JERUSALEM: Israel marks the 42nd anniversary of Jerusalem's "unification" though deep ethnic and religious divides still dominate the ancient city

Record ID: 534906

  • Title: JERUSALEM: Israel marks the 42nd anniversary of Jerusalem's "unification" though deep ethnic and religious divides still dominate the ancient city
  • Date: 22nd May 2009
  • Summary: AN ISRAELI FLAG ON TOP OF A HOME IN ARAB EAST JERUSALEM PALESTINIAN YOUTH WAVING PALESTINIAN FLAGS AT JERUSALEM'S OLD CITY GATE MAN CARRYING A PALESTINIAN FLAG YOUTH STANDING IN FRONT OF BANNERS IN ARABIC HEBREW AND ENGLISH, WAVING PALESTINIAN FLAGS HASSIDIC JEW WALKING BY PALESTINIAN PROTEST PALESTINIAN SCHOOL GIRLS CHANTING AND CARRYING POSTERS MORE OF PALESTINIAN AND PEACE ACTIVISTS PROTEST AT JERUSALEM'S OLD CITY PALESTINIAN SCHOOL GIRLS CARRYING SIGN IN ARABIC READING "THEY DANCE ON TOP OF JERUSALEM'S PAIN" VARIOUS VIEWS OF JERUSALEM
  • Embargoed: 6th June 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVADP5UJC5O67FDEUERO606QYTBP
  • Story Text: Israelis mark the 42nd anniversary of Jerusalem's "unification" in Jerusalem's Old City, as Palestinian residents of Jerusalem protest.
    Israelis on Thursday (May 21) celebrated the 42nd anniversary of what they consider to be the reunification of Jerusalem.
    Jews crowded the Western Wall, remnant of the Roman-era Temple that is Judaism's holiest place. Located within the walls of the Old City, hundreds were singing, dancing and playing music.
    Hundreds of Israeli school children and youth gathered around the Old City of Jerusalem were waving Israeli flags.
    Israel has controlled all of Jerusalem since the mideast war of 1967 and claims the city as its undivided capital.
    Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be capital of a future Palestinian state.
    Hundreds of Palestinians held a peaceful protest outside Jerusalem old city's Damascus Gate. They held signs protesting the treatment of residents of Eastern Jerusalem.
    Israeli police were on high alert in Jerusalem as marches and demonstrations got under way to mark Jerusalem Day. In 1980, the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, passed a law uniting both the eastern and western sides of the city as the eternal Israeli capital, a claim condemned by the UN and not recognised internationally.
    The Western Wall is adjacent to Islam's third holiest site, the al-Aqsa mosque.
    The nearby Dome of the Rock covers the spot where all three great monolithic religions believe Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son to God, before an angel stayed his hand. King Solomon and his successors built Jewish temples on the site before the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in 70 AD and Jews were scattered in exile.
    In the 7th century, Islamic conquerors built the first Dome. The area around it, including the al-Aqsa mosque, has been the focus of tensions since Israeli forces captured Jerusalem's Old City in 1967.
    Israel has been criticised by the United States and European allies for its recent demolition of houses belonging to Palestinians in East Jerusalem. A report issued last week by the U.N. Office for Humanitarian Affairs said some 1,500 demolition orders are pending for homes built without a permit in the city and their implementation could displace some 9,000 Palestinians.
    U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, visiting Israel in March, called the demolition "unhelpful."
    When asked about recent demolitions, Jerusalem's Mayor Nir Barkat said the homes razed were built without permits, while Palestinians say permits have been almost impossible to obtain.
    Palestinian officials see acts such as the municipality's master plan as a measure aimed at strengthening the Israeli hold on Jerusalem.
    According to B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, Israel aims to maintain a Jewish majority in the city by restricting building permits and revoking residency.
    More than 30 percent of 740,000 people living in Jerusalem are Palestinians, while most of the remainder are Jews.
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