Free Republic

If it were not for the Jews, Jerusalem which be just another ancient city buried under the sand and forgotten. However, ever since King David’s time, around 1000 B.C., the Jewish Bible has kept alive the Jewish commitment to that city, especially the area around the Western Wall, for 3,000 years. Christianity, too, has a tie to the ancient city that cannot be erased by time, for it was there that the corporeal Jesus walked, preached, suffered, was buried, and was resurrected. Mohammed, by contrast, was never in Jerusalem. He just dreamed about it. That was enough, though, for a...

Eight European Union member states on Tuesday warned that US President Donald Trump’s so-called “Deal of the Century” would fail unless it is based on the internationally agreed parameters for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict. The statement by France, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany and Italy followed a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East in which US Ambassador Nikki Haley discussed the peace plan being prepared by the Trump administration. “We, the European Union members of the Council, would like to reiterate once more and emphasize the EU’s strong continued commitment to...

The recognition by the US of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is “an obstacle to a fair and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians based on a negotiated two-state solution”, the Swiss government said. Reacting to US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Wednesday, the Swiss foreign office said any solution in the Middle East must be based on “a comprehensive negotiated agreement on the final status of Jerusalem that respects the rights and aspirations of all interested parties”. “Switzerland does not recognize the authority of Israel beyond the 1967 borders and will work towards the establishment of a viable,...