Dumper, Mick. "Jerusalem: Then and Now"
Khaladi, Rashid. "The History of Jerusalem"
Rubin, Rehav "Jerusalem: The Holy Ciy through the Ages"
Pressman, Jeremy. "A Brief History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict"
History's Story
Each article strives to layout the sequence of events throughout history with the aim to layout some sort of timeline that shows the transfer of control and influence of the three monolithic faiths. As someone who has never been to Jerusalem, I was surprised when I read how Jerusalem was never a city known for its agricultural riches. Rather, this is a city that is almost out of the way. It is the religious attachments to this city which make it such a special city, a holy city. There are important sites for each religion throughout the city. It is sad that there is such a divide.
The part that stood out the most to me out of these articles, comes from "A Brief History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict". Towards the end of the article, Pressman writes, "consider which side [Arab/Israeli] was content with the status quo and which side had revisionist aims (revising or overruling the status quo)". This, in my opinion, illustrates how so many agreements and talks fail. The side that is content does not want to bend, unless the talks are in support of their side.
What will be interesting to look out for how the Arab Spring affects this conflict. There are protests happening in Israel, but from last I heard, the conflict was not a part of the issues being brought to discussion. As for the Arab side, I believe that Palestine is in the process of applying to statehood, or at least to some sort of state capacity within the UN.
The part that stood out the most to me out of these articles, comes from "A Brief History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict". Towards the end of the article, Pressman writes, "consider which side [Arab/Israeli] was content with the status quo and which side had revisionist aims (revising or overruling the status quo)". This, in my opinion, illustrates how so many agreements and talks fail. The side that is content does not want to bend, unless the talks are in support of their side.
What will be interesting to look out for how the Arab Spring affects this conflict. There are protests happening in Israel, but from last I heard, the conflict was not a part of the issues being brought to discussion. As for the Arab side, I believe that Palestine is in the process of applying to statehood, or at least to some sort of state capacity within the UN.
I also was intrigued by the fact that the city does not have natural resources. How interesting that it became such an important spot.
ReplyDeleteIt is so interesting how you point out the quote from the end of the Pressman article. It always seems as though each side is trying to catch up with each other, and no one is really achieving anything in the process. Hopefully the more we learn about the conflict this will become clearer or perhaps more blurry.
The fact that Jerusalem is short of most natural resources makes me wonder what it would be like today without religion. Would there be people fighting over it? Probably not. It's just so interesting to examine how religion can distort people's view of one another. Kinda sad..
ReplyDelete