June 22, 2012 | Eli E. Hertz |
Two
distinct issues exist: the issue of Jerusalem and the issue of the Holy
Places. Cambridge Professor Sir Elihu Lauterpacht, Judge ad hoc of the
International Court of Justice has said:
"Not
only are the two problems separate; they are also quite distinct in
nature from one another. So far as the Holy Places are concerned, the
question is for the most part one of assuring respect for the existing
interests of the three religions and of providing the necessary
guarantees of freedom of access, worship, and religious administration
[E.H., as mandated
in Article 13 and 14 of the "Mandate for Palestine"] ... As far as the
City of Jerusalem itself is concerned, the question is one of
stablishing an effective administration of the City which can protect
the rights of the various elements of its permanent
population-Christian, Arab and Jewish-and ensure the governmental
stability and physical security which are essential requirements for the
city of the Holy Places."
The notion of internationalizing Jerusalem was never part of the "Mandate":
"Nothing
was said in the Mandate about the internationalization of Jerusalem.
Indeed Jerusalem as such is not mentioned-though the Holy Places are.
And this in itself is a fact of relevance now. For it shows that in 1922
there was no inclination to identify the question of the Holy Places
with that of the internationalization of Jerusalem."
Jerusalem
the spiritual, political, and historical capital of the Jewish people
has served, and still serves, as the political capital of only one
nation-the one belonging to the Jewish people. Jerusalem, a city in
Palestine, was and is an undisputed part of the Jewish National Home.
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