Why to appreciate the reunification of Jerusalem under Israeli governance

Former Israel UN Amb. Dore Gold authored "The Fight for Jerusalem"

In The Fight for Jerusalem, bestselling author and former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Dore Gold explained why radical Islamists seek to divide and conquer Jerusalem and raze sites holy for Christians, Jews, and Muslims. With the United Nations untrustworthy and global jihad making waves, the city is a ticking time bomb. Amb. Gold shows why only Israel can preserve its sanctuaries for different religions and why uncovering Jerusalem's past and biblical truths prove crucial to saving it.

Excerpt from “The Fight for Jerusalem” in David Suissa's Opinion article in the Jewish Journal: 

“After seizing East Jerusalem in 1948, Jordan’s Arab Legion completely evicted the Jewish population from the Old City. The Jewish Quarter was set aflame, its homes were looted, and dozens of synagogues were destroyed or vandalized. Tombstones from the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives were converted into latrines.

“For the following nineteen years, Jews were prevented from praying at their holy sites, including the Western Wall. The Jordanians also barred Christian institutions from buying land and otherwise restricted the rights of Jerusalem’s Christian population, which dropped by over 50 percent during the period of Jordanian rule.”

Now compare those 19 years to what followed: “Upon capturing the Old City in 1967, Israel decided on a new approach to governing the city — it adopted a law protecting the holy sites of all religions and guaranteeing their free access to all worshippers.”

In other words, the Jewish connection to Jerusalem is not just good for the Jews, it’s good for the whole world. Ambassador Gold, who leads the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, addressed the subject in this 2007 talk at Nessah Synagogue in Los Angeles.

Mr. Gold was subsequently selected as political adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in December 2013.