Most people of whatever religious faith, or even none, has heard of the old & historic city of Jerusalem haven’t we? It is revered as one of the holiest places in the World – whatever that means of course (it is something to do with Christians, Muslims & Jews all having history there isn’t it?).

They say it has, since time immemorial, been fought over, besieged, destroyed, and no doubt has seen the end of many thousand souls as a consequence. We are now getting news reports that more people are under violence or dying there now, as a result of the Gaza conflict between the Israelis and the Gazan Palestinians.

Jerusalem, much enlarged these days, is only some fifty miles from Palestinian Gaza and there are Palestinians there also, living under Israeli occupation in East Jerusalem. How the heck has that happened you might ask? Well, the City was NOT part of the land gifted to create the State of Israel was it? But the Israelis coveted Jerusalem didn’t they (as their scriptures claim that it was established by one of their kings three thousand years ago)? Anyway they captured Jerusalem as one of their prizes from the Six-Day War, nearly sixty years ago. They have hung onto it ever since, specifically annexed East Jerusalem, and wanted Jerusalem to be their capital no less, but internationally it remains an ‘occupied territory’ [so there are no foreign embassies there are there?]. Nevertheless the Israelis have persisted, built Jewish settlements galore and infiltrated there, and indeed hold their parliament and other major functions there, and illegal control & oppress the residents [how the hell they have got away with all of that you might ask? Why has the UN & our other Internationals done NOTHING?]. The Israelis have moved-in about half a million people to take over numerical control of course.

So far Israel has failed in its plans to make Jerusalem ‘undivided’. The City and its holy places will remain therefore to fire the conflict between the Israelis and Palestine Arabs, particularly as Israel have ongoing ambitious ideas for expanding their presence.

[It is the view of Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General, that there will NEVER be peace until Israel agrees to have a joint capital with Palestine in Jerusalem. You can expect further conflicts and death there then can’t you?]