Jerusalem: The head of Israel

We rejoice in President Trump’s historical recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Historical because in the context of our tradition, since the establishment of the Jewish nation in the Promised Land after the Exodus from Egypt, Jerusalem was, is and will be the eternal capital of Israel. Not because of this has been Israel’s choice, but the will of the God of the Jews.

The people of Israel’s wars have been around the recognition of the Biblical Promised Land as the territory of the Jewish nation, and especially Jerusalem as its capital. The reasons for these wars are varied, and rooted in the Bible itself. Ironically the invading nations, characterized for their beliefs in other gods, fought against Israel trying to impose them over the Jews and the rest of the peoples they conquered.

The land of Israel and its capital became the coveted jewels of the crown and the ultimate prize for the invading nations, under the delusional belief that if they took Jerusalem, they also would have taken the God of Jews. History proved them wrong because of Biblical reasons. God’s will is clear in regards to the Promised Land and Jerusalem, for these are Israel’s country and its capital.

Even the Qur’an recognizes the Jewish sovereignty over their land and its capital, and also encourages the Muslims to help the Jews settle in their land.

“And thereafter, We [Allah] said to the children of Israel, ‘Dwell securely in the Promised Land. And when the last warning will come to pass, we will gather you together in a mingled crowd’.” (Qur’an 17:104)

The Jewish people are also warned against abandoning their divinely granted heritage.

“And [remember] when Moses said to his people: ‘O my people, call in remembrance the favor of God unto you, when He produced prophets among you, made you kings, and gave to you what He had not given to any other among the peoples. O my people, enter the Holy Land which God has assigned unto you, and turn not back ignominiously, for then will ye be overthrown, to your own ruin’.” (Qur’an 5:20-21)

The Muslim world’s negligence to recognize and fulfill these statements is not only motivated by their avowed hatred of the Jews, but to push their agenda of creating a country for the Muslim ethnic minority labeled as Palestinians, at the expense of Israel’s Biblical land.

We remember the PLO’s attempt to overthrow King Hussein in order to take over his country, which ended up in the Black September massacre of thousands of Palestinians in Jordan, that led to the PLO’s infamous massacre of the entire Israeli delegation for the 1972 Munich Olympic games. Instead of keeping fighting against Hussein and claim Jordan as their true country, the then leader of the PLO, Yasser Arafat, focused on the destruction of the Jewish state.

These are President Donald Trump’s words: “Today we finally acknowledge the obvious: That Jerusalem is Israel’s capital.”

We welcome the obvious in this statement, and it must be also obvious for the rest of the world. Israel exists as a Divine will stated in the Bible, recognized by the peoples who believe in it. No wonder the Christians who believe in the Bible joined in praise of Trump’s bold decision, because Jerusalem is a Jewish occurrence, not a Muslim or a Christian occurrence.

The land of Israel and Jerusalem are the places where the Jews were commanded by the Bible to build a Temple for their God, as the ruling principle that defines in the Torah the Jewish identity, and its purpose in this world.

Thus we understand that Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel for the Jews to fulfill their God’s commandment to make a place for Him to dwell in their midst. Thus Isaiah’s prophecy will be finally fulfilled, as expected by those who believe in the Bible.

“I have brought them [Israel] unto My holy mountain, and caused them to rejoice in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices are for a pleasing thing on My altar, for My house, ‘A house of prayer’ is called for all the peoples.” (Isaiah 56:7)