Jerusalem is an ancient city and capital of the State of Israel, located in the center of the country. The Palestinian Authority also lays claim to Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.
Jerusalem is considered a holy city by major religions, chiefly Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Jerusalem is a host to many religious sites, especially within the walls of the old city. The Temple Mount is remains of the Jewish temples, and the holiest site in Judaism. Jews often pray at the Western Wall, or Kotel, a retaining wall for the Temple Mount built by Herod the Great. On the temple mount now sit the al-Aqsa and Dome of the Rock mosques, the former being the 3rd holiest site in Islam. Several chirstian sites, such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, are important to many sects of Christianity.
As it is the political capital of Israel, Jerusalem is home to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. There are also ministries that have their headquarters in Jerusalem, such as the Foreign Ministry. The status of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is not recognized by all international actors. However, embassies of states such as the US reside in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is built on several hills, and has a cooler climate than many other major cities. One of its aesthetic features is that buildings are made with Jerusalem stone, a pale white-yellow limestone.
Jerusalem has been the center of Jewish life since Davidic times. In its history, it has been conquered and destroyed dozens of times by invading armies and empires. However, there has always been a Jewish presence in Jerusalem. In late 1800 Ottoman censuses, Jews were a majority of the population of Jerusalem. However, Jerusalem was set to be an international city in initial partition plans in the late 1940s. Following the Israeli War of Independence, Jerusalem was split between east and west, with the east side being in the possession of Jordan. In 1967, Israel retook east Jerusalem, and the bulk of Jewish holy sites. In 1980, the Knesset passed the “Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel” which establishes a united Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and under complete Israeli sovereignty.
Despite challenges, the Jerusalem International Writers Festival, featuring John Irving and Simon Schama, perseveres, aiming to unite amid grief and promote literature's solace.
There is nothing like Israel, neither in beauty nor in character, but we as Israelis must strengthen our economy. So we jumped to 24 hours in Jerusalem.
‘I was pro-Israel in 1981, and I’m not less pro-Israel now,’ says acclaimed novelist.
Despite the reams of writings about Jerusalem, studying its Iron Age has proven challenging in terms of absolute chronology.
The event will be held at the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem, which will also host an Independence Day morning prayer service.
"We have stopped playing nice," they said. "Whoever abandons the hostages and our future will be met with significant and fierce non-violent resistance,"The Day After organization added.
Protesters chanted "We won't allow the abandonment of the hostages" and "their time is running out, a deal is on the table."
Despite the joyous occasion, the mood in Israel is somber with ongoing war casting a shadow over the celebrations. Many soldiers are unable to join their families for the traditional Seder meal.
Police arrested 21 individuals suspected of planning a Passover sacrifice in Jerusalem. The Hanenu organization's legal center was notified of eight arrests.
The terror suspects exited the vehicle after the ramming attack and attempted to open fire on nearby pedestrians with an improvised weapon, but failed.