History of the Jerusalem Conflict

The conflict happening in Jerusalem is so complex that it makes sense that the history of the city is just as, if not more complex than the current status.  It seems to be a land that has had to deal with so many different leaders.  I believe Khalidi says it best in his beginning paragraph, Jerusalem’ has “a history rooted in the ancient religious struggles of the past and the nominally religious disputes of today, embellished with the thick stratum of nationalist rivalry.”  The reason I am so interested in Jerusalem is because of the complexity given in this statement.  People today are motivated by the suffering and passion of their forefathers; each group has great pride in their people and wants what their forefathers wanted and fought for. 

 I enjoyed Rubin’s article because she took extra time to explain the history of Jerusalem before the commencement of Christianity and Islam.  I also enjoyed the biblical references and it reminded me that this city was treasured many centuries before my faith came about.  Although there were times of peace between the different religions, I feel these times were few and far between.  Between the attacks by the Persians, the Byzantine take over, and the crusades, the fight over the land seems to have be ongoing since the beginning of Jerusalem.  The more modern history is just as complex, and I found the modern history harder to understand and “keep up with” than the entire history.  After reading Pressman’s article, I know feel I have a better understanding of the current conflict, however, by the end, my brain was aching trying to keep track of the different mandates, and failed peace efforts.  I find this fact that the modern history gives me more confusion than the ancient history very ironic; however, I believe it represents my feelings about the current situation.  It is such a multifaceted issue that it is sometimes hard to keep up, but I also feel that this is why peace dialogues are extremely important.