From The River To The Sea There Should Be: Peace – OpEd
If there is to be an end to terrorism and war in the Middle East there needs to be a dialogue about sharing Jerusalem; and now during the Hamas-Israel War is a good time to start it. Although it might seem impossible now, I do believe that within a decade or two Muslims will visit Jerusalem and pray together with Jews as Prophet Isaiah states:
“In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. In that day Israel will join a three-party alliance with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing upon the heart. The LORD of Hosts will bless them saying, “Blessed be Egypt My people, Assyria My handiwork, and Israel My inheritance.” …(Isaiah 19:23-5) And then “Nation shall not lift sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. (Isaiah 2:4)
As Dr. Mohamed Chtatou, a Professor at a university in Rabat, Morocco writes: “After the current (Hamas-Israel) war, Israel’s ultra-nationalist coalition will undoubtedly be undermined by public opinion, and probably by a commission of inquiry. If the Palestinian Authority were to agree to take over Gaza – backed by the international reconstruction aid that would inevitably arrive – and if a centrist coalition government were to emerge in Israel, everything would once again be possible. Two difficult “ifs” perhaps, but there is no serious alternative.”
Reform Rabbis Ron Kronish and Allen Maller say that according to Rabbi Art Vernon, the concept of an ideal or heavenly Jerusalem appears to emerge in Jewish tradition in the second century CE. There is a midrash, a rabbinic homily, in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, a leading rabbinic figure in Tiberias in the early third century, who asserts, (Rabbi Art Vernon, “The Heavenly Jerusalem,” in My Jewish Learning, https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-heavenly-jerusalem/. part) that in the future the earthly and the heavenly Jerusalem will be reunited as one.
This teaching is based on Psalms 122:3, “Jerusalem built up, a city knit together.” According to the midrash, ‘knit together’ means the aspirational uniting of the earthly Jerusalem with the heavenly Jerusalem as one; or in modern terms ‘knit together’ means Isralies and Palestians.
According to Rabbi Vernon: “The midrash in which Rabbi Yochanan is cited raises the question as to whether the heavenly Jerusalem is simply a template or mirror image of the earthly Jerusalem, or a reality unto itself that one day will materialize on earth. From the context, it can be assumed that one rabbi believed that the heavenly Jerusalem exists intact regardless of the state of the earthly Jerusalem.
Rabbi Yochanan seems to argue that it is only when the earthly Jerusalem is restored fully that the heavenly Jerusalem will be realized fully as well. The Heavenly Jerusalem is an aspirational one – the pluralistic, open, inclusive, harmonious one – in which Jews, Christians, and Muslims could live together in harmony and peace. In this Jerusalem, we would all even be able to pray together in the Old City of Jerusalem, and even on Temple Mount, where, according to the Prophet Isaiah, ” My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples” (Isaiah 56:7).
According to this ideal, Jerusalem would be a city that is shared by Jews, Christians, and Muslims in a spirit of mutual understanding and continual cooperation. This, of course, is a messianic understanding of Jerusalem, one that we should aspire to and endeavor to make happen, at the same time as we realize that it may take a long time to achieve it.
Part of this vision of Jerusalem is the idea that Jerusalem is meant to be a holy city (ir hakadosh), one of the holiest cities in the world. For example, in the traditional Jewish prayer of thanksgiving after eating a meal, we pray: “Let Jerusalem, the holy city, be renewed in our time. We praise You, God, for you rebuild Jerusalem with compassion.”
Indeed, the hope for the rebuilding of Jerusalem is part of the foundational nature of traditional Judaism. Another prominent example of this can be found at the end of the Passover seder, when we say: Next Year in Jerusalem (L’shanah Ha-ba b’yerushalim), which was once meant to be a messianic wish but has now become a reality! (in Israel, they say: Next Year in a Rebuilt Jerusalem, which implies that Jerusalem is already in the process of being rebuilt!) The central idea being expressed here is that Jerusalem should be holy, special, unique, different from all secular cities.
This, of course, puts a heavy burden on Jerusalem, one that is very difficult to achieve now, but nevertheless one that we should continue to guide to consciousness, one to which we should persist in aspiring. However, there is Earthly Jerusalem, the physical (as opposed to the metaphysical) Jerusalem, the real city with real people of flesh and blood, who struggle to live together in some form of complicated coexistence on a daily basis, despite the constant political, security, theological, and social challenges. Contemporary Jerusalem represents a very complex, sometimes convoluted reality, in which many factors make the idea of a heavenly Jerusalem just a distant dream or perhaps a wishful hope.
Whether you view Jerusalem as heavenly or earthly or both, contemporary Jerusalem is part and parcel of a problematic political context. Jerusalem today is the capital of the State of Israel. However, following the 1948 War of Independence, from 1948 to 1967, it was a divided city. Half of the city, which was on the eastern side, was part of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The other half was in Israel.
After the SixDay War of June 1967, the eastern side of the city was officially annexed to Western Jerusalem, so that there is now officially (according to the government of Israel) only one Jerusalem, which is allegedly “united.” However, most of the international community has never formally recognized this annexation, so it remains an ongoing issue in diplomacy.
The reality on the ground is that Jerusalem remains a very divided city, even if there is no longer a border in the middle of it, as was the case between 1948 and 1967. In the Oslo Peace Accords of 1993, it was agreed that the final status of Jerusalem would be negotiated by the parties to the conflict after five years of the interim agreement. But, unfortunately, this never happened.
While the reality of Jerusalem can be harsh sometimes – with violent incidents that upset the delicate fabric of constrained coexistence that does in fact prevail daily, most of the time – there is still a need to return to keeping a vision of the ideal Jerusalem alive, of a city that we would like to inhabit, for the mutual benefit of Palestinian Arabs (Muslims and Christians) and Israeli Jews alike. Jerusalem must become an inclusive and tolerant city supporting all its citizens’ rights, affording them all opportunities to lead meaningful and safe lives.
Religious leaders should feel that Jerusalem must be a city of peace, coexistence and tolerance, where the three faiths share in this city. I would like to see that the holy places are places of worship and prayer, not centers of conflict. Jewish, Christian, and Muslim places should be fully respected. That is a key for peace. Once you respect the other’s holy place, there will be less conflict between the people of the different religions and nationalities in Jerusalem. This idea is not just messianic, but actually possible.
Professor Mohammed Dajani, the founder and chairperson of Wasatia, the Middle Way in Islam, who comes from a distinguished Palestinian family with deep roots in Jerusalem, also believes that Jerusalem must be shared by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The city of Jerusalem has a special place in the consciousness of the three monotheistic Abrahamic religions. For thousands of years, the holy city of Jerusalem has been the vital center of worship for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
To seek a solution to the issue, we need to filter out the religious zeal and the political rhetoric from the reality on the ground. A viable solution could be reached by recognizing the attachment of each faith to the city. Rather than working to exclude each other from entering it, join hands to make it a model city open to pilgrims from all religions. A win-win solution may be successfully achieved if Jerusalem is viewed in terms of the historic Old City embraced by the wall and excluding the modern new city that was created in the last century outside the wall.
The city should be reclaimed by both sides as a religious and not just a political capital. All three religious leaders and inter-religious activists share a vision for Jerusalem, which has guided them and still guides them in their peace activism. The Heavenly Jerusalem of religious pluralism, inclusiveness, holiness, justice, and peaceful coexistence is the one that inspires us to look forward toward a better future.
In this ideal Jerusalem, followers of the main religions in the city – Judaism, Islam, and Christianity – will engage in dialogue and cooperate on projects of mutual interest. There will be no more need for terror and counter-terror operations. Respect for diversity and different opinions and lifestyles will reign. Religious, political, cultural, educational, and scientific leaders will work together for the betterment of all the citizens of the city.
But, in the meantime, down here on earth, in the real Jerusalem, we still have a lot of work to do to bring the real closer to the ideal in this very special city, which is holy to three major religions, and to which two nationalities are affiliated, the Palestinian people and the Jewish people. This is our imperative in the years ahead – to close the gaps, to bridge the differences, to make this a city that will inspire the whole world, a city of peace and harmony, in the spirit of the Prophet Isaiah (2:3): “For out of Zion will go forth Torah teaching, and the Word of the Lord (Qur’an teaching) from Jerusalem.”
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib says, “From the river to the sea is an aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence, not death, destruction, or hate.” So I say we can make it truly aspirational by making it focus on both people first and the political land second. “From the river to the sea Palestinians and Israelis should be freed of hatred and suffering by ‘a two state for two peoples sharing of the land peacefully.'”
