Jerusalem and the Jewish people are so intertwined that telling the history of one is telling the history of the other. For more than 3,000 years, Jerusalem has played a central role in the history of the Jews, culturally, politically, and spiritually, a role first documented in the Scriptures. All through the 2,000 years of the diaspora, Jews have called Jerusalem their ancestral home. This sharply contrasts the relationship between Jerusalem and those who inflate Islam’s links to the city.

 

Consider the number of times “Jerusalem” is mentioned in the two religions’ holy books: The Old Testament mentions “Jerusalem” 349 times. “Zion,” another name for “Jerusalem,” is mentioned 108 times. The Quran never mentions Jerusalem – not even once.

 

The Arab rulers who controlled Jerusalem through the 1950s and 1960s demonstrated no religious tolerance in a city that gave birth to two major Western religions. That changed after the Six-Day War in 1967, when Israel regained control of the whole city. Symbolically, one of Israel's first steps was to officially recognize and respect all religious interests in Jerusalem. But the war for control of Jerusalem and its religious sites continues.