The definition of "double standard" is declaring the capital city of just one country – of the 193 United Nations member states – "invalid."
Compounding the absurdity is that this particular city – Jerusalem, dedicated 4,000 years ago by Abraham – predates every other capital city on the planet.
As British parliamentarian Benjamin Disraeli quipped when targeted by an anti-Semitic slur: “When my ancestors were priests in the Temple of Solomon, yours were brutal savages on an unknown island."
Imagine the absurdity of UN Resolution 2334, stating that Israel’s presence in Jerusalem is illegal. Would anyone seriously suggest to disconnect Christianity from the Vatican or Islam from Mecca?
Jerusalem is referenced 640 times in the Jewish Bible, crowned the eternal capital of Israel by King David over 3,000 years ago. Jews, wherever dispersed around the globe, yearn for Jerusalem at every Jewish wedding, Passover Seder, and daily prayers.
“Next year, an American Embassy in Jerusalem” was never part of our lexicon, Shmuel Rosner quipped in a New York Times op-ed.
So upon hearing the news of the US government implementing US law, the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, I merely shrugged my shoulders, as did many people in Israel.
Is acknowledging a basic fact of history suddenly "earth-shattering news"?
Why is acknowledging a basic fact of history, correcting a historic injustice, expressing the obvious, and refusing to deny reality, suddenly deemed "earth-shattering news"?
Does anyone think that the Jewish people, who survived Inquisitions and Holocaust, have returned to our land in order to be cowered by violent and diplomatic threats? Have we become so accustomed to vilification of the Jewish State, surviving on the fickle goodwill of other nations, that achieving normalization is a cause for celebration?
Yet such is our topsy-turvy world. In such a world, crass politics, delusion, and anti-Semitic hatred is directed against the city most emblematic of humanity's greatest truths and yearnings, the city of priests and prophets, a light of transcendence which taught the world "Love your neighbor."
In response, Arabs promise more "days of rage" and pundits predict regional conflagration. Yet does anyone truly believe that ISIS, Hezbollah, Hamas, and nuclear Iran are secondary issues – while the obvious truth of Jewish Jerusalem will "set the Middle East ablaze"?
Why Jerusalem?
Denial of Jewish connection to Jerusalem is fueled by those who seek to destroy the Jewish State. That is why, in an attempt to airbrush the past, everyone from the Babylonians to Romans, Crusaders and Jordanians, have expelled the Jews from Jerusalem and destroyed its holy sites.
This denial of Jewish Jerusalem persists today. In the words of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, the Jewish people "claim that 2,000 years ago they had a Temple. I challenge the claim that this is so." The Palestine News Network pushed the line that "the Wailing [Western] Wall is an integral part of the al-Aqsa Mosque, and it is exclusively Islamic… and non-Muslims have no right to it, even to the dust of the Wailing Wall." Speaking on Palestinian TV, researcher Dr. Hayel Sanduqa claimed that the well-known verse from Psalm 137, "If I forget thee, oh Jerusalem," is not a Jewish source at all, but rather words uttered by a Christian Crusader, now "falsified in the name of Zionism."
Jerusalem embodies a vision of our perfected world.
And the mainstream media is frequently complicit. London’s Daily Telegraph referred to “the Temple Mount, where the two Jewish temples of antiquity are believed to have been built,” and Time magazine identified the “Dome of the Rock, where Jews believe Solomon and Herod built the First and Second Temples.” Not an indisputable fact of history; just something that “Jews believe.”
In referring to the Temple Mount, Associated Press, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, et al, typically cite the Muslim-Arabic name – “Haram al-Sharif, the Noble Sanctuary.” But in tens of thousands of mainstream news articles, did you ever once see the Temple Mount referred to by its Hebrew name, “Har Habayit”?
A final irony: The den of anti-Semitism, United Nations headquarters in New York, bear on its walls the words of Isaiah: "They will beat their swords into plowshares." Yet let us not forget the verse immediately preceding: “For out of Zion shall go forth Torah, and the word of God from Jerusalem.”
Jerusalem embodies the Jewish vision of a perfected world, humanity's best hope for peace.
Diplomatic developments aside, it is a vision we surrender at our peril.
(14) Anonymous, January 20, 2021 8:29 PM
This article speaks the truth.
(13) Anna Bortsova, February 20, 2018 11:08 PM
I agree
It is hard to see through political dust. But Jerusalem has always been and will always be the place of redemption. Satan has always hated God, therefore he is trying to take, grab, steal the city of Jerusalem from her lawful owners to STOP redemption on earth. I know who is going to win the battle - God of Israel!
(12) Anonymous, December 13, 2017 3:07 AM
Shraga you nailed it as usual! in the spirit of chanukah and advertising the mircle, we the recipients of the advertising get it, the rest of ..... do not. Love your closing paragraph.
absila
(11) Dr. Prechard B. M. Basaiawmoit, December 11, 2017 4:16 PM
Funny, Israel cannot decide on its own capital
I'm amused that there is so much reaction around the world to President Trump deciding to relocate the US Embassy to Jerusalem.
Cannot the US Government make its choice with the approval and allotment of land by the Israeli Government ? Is this not the norm and practice in every other sovereign country ? Then why such a big cry with threats ?
Jerusalem, is indeed the oldest city, though ravished from time to time as per biblical records and the Bible is not a myth and not mythological but a record of historical events, including the building and destruction of Jerusalem, ( Heb., city of peace), building and destruction of the first temple built by King Solomon who is not a mythological figure but son of King David, the son of Jesse.
Those who vehemently deny this fact, perhaps do not believe and subscribe to the biblical records but history is history and Israel has every right to shift its capital from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem and let there be temples, churches and mosques in Jerusalem.
(10) Lowell, December 11, 2017 1:20 AM
Thanks for ...?
Thanks for what? If the truth be told, most of the world owes the Jew an apology. For almost 19 centuries Jews have suffered at the hands of humanity and 98% of that was in the name of God, Jesus, and the Church. Jerusalem predates every capitol City in the world. Thank you is inappropriate, the response by those who know God should be “it’s about time!” Most people are misunderstanding the real issue here, it’s not who recognizes Jerusalem first, or Israel as a state. The world is not fighting the Jew, they are fighting the person the Jews are so devoted to - God. Does anybody really believe that Donald Trump is man of character, values, and is guided by a moral compass? Sure he is the president and the office should be respected, but there is a great force at work here and that force will not be thwarted. The Palestinians are a farce and the world has been entertained by their claims. Who speaks Palestinian? Who writes in the Palestinian language? Where is their history of literature, art, science, medicine? Still looking? Good luck, you’ll never find it. Palestina aka “Palestine” was a creation of the Romans following the Roman siege 132-35 A.D.. For two thousand years prior, it was called the land of Judah and was Home to the nation of Israel and it’s capitol was and still is Jerusalem. So, please let’s be honest with the facts.
(9) Janina, December 10, 2017 9:05 PM
President Trump is the first to break silence and recognize Jerusalem the capital city of Israel. It is an example of courage, respect for historical justice and solidarity of a small nation. I hope that slow and sure other countries will recognize this too, for a thousand-miles journey begins with the first step...
(8) Anonymous, December 10, 2017 4:33 AM
Ingratitude is a base vice
American President Donald J. Trump became the first president to acknowledge that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. That was followed within hours by a similar announcement from the Czech Republic. More announcements are expected from Tanzania, Ghana, Hungary, and the Philippines. I think an acknowledgment of thanks on our part is also in order to this modern-day Cyrus.
I have not forgotten that the previous president provided $150 billion for Iran, who promised to wipe Israel off the map. The vile expressions of contempt for President Trump in the comments section, along with the flippant attitude of the author, constitute a poignant reminder of why this exile continues.
(7) Anonymous, December 9, 2017 8:30 PM
mjk agrees
This article was very interesting and I thought the author wrote it in an especially good way. I hadn't been aware of the details of this event. I always appreciate the Aish site and learn from it each week.
(6) Anonymous, December 8, 2017 12:57 PM
Something which seems to have been forgotten
Yes, of course Trump made quite a few campaign promises. However, his statement WAS arbitrary. Did he discuss what he was going to say with any members of his administration before he released his statement? I think not. The United States is not an episode of The Apprentice, and yet he thinks he he can make unilateral decisions about any issue he chooses.
Anonymous, December 10, 2017 6:58 AM
Actually he can make unilateral decisions about many things. And what was his decision that seems to bother you? To acknowledge an already existing fact. How sad that others before him were too cowardly to do the same.
(5) Anonymous, December 7, 2017 7:56 PM
Don't confuse 'em with the truth
Well written and pointedly on target! I hope you sent this in to be printed in the NY Times and elsewhere.
(4) Hilel Salomon, December 7, 2017 5:49 PM
It isn't just a biblical justification
I agree. The media has generally ignored the fact that Russia recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital back in April. No one pushed for internalionization when Jordan was desecrating Jewish sites.
(3) Anonymous, December 7, 2017 3:53 PM
pointless
Since it is so obvious to us, I see no reason to endanger our precarious existence in exile even to the slightest degree in the name of making it "official" in the eyes of the nations.
Rachel, December 8, 2017 5:44 AM
And what happens when there's violence against US military and diplomats
Every US president since Harry Truman refrained from making a pronouncement on Yerushalyim because they all knew there could be consequences for US personnel overseas.
As a Jew, I always pray for peace of Yerushalyim. As an American, I pray for the safety of my fellow Americans posted overseas.
(2) MESA, December 7, 2017 2:45 PM
Yerushalayim is our eternal capital. We Jews have always known that. But I think that it's wrong to dismiss Trump's announcement with a shrug. What he did was brave considering the upsurge of Anti-Semitism today. And apparently, there are some other countries that are following suit. Now, I'm praying for my friends and relatives in Eretz Yisrael.
Anonymous, December 7, 2017 4:34 PM
To commenter #2 Mesa
I disagree that Trump's announcement was brave. Trump does what he feels like doing whenever he feels like doing it with no regard for any consequences. His ties to Russia are being investigated and I think it is quite possible that he made this announcement to divert attention from the Russian investigation. I sincerely hope there is very little backlash from his announcement, and I will daven for this as I light my candles on Shabbos and during the 8 nights of Chanukah.
MESA, December 7, 2017 5:58 PM
To Anonymous
If this was just a distraction tactic, Trump could've said a lot of different things that would've worked a lot better. And a number of past presidents could've used this as a distraction tactic as well (some needed that more than others), but they didn't. The fact is that he made this statement when no other world leader ever had the courage to do so. And no matter his motives, it was still the right thing to do whether the rest of the world agrees with him or not.
PC, December 7, 2017 6:40 PM
Campaign promise
Rather than Trump "doing whenever he feels like doing it with no regard for any consequences", this was a campaign promise from more than a year ago. The problem some people are having is that here's a man who actually is doing what he said he would do...not like the usual politician. Oh, and yes, it was a brave move: again, not like the usual politician. :)
(1) Anonymous, December 7, 2017 12:34 PM
And now I have clarity
Upon hearing the news yesterday, my emotions were like a seesaw. You are the second person to make the statement that I just read.