Venerated for millennia by three faiths, torn by irreconcilable conflict, conquered, rebuilt, and mourned for again and again, Jerusalem is a sacred city whose very sacredness has engendered terrible tragedy. In this fascinating volume, Karen Armstrong, author of the highly praised A History of God, traces the history of how Jews, Christians, and Muslims have all laid claim to Jerusalem as their holy place, and how three radically different concepts of holiness have shaped and scarred the city for thousands of years. Armstrong unfolds a complex story of spiritual upheaval and political transformation--from King David's capital to an administrative outpost of the Roman Empire, from the cosmopolitan city sanctified by Christ to the spiritual center conquered and glorified by Muslims, from the gleaming prize of European Crusaders to the bullet-ridden symbol of the present-day Arab-Israeli conflict. Written with grace and clarity, the product of years of meticulous research, Jerusalem combines the pageant of history with the profundity of searching spiritual analysis. Like Karen Armstrong's A History of God, Jerusalem is a book for the ages. BONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Karen Armstrong's Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life.

To Whom Was The Promised Land Promised? - Some Fundamental Truths About The Arab-Israeli Conflict stands alone in its field. For anyone seeking information or guidance on the Arab-Israeli century-long conflict, this book will be the first book to consult. The object of Abraham Sion's research is to ascertain ownership of the legal right to the territory of Mandatory Palestine under international law. The two competitors were the Arab nation on the one hand and the Jewish people on the other. The author juxtaposes the legal rights of both parties to make this determination. Sion's research is concerned with the legal aspects of the conflict. He does not seek to establish who is morally right or wrong, or who has been the aggressor or the victim among the parties, even though these attributes can be sporadically deduced from the historical facts presented in this work. In the same vein, the book is not a political dissertation. It does not consider the issue from a political point of view, e.g., whether territories captured during the Six-Day-War should be exchanged for peace or whether a Palestinian State should be established in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Sion's conclusions are staggering.

A spellbinding history of the hidden world below the Holy City—a saga of biblical treasures, intrepid explorers, and political upheaval “A sweeping tale of archaeological exploits and their cultural and political consequences told with a historian’s penchant for detail and a journalist’s flair for narration.” —Washington Post In 1863, a French senator arrived in Jerusalem hoping to unearth relics dating to biblical times. Digging deep underground, he discovered an ancient grave that, he claimed, belonged to an Old Testament queen. News of his find ricocheted around the world, evoking awe and envy alike, and inspiring others to explore Jerusalem’s storied past. In the century and a half since the Frenchman broke ground, Jerusalem has drawn a global cast of fortune seekers and missionaries, archaeologists and zealots, all of them eager to extract the biblical past from beneath the city’s streets and shrines. Their efforts have had profound effects, not only on our understanding of Jerusalem’s history, but on its hotly disputed present. The quest to retrieve ancient Jewish heritage has sparked bloody riots and thwarted international peace agreements. It has served as a cudgel, a way to stake a claim to the most contested city on the planet. Today, the earth below Jerusalem remains a battleground in the struggle to control the city above. Under Jerusalem takes readers into the tombs, tunnels, and trenches of the Holy City. It brings to life the indelible characters who have investigated this subterranean landscape. With clarity and verve, acclaimed journalist Andrew Lawler reveals how their pursuit has not only defined the conflict over modern Jerusalem, but could provide a map for two peoples and three faiths to peacefully coexist.

This book explains the historical roots of the conflict between Jews and Arabs, which has lost none of its explosiveness to the present day, in a comprehensive and easy-to-understand manner. The question of who owns the Holy Land is more relevant today than ever. The debates on this topic are often characterized by ignorance and strong emotions, while partiality and power interests still obscure the view on the political situation in the Middle East. Shaking up old myths and prejudices, this book presents an overall historical as well as political analysis of the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim structures, actors, and actions from the very beginning to this very day, as well as a topical analysis. It combines history with theology and political science. Thus, the book is a must-read for scholars and students of political science, history, and international relations, as well as policy-makers, interested in a better understanding of the historical background and current political situation in the Middle East.

"The widely held assumption that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory is a temporary situation and that the 'peace process' will soon bring an end to Israeli abuses has obscured the reality on the ground today of Israel's entrenched discriminatory rule over Palestinians. A single authority, the Israeli government, rules primarily over the area between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea, populated by two groups of roughly equal size, methodologically privileging Jewish Israelis while repressing Palestinians, most severely in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), made-up of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza. Drawing on years of human rights documentation, case studies and a review of government planning documents, statements by officials and other sources, [this report] examines Israel's treatment of Palestinians and evaluates whether particular Israeli policies and practices in certain areas amount to the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution."--Page 4 of cover.

Jews, Muslims, Christians, believers, nonbelievers, residents, tourists, and so many others have ocked for millennia to the cultural richness of Jerusalem. It is one of the world's greatest crossroads, hosting the variety that is humanity. From her stunning viewpoint, Michal Safdie invites you to see what she sees every day. Perched up on a hill in the Old City of Jerusalem, along the fragile bor- der between the Jewish and Muslim Quarters, is the home of Michal Ronnen Safdie. Facing east, it overlooks the Western Wall precinct, the Dome of the Rock, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. To the north unfolds the Muslim Quarter with Mount Scopus in the skyline; to the west, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Christian Quarter. Directly under her window is a narrow alley, through which thousands of people pass every day. The alley is a conduit. It is a passage for those entering the Old City through Dung Gate on the south side-mostly Palestinians making their way to their workplaces, schools, markets. It is the route of Christians to the Holy Sepulcher and of Muslim pil- grims during Ramadan, and other holidays, on their way to the Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount). It is also the path connecting Jews residing in the Jewish Quarter and in the western part of the city, to the Wailing Wall (Western Wall). The view from the window o ers two contrasting perspectives. Across toward the Western Wall precinct: vast ceremonial spaces, and the sil- houette of the Old City quarters. Directly below, in the alley and terraces: a great variety of people seeking the sacred as well as the morning and evening cycles of life's routines. The photographs capture personal moments alongside large-scale public events in the city of Jerusalem, where belief and ritual significantly shape day-to-day life.

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