The most recent
effort to hammer out an
agreement between Israel and the Palestinians at Camp
David collapsed in failure, as have all preceding
efforts. The Israelis blame the Palestinians. The
Palestinians blame the Israelis. Both sides accuse the
US of being biased for the other. And the
stumbling-block, as President Bush announced as the
summit collapsed, was Jerusalem.
The [Ignored] Issue Behind
the Conflict:
Always, it comes down to Jerusalem. And when it does, it
stops the peace process dead in its tracks. Why is this
one, dusty little city in the middle of a tiny country so valuable to both sides? Jerusalem has none of the
qualities that explain the founding of a great city. It
isn't by a seaport. It isn't on a river. It isn't on a
trade route or caravan trail. It isn't on a major
natural source of fresh water. It isn't strategically
located for military defense purposes. There has been
only one reason for the centuries of passion that have
been lavished upon it. Jerusalem's earliest history ties
it to the realm of the spirit and God. It was first
mentioned in Genesis 14:18-20, circa 2000 BC,
as being
the home of Melchizedek, the mysterious but great Priest
of the Most High God to whom even Abraham bowed and gave
tithes. The city was then called Salem (peace).
After this, it was the home
of a fierce people called
the Jebusites. Many of these people were giants (see As in the Days of Noah),
standing more than eight feet tall. Even Joshua and Caleb could not drive them out. So
until King David, the City was
called Jebus and Israelites lived there under their
rule.
David finally defeated the Jebusites with an
amazing victory in spite of their heavy fortifications
and huge warriors. Psalm 24 records how the Jebusites
taunted David and his army and mocked the God of Israel.
That was their big mistake. David entreated Israel's God
to enable him to defeat them and He did. So a little
over 1000 years before the birth of Christ, David
established it as the eternal capital of Israel by God's
command. The city that had been called Jebus and Salem
became Jerusalem, the City of Peace.
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