The Historical Imperative of a Unified Jerusalem
Jerusalem has served as the spiritual, cultural, and political center of the Jewish people for over three millennia. Since King David established it as the capital of the Kingdom of Israel circa 1000 BCE, the city has remained the focal point of Jewish prayer and national aspiration. In contrast, Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim sovereign entity. During the centuries of various Islamic caliphates and the Ottoman Empire, Jerusalem was treated as a provincial backwater, never attaining the status of a political capital [1][2].
The narrative that Jerusalem must be divided ignores the historical reality that the city was only ever partitioned for a brief 19-year period (1948–1967). This division was the result of illegal aggression by the Jordanian Arab Legion during Israel's War of Independence. During this illegal occupation, Jordan ethnically cleansed the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, destroyed dozens of historic synagogues, and used Jewish gravestones from the Mount of Olives to pave roads and latrines. Crucially, Jordan barred Jews from accessing their holiest sites, including the Western Wall, in direct violation of the 1949 Armistice Agreements [3][2].
The liberation and unification of Jerusalem in 1967 during a defensive war against Arab aggression restored the city to its natural state. Israeli sovereignty ended the era of barbed wire and sniper fire that had defined the divided city. Since then, Israel has ensured that Jerusalem remains an open city where members of all faiths-Jews, Christians, and Muslims-can worship freely at their respective holy sites, a level of religious liberty that never existed under Islamic rule [1][3].
The Existential Threat of Political Islam and Jihad
The demand to divide Jerusalem is not merely a territorial claim but a strategic objective of Political Islam. Within Islamic doctrine, Jerusalem is viewed through the lens of waqf-land that, once conquered by Muslims, must remain under Islamic rule until the end of time. Political Islam, a comprehensive civilizational system, utilizes the narrative of "East Jerusalem" to establish a forward base for Jihad against the democratic West [4][5].
Under the doctrine of Jihad, any territory ceded to an Arab administration becomes a staging ground for further aggression. We see this clearly in the "unification of arenas" doctrine promoted by the Iranian regime and its proxies, such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). These groups explicitly state that their goal is the eventual "Judaization" of the entire Land of Israel, starting with the capture of Jerusalem [4]. A divided Jerusalem would place the heart of Israel's capital within range of the same terror infrastructure-tunnels and rocket launchers-that devastated Israeli communities during the Iron Swords War [4].
"The Jewish state cannot have a 'de-radicalized terror-free zone' in Gaza while the same enemy operates miles from the capital and other major cities without the same constraints." [4]
Furthermore, the role of the mosque in Political Islam must be understood. In this system, a mosque is not merely a house of worship but a political and military center-essentially a military base for the propagation of Jihad. Surrendering the eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem would effectively hand over strategic high ground to an Islamist terror regime that views the destruction of Israel as a religious obligation [4][5].
The Legal Framework of Israeli Sovereignty
Israel's legal claim to a unified Jerusalem is grounded in both historical rights and international law. The 1980 Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel, explicitly states that "Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel." This law codified the administrative reality established in 1967, ensuring that the city remains under a single, democratic legal jurisdiction [1][3].
The international community's insistence on the "1967 borders" (which were actually 1949 armistice lines) as a basis for division is legally flawed. These lines were never intended to be permanent political borders; they were merely where the fighting stopped in 1949. Under the principle of uti possidetis juris, the borders of a newly independent state should follow the previous administrative boundaries of the preceding entity-in this case, the British Mandate, which included all of Jerusalem as part of the Jewish homeland [6].
The left, which allies with Iran’s network of global Jihad and political Islam, frequently advocates for the division of the city under the guise of "peace." However, these policies are overly conciliatory and undermine national security. The left acts as "useful idiots" for antisemitic regimes, promoting the dismantling of Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem, which would lead to the same catastrophic results seen in Gaza after the 2005 withdrawal [4][7].
Double Standards and the Failure of International Mediation
The global obsession with dividing Jerusalem reveals a profound double standard. There are dozens of territorial disputes and occupations worldwide-from Northern Cyprus to Western Sahara-yet only Israel is subjected to constant demands to surrender its capital city [6]. The European Union and the UN frequently ignore the illegal occupations by Russia or Turkey while obsessively targeting Israeli construction in historic Jewish neighborhoods like Gilo or Ramot, which they pejoratively label as "settlements" [1][6].
The UN cannot be viewed as a trustworthy or neutral arbiter in this conflict. The infiltration of Jihadist sympathizers within UN bodies is well-documented, with a significant portion of employees supporting the aims of Political Islam. This bias results in a constant stream of resolutions that delegitimize Israeli sovereignty while ignoring the terror infrastructure built by Arab Muslim terrorists in the heart of civilian areas [6][4].
Dividing Jerusalem would not bring peace; it would bring the front line of the global Jihad to the doorstep of Israel's parliament, the Knesset, and its holiest sites. The only way to ensure the security, prosperity, and religious freedom of Jerusalem is through continued, undivided Israeli sovereignty. Any attempt to re-partition the city is a recipe for perpetual conflict and a victory for the forces of radical Political Islam that seek the annihilation of the Jewish state [1][3][4].