Jerusalem is an Occupied City :: “Fake News” or Just “Outdated News?”

Mainstream media and left-wing groups of all sizes such as the United Nations, with all of their anti-Israel biases, insist that Jerusalem is an Arab or Muslim city that is being occupied by Israel. They go to great lengths to deny the basic facts of history and point to anything that they can to support these absurd claims. And, every time we see this, it’s our job to point out the lies — sometimes labeling them as “fake news.” However, at One Jerusalem, we would just like to point out that calling Jerusalem an “occupied city” is actually “outdated news.” Jerusalem has finally returned to its rightful place in history with Jewish sovereignty. The truth is, Jerusalem has been occupied many times over during its several thousand years of existence — it’s just that Jerusalem is no longer occupied, as it was finally returned to Israel exactly 50 years ago!

Illustrative Photo Credit: Rex Hammock [License]

The first king of the Israelites, King David, made Jerusalem the capital of Israel’s First Commonwealth in the year 866 BCE (nearly 2,900 years ago). King Solomon then built the First Holy Temple on the Temple Mount in approximately 832 BCE. Since then the city was conquered and occupied by (to name a few): the Babylonian Empire; the Persian Achaemenid Empire; a return of the Jews who built the Second Holy Temple in the exact same location as the First during Israel’s Second Commonwealth; the ancient Romans then destroyed the Second Temple and occupied Jerusalem; then the ancient Greeks; the Byzantine Persians and then Christians; the Caliph Omar and the Umayyad Dynasty in approximately the year 660 CE (note — this is the first time the Muslims occupied Jerusalem — well over 1,500 years AFTER Israel’s First Commonwealth!); Jerusalem then continued to be conquered and occupied by the First Crusaders; Saladin during the Ayyubid Period; the Mamluks; the Ottomans; the British; and then the newly created country of Trans-Jordan from 1948 until 1967, who occupied the eastern section of the city. Of note, it wasn’t until this time period of 19 years that Jerusalem had ever been divided into East and West.

The rebirth of Jewish sovereignty in Israel in 1948 brought about Jerusalem being reclaimed as Israel’s capital city. At that time, Israel opened the city to peaceful people of all faiths to visit and worship. However, it wasn’t until 1967, when Israel miraculously defended herself in the Six Day War, that Jerusalem was reunified as Israel’s undivided, eternal capital. This rectified thousands of years of occupation, returning Jerusalem to its rightful ownership. This also allowed Israel to open the entire city, with all of its holy sites, to the people of the world in peace. So, to be accurate — it is “outdated news” to say that Jerusalem is “occupied” and certainly “fake news” to claim that it is an Arab or Muslim city.

If you doubt any of the facts of history or current day reality, we invite you to come and visit the holy capital of Israel and experience it for yourself! We invite all peaceful people to visit Jerusalem and celebrate the Jubilee Year of the reunification of Israel’s capital — irrespective of race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin or ancestry!

You can sign the Jerusalem Petition here, to support the holy city.