Palestine and Israel

75 years of settler-colonialism and apartheid

Ancient city of Jerusalem. Photo by Avnerr.

Jerusalem is one of the world’s oldest cities, dating from around 2000 BCE. Occupied and conquered by a long succession of peoples, it has been destroyed at least twice, besieged 23 times, captured, and recaptured 44 times and attacked 52 times.

Jerusalem is a sacred city in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. It is considered to be the cradle of Christianity, where Jesus preached, healed, was crucified and resurrected. Jerusalem is the third-holiest city in Islam, after Mecca and Medina. Muhammad originally led prayers towards Jerusalem. And, it has been the holiest city in Judaism and the spiritual homeland of the Jewish people since the 10th century BCE; Jews outside Jerusalem pray in its direction.

The Foundation Rock over which the Dome of the Rock was built. Photo by Catay Cagatay

The Temple Mount, a hill in the Old City of Jerusalem, has been revered by all three religions for thousands of years. According to the Hebrew Bible, the Temple Mount is the site where King Solomon built his temple in 930 BCE. King Solomon, known as the Prophet Suleiman by Muslims, is revered in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. At the center of the Temple Mount is the al-Aqsa Mosque or Dome of the Rock, 691–692 CE, the world’s oldest surviving…