Jerusalem Conflict: A Muslim’s Perspective

Donald Trump, president of United States, proclaimed two days earlier that the American embassy for Israel will be established in Jerusalem, meaning the US now officially recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

It has hurt Muslims all around the world, Muslims all over the world are sentimental about some issues, one of them is the issue of Jerusalem. The reason of us Muslim being sentimental about this is a history of 100 years, let us take a look at it.

Last century has been a century of lost wars and lost spirits for Muslims. These defeats left long-lasting wounds, which haunt the Muslims to this day.

Pride of the Muslim warriors was buried in the sands of Palestine when the British army invaded Palestinian land and took it from Ottoman Empire, and in November 1917, proclaimed through Balfour declaration that they would support the Jewish settlement in Palestine.

The Jews had placed their feet on the country of Muslims, but the Muslims were busy in settling petty issues among themselves. They were telling stories to each other about the glories of past. In this day-dreaming, the future was slipping out of their hands, they didn’t realize the threat hidden behind this settlement.

The State of Israel was declared by the United Nations in 1947, and half of Jerusalem was allocated to Jews, but the eastern part which inhibited the sacred places
remained with the Muslims. When Israel declared its independence in 1948, Muslims of six Arab nations woke up from the dreams of past and invaded Israel in the romance of centuries-old glories. The Muslims had pride of the past, and the Jews had swords of the future, future swallowed the past as it has been doing since the inception of the world.

Jordanian Arabs occupied the West Bank and eastern part of Jerusalem, where Al Aqsa mosque is located, but the Muslims lost the war overall, giving away 50% more area to Israel than they were allowed by the UN.

Muslims were now on the backfoot, they had forgotten about 100 percent control over Palestine, they were shrunk to the eastern part, they were limited to the mosque. Jews were eyeing the whole country for capture, including the sacred part of Jerusalem.

Muslims felt their intentions, they realized who would be their next prey, the Jews had set an eye on that golden dome. The last thing of pride for Muslims was the control of Al Aqsa Mosque, the Jews wanted to steal that too, they wanted to give another blow to Muslims’ pride.

Muslims lived in complete jeopardy and constant fear, they cried to god to give them a face-saving. They prayed day and night in Al Aqsa Mosque to beg control of the mosque, they wrote poems about it, they romanticized the Palestinian conflict.

Muslims of Palestine affirmed that they would die with a smile on their face for the protection of Al Aqsa Mosque, they will keep on fighting against any invasion till the dome turns red with their blood.

The Muslim world has shown a firm resolve to defend Al Aqsa Mosque at any cost, but they did not change their attitude. They did not prepare for war, they prepared for an invasion.

The apparent cause of the Arab–Israeli War in 1967 was that Egypt tried to prevent an Israeli attack on Syria with a small deployment, which backfired because the plan leaked and Israel attacked prior to the set date.

Israel struck first and took the Arabs by surprise, destroying the forces of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan, which encompassed the holy mosque. They annexed Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt and Golan Heights from Syria. The 1967 war established Israel as the dominant regional power in just six days. Muslims lost control over Al Aqsa Mosque.

Since then, Muslims of Palestine have been resisting this illegal occupation by a country with hegemonic designs. They claim their land back, they want their state back, resistance forces like Izzedine Al-Qassam Brigades and al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades have been fighting for the lost control over areas which were Palestine once.

UN including European states do not recognize Jerusalem as their capital and do not establish embassies there, but the US has tried to fuel the Muslim emotions by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In fact, they have given the Muslims another reason to sympathize with the armed struggles against the occupying forces.

The Czech Republic and America are the two countries who have established their embassies in Jerusalem, breaking the international crisis. The western powers who accuse Muslims of militancy should recognize the evil deeds of their fellow white men. Decisions like these spark reaction among Muslims.

I wonder what sort of a game is being played on an international level, what sort of a dubious character world powers are possessing? First, they create an atmosphere of jeopardy for Muslims forcing them to react with militancy, sell them weapons, and then kill them with the superior weaponry.

The hegemonic designs of Israel and the evil aggression of USA have become a threat to the security of the region, the fire America has lit in the Middle East will eventually reach its boundaries and then they will wage another war, on another country, but with the same rhetoric.