[Verginius Rufus]

Well, Jerusalem is in Asia.

The Turks held it for 400 years (1517 to 1917) but the inhabitants were not Turks--they were Jews, Arab Christians, Arab Muslims, and some Christians from other countries. The Jews held it for over 1000 years in ancient times (with a few decades interruption in the 6th century), then Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, or Crusaders held it until 1517.

[Verginius Rufus]

I should have mentioned the Armenians—one part of the Old City was known as the Armenian Quarter. They were and are Christians (and targeted by the Turks in the largest genocide of the 20th century before the Holocaust).

[Tell It Right]

True that. And don't forget that before WW1, during the waning years of the Ottoman Empire, lots of European Jews bought land in Israel from the Ottoman land owners. If anyone is interested, look up Palestine Land Development Company, and the Jewish National Fund. They often paid $1,000 per acre of arid land, while rich soil land in Iowa sold for $110/acre.

By 1875, Jews were the majority in Jerusalem according to a Turkish census.