Citing a specious identification with Hebrew tribes who wandered the region several thousand years ago, Zionists claim the right to own and occupy the area previously shown on maps as Palestine. Having pure blood choose the correct corpuscles for 150 generations staggers the scientific mind. Even if accepted, present deeds (which Israel demands from Palestinians who contend the theft of their lands) and historical proof of extensive and centralized Hebrew governance of the ancient lands are still to be presented to legal authorities. Literary fiction of the Old Testament, similar to all historical novels, uses some historical events to enrich its stories of governance. Those linking governance to the Bible accounts by finding the historical events that link to accounts in the Hebrew Bible have it backwards; the Hebrew Bible incorporates historical moments into its narrative and embellishes the moments with literary fiction. No verified history, archaeology, or anthropology authenticates the timeline of the Hebrew Bible.
The archaeological park in Ashkelon, formerly the Palestinian village, al-Majdal, has an important story that contradicts the Hebrew Bible and denies the existences of mighty King David and Temple Building King Solomon. Its story begins with the Canaanites of 1800 B.C. and the existing Canaanite gate at the walled city that eventually gave the modern city its derived name. By constructing the gate, the Canaanites used the Mediterranean Sea, together with city walls, to provide a unique defense against invaders. Start with that Canaanite gate, vault through the archaeological park, and discover artifacts and history from succeeding civilizations — Philistines, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Arabs, and Crusaders — all of whom eventually ruled the area until the Mamluks destroyed Ashkelon in the year 1270 A.D.
Missing from the list of intruders into Ashkelon are the Israelites. No substantiated history or archaeological finds describe Israelite administration of the coastal areas. This lack of coastal identification is surprising because, if the biblical claims of the extent of David’s and Solomon’s realms are true, would not these empires include seaports and fortifications close to the Mediterranean Sea? A Canaanite gate from 1800 B.C. is extant, but not a single identifiable structure from the reported eras of David and Solomon has been uncovered along the coast.
Discoveries by Israeli archeology professors, Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman, Tel Aviv University, described in the book, The Bible Unearthed, complement the conclusion from the Ashkelon archeological park exposition. Depicting Solomon’s Jerusalem, “at best, no more than a typical highland village … no empire, no palatial cities, no spectacular capital,” the professors tell us, if Solomon ain’t there, then Solomon ain’t anywhere.
Near East archaeologist Margreet Steiner in an article titled “It’s Not There: Archaeology Proves a Negative,” Biblical Archaeology Review, July/August, 1998, adds additional doubt.
…from the tenth century B.C.E. there is no archaeological evidence that many people actually lived in Jerusalem, only that it was some kind of public administrative center…We are left with nothing that indicates a city was here during their supposed reigns (of David and Solomon)…It seems unlikely, however, that this Jerusalem was the capital of a large state, the United monarchy, as described in Biblical texts.
Equally problematic is the close relationship the secular Zionists assert with Jerusalem. A definite relationship between Jews and the Holy City exists; less significant when compared to Christianity and Islam’s relationship with the Haram al Sharif and its surroundings. Exhortations of “If I forget thee, O’ Jerusalem,” Psalm 137 of the Hebrew bible, credited to an anonymous Hebrew exile living in Babylon during or shortly after the Babylonian captivity, “next year in Jerusalem,” whose origin is a tenth-century poem by Spanish rabbi Joseph ibn Abitur, and “Jerusalem undivided,” whose origin is a Zionist proclamation after the 1967 war, camouflage Israel’s hidden agenda, and why its faithful are sent forth on Jerusalem Day to shout and make havoc. Expose the agenda and the Western Wall comes tumbling down.
Huge granite stones rest comfortably on the top of Midbar Sinai Street in Givat Havatzim, Jerusalem’s northernmost district. Cut to specification, the imposing stones represent one of several preparations by the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement to erect a supposedly Third Temple on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount.
According to the Old Testament, 1 Kings 6, New International Version, King Solomon erected the first Temple (Zionist historians describe ancient Hebrew history by Temple periods, which constantly implants the Temples as historical realities of special significance in people’s minds.).
In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the temple of the Lord.
A few problems with this narrative.
The Hebrew Bible describes Solomon’s empire as “a powerful, extensive and united kingdom, which extended from Beersheba to Dan, and had a wider sphere of influence beginning at the Nile River in the west, encompassing Edom in the south, and extending all the way to Syria in the far north and east.” Previously stated was that the Ashkelon archaeology park exposition and notable archaeologists refute that description of Solomon’s reign. There is no historical King Solomon. Nowhere in historical documents is his name or kingdom mentioned.
The Bible’s description of Solomon’s Temple suggests that the inside ceiling was 180 feet long, 90 feet wide, and 50 feet high, overlaid with pure gold. Text of 2 Chronicles 4:22
…the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold to burn before the inner sanctuary as prescribed; the flowers, lamps, and tongs of gold—of purest gold; the wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes, and censers of pure gold, and the doors of the temple— the inner doors to the Most Holy Place and the doors of the main hall of the temple— were overlaid with gold.
Impressive construction by an elusive Solomon, who cannot be found. Without a King Solomon and an empirical city, isn’t it logical to question the accepted construction of an opulent first Temple and the “history” of the first Temple period? If no Solomon as foreman, who built the first Temple? Ask the question from another perspective; why is Solomon and his Temple casually accepted and consistently portrayed when there is no evidence of the former and that lack of evidence denies the possibility of the latter? If Jewish tradition has the Divine Presence dwelling on the Temple Mount from where it radiates to all of Jerusalem, then without Solomon, his empirical regime, and the first Temple, there is no Divine Presence and Jerusalem has no special meaning to the Jews.
Because the Islamic Wafq owns and controls all the property on the Haram al-Sharif, these stones cannot be legally transferred to a Temple Mount nor can a Temple be constructed there. The provocation, represented by the stones, which the Israel government refuses to curtail, lead to a belief that an eventual Muslim reaction to the increasing provocations will give Israel an excuse to seize total control of the Holy Basin, the ultimate of the properties that Israel intends to incorporate into a united Jerusalem.
For decades, Israeli authorities have spoken of a united Jerusalem ─ suggesting a spiritual quality to its message, as if Israel wants the home for the three monotheistic faiths to be solid and stable. Guided from one central authority, a united Jerusalem offers a preservation of distinctive ancient heritages. However, Israel lacks a sufficiently supporting and verifiable historical narrative that could bolster its thrust to incorporate all of an artificially created united Jerusalem into its boundaries. Coupled with inconsistencies and contradictions, Israel’s eagerness to create a united Jerusalem under its total control becomes suspect. The intensive concentration on a ‘united’ Jerusalem reveals a hidden agenda that debases Jerusalem’s religious in-gathering and heightens division, hatred, and strife.
Examine the Holy Basin. The Holy Basin contains well-marked Christian sites — Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the most sacred Christian site in the world, Via Dolorosa, which features 14 Stations of the Cross, Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane & Church of All Nations, where Jesus prayed and was betrayed by Judas, Chapel of the Ascension, where tradition holds Jesus ascended to heaven, Dominus Flevit Catholic church, where Jesus wept over Jerusalem, Pater Noster Church, where Jesus taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer. Other reverent sites exist on Mount Zion and the surrounding areas. Muslim institutions — Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam, Dome of the Rock marks the spot where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven, Al-Buraq Mosque commemorates where the Prophet Muhammad tied his winged steed, and the Mosque of Omar commemorates Caliph Omar Ibn al-Khattab, who prayed at the mosque after entering the city in 638 A.D. — tie Muhammad’s followers to Jerusalem.
Some remains of Jewish dwellings and ritual baths can be found, but few if any major Jewish monuments, buildings or institutions from the Biblical era exist in the “Old City” of today’s Jerusalem. The often cited Western Wall, proclaimed as the most sacred spot in Judaism, is a modern invention, which may have its reputation due to no other Jewish place in Jerusalem of much significance. The wall is a support for Herod’s platform and is not directly related to the Second Temple. This Temple undoubtedly existed , but no remains of it have been located in Jerusalem.
According to Karen Armstrong, in her book Jerusalem, Jews did not pray at the Western Wall until the Mamluks in the 15th century allowed them to move their congregations from a dangerous Mount of Olives and pray daily at the Wall. At that time, she estimates that there may have been no more than 70 Jewish families in Jerusalem. Do 70 Jewish families determine the most revered Jewish site? After the Ottomans replaced the Mamluks, Suleiman the Magnificent issued a formal edict in the 16th century that permitted Jews to have a place of prayer at the Western Wall. Is Suleiman the Magnificent responsible for delegating the most sacred spot in Judaism?
The only remaining major symbol of Jewish presence in Jerusalem’s Holy City is the Jewish quarter, which Israel cleared of Arabs and rebuilt after 1967. During its clearing operations, Israel demolished the Maghribi Quarter adjacent to the Western Wall, destroyed the Tomb of the Sheikh al-Afdhaliyyah, and displaced about 175 Arab families. Although the Jewish population in previous centuries comprised a large segment of the Old City (estimates have 7000 Jews during the mid-19th century), the Jews gradually left the Old City and migrated to new neighborhoods in West Jerusalem, leaving only about 2000 Jews in the Old City. Jordanian control after the 1948 war reduced the number to nil. By 2009, the population of the Jewish quarter in the Old City had grown to 3000, or nine percent of the Old City population. The Christian, Armenian and Muslim populations are the principal constituents and their quarters contain almost the entire Old City commerce.
In an attempt to attach ancient Israel to present day Jerusalem, Israeli authorities continue the attachment of spurious labels to Holy Basin landmarks, while claiming the falsification is due to the Byzantines, who got it all wrong.
King David’s Tower’s earliest remains were constructed several hundred years after the Bible dates David’s reign. It is a now an obvious Islamic minaret.
King David’s Citadel is partially from the Hasmonean period (200 B.C.). The Citadel was entirely rebuilt by the Ottomans between 1537 and 1541 A.D.
King David’s tomb, located in the Dormition Abbey, is a cloth-covered cenotaph (no remains) that honors King David. It has not been verified that the casket relates to King David.
The Pools of Solomon, located in a village near Bethlehem, are considered to be part of a Roman construction during the reign of Herod the Great. The pools supplied water to an aqueduct that carried water to Bethlehem and to Jerusalem.
The Stables of Solomon, under the Temple Mount, are more likely a construction of vaults that King Herod built in order to extend the Temple Mount platform.
Absalom’s Tomb is an obvious Greek sculptured edifice and therefore cannot be the tomb of David’s son.
The City of David is a contentious dig that claims to have been the established city of King David. Excavations have exposed artifacts that date from the Early Bronze Age (3500–2350 B.C.) to the Byzantine period (324–628 AD.) and no verifiable attachment to a King David has been uncovered.
The Jerusalem Archaeological Park within the Old City, together with the Davidson Exhibition and Virtual Reconstruction Center also tell the story. Promising to reveal much of a Hebrew civilization, the museums shed little light on its subject. The Davidson Center highlights a coin exhibition, Jerusalem bowls, and stone vessels. The Archeological Park in the Old City contains among many artifacts, Herodian structures, ritual baths, a floor of an Umayyad palace, a Roman road, Ottoman gates, and the facade of what is termed Robinson’s arch, an assumed Herodian entryway to the Temple Mount. The exhibitions do not reveal many, if any, ancient Hebrew structures or institutions of special significance.
Difficult to digest and believe that delving into details and flushing out the results comes up empty ─ Jews, as a population, have some attachment to an ancient Jerusalem. Jews, as a community, have little to inherit from ancient Jerusalem and less involvement with the contemporary operations of the ancient city. If spurious memories and heritage of an unproven first Temple and a distorted aggrandizement of the city that contained it are sufficient material to claim an attachment that warrants ownership, the Mayans, who live in the forests of Mexico, can claim vast areas of Central America that expose their living, breathing Temples and monuments in Tikal, Chichen Itza, Tulum, and tens of other places. They await a United Nations partition plan, Proclamation 1811, that divides Central America into Mestizo and Mayan populations.
Israel’s Hidden Agenda
Israel is a physically small and relatively new country, with an eager population and big ambitions. It needs more prestige and wants to be viewed as a power broker on the world stage. To gain those perspectives Israel needs a capital city that commands respect, contains ancient traditions, and is recognized as one of the world’s most important and leading cities. Almost all of the world’s principal nations have capitals that are great cities of the world. To assure its objectives, Israel wants an oversized Jerusalem that contains the Holy City. That’s not all.
- Jerusalem has significant tourism that can be expanded and provide new commercial opportunities as an entry to all of the Mid-East. An indivisible Jerusalem under Israeli control is worth a lot of shekels.
- Israel competes with the United States as the focus of the Jewish people. It needs a unique Jerusalem to gain recognition as the home of Judaism.
- By controlling all of the holy sites, Israel commands attention from Moslem and Christian leaders. These leaders will be forced to talk with Israel and Israel will have a bargaining advantage in disputes.
- Whatever Israel gains the Palestinians are denied. Because East Jerusalem and its holy sites greatly benefit a Palestinian economy and increase Palestine legitimacy, Israel will do everything to prevent East Jerusalem remaining with the Palestinians.
- West Jerusalem only gives Israel a North/South capital. An indivisible Jerusalem gives Israel a forward look towards an East/West capital or a centralized capital.
- The Zionist socialist ideals and the cooperative kibbutzim received support and sympathy from idealistic world peoples for many years. Israel’s attachment to the Holocaust tragedy extended that sympathy and support to more of the world. With the end of the Zionist dream, the decline of kibbutz life and the over-popularizing of the Holocaust, Israel needs a new symbol of identity that captures world attention.
If Israel has legitimate claims to Jerusalem, then those claims should be heard and discussed in a proper forum. However, that is not the process forthcoming. The Israeli government is using illegal and illegitimate procedures, as well as deceitful and hypocritical methods to force its agenda. Israel is not presenting its case but is exerting its power to trample legal, moral, and historical considerations. The Museum of the Citadel of David has an inscription: The land of Israel is in the center of the world and Jerusalem is the center of the land of Israel.
This self-praise was echoed at a West Jerusalem coffee house in a conversation with several Israelis. A youthful Israeli abruptly sat at the table and entered the conversation with the words: “All the world looks to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the center of the world and Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Everyone needs Jerusalem and they will need to talk with Israel.”
That is why Israel tries to convince the world that Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Jewish people. This is stated regardless that in 140 B.C. Jerusalem, the Hasmonean dynasty capital housed only about 8000 of the estimated 3-4 million Jews at that time, half of whom were scattered throughout the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia, and when Rome had about 350,000 citizens and Alexandria had about 500,000 mixed populations. Prestige and shekels and not spirituality and attachment drive Israel to desperately want all of Jerusalem. As usual, a complacent Jewish community will promote and advance another Zionist scheme.