stayed as an eternal reminder to the unbreakable bond among the Holy Land, the Holy Bible, the people of Israel and the followers of Jesus.
Israel has always eagerly strived to protect the rights of all its citizens – Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze and others. This call for equal rights is preserved in the Israeli Declaration of Independence.
It states, "The State of Israel […] will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations."
Jerusalem forever
The rights of the Jewish people to the Holy Land and Jerusalem cannot be deleted by any political international decision. It would be better if politicians around the world were concentrating on creating a better future than falsifying the past. According to Psalms 122:3 (KJV): "Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together."
That means that Jerusalem is putting together people of different beliefs. She is a unifying factor that brings hearts together with peace and holiness, and this is how Jerusalem should stay forever!