Photo by Mujaddara
Jerusalem celebrated the 50th anniversary of the capture of East Jerusalem. On May 25, 1967, East Jerusalem was seized by the Israeli military.
Fox News reports, “Israel is marking this week the 50th anniversary of its capture of east Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war — an event it celebrates as the ‘unification’ of its eternal capital.”
Yet, the Palestinians weren’t so happy about celebrating the unification of Jerusalem. They have been treated unfairly and have not had the same rights as the Jewish people of Jerusalem.
Al Jazeera states, “Israel treats Palestinians in East Jerusalem as foreign immigrants who live there as a favour by the state, and not by right, despite having been born there. They are required to fulfill a certain set of requirements to maintain their residency status and live in constant fear of having their residency revoked.”
Poverty is much more rampant in the Palestinian area of the city. $2,000 or under for a four-member family is considered poverty. Fox News explains, “Seventy-nine percent of Arab families lived in what Israel defines as poverty in 2015, according to the Jerusalem center. The definition is around $2,000 a month for a family of four. Only 27 percent of Jewish families are in poverty, the center said.”
Despite it being illegal per international law, Jerusalem has built Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem.
Al Jazeera reports, “Israel’s settlement project in East Jerusalem, which is aimed at the consolidation of Israel’s control over the city, is also considered illegal under international law.”
Palestinians have difficulty getting permission to build their settlements in East Jerusalem, despite technically, it is their part of the city.
Per Fox News, “Palestinians, meanwhile, struggle to get permissions to develop their areas and in dozens of cases each year, their homes are demolished for illegal construction.”
Palestinians live in a constant state of limbo. They are neither citizens of Israel where they live or the Jordan where they work.
Al Jazeera explains, “Palestinian Jerusalemites are essentially stateless, stuck in legal limbo – they are not citizens of Israel, nor are they citizens of Jordan, or Palestine.” Chosen People Ministries seeks to share Christ’s hope with the people of Jerusalem, especially the Jewish people by sharing Christ’s hope to them through Old Testament prophecies.
Chosen People Ministries states, “The Center offers a homelike atmosphere to bring seekers for special programs, such as Gospel-oriented videos, and serves as a home base for Chosen People Ministries’ short-term missions. It also hosts training seminars for Messianic leaders from Israel and around the world.”
Please pray for the true and lasting peace for Jerusalem and East Jerusalem that only Christ can bring.
Fox News: Jerusalem still suffers from divisions, 50 years after war
Al Jazeera: Why Jerusalem is not the capital of Israel
Chosen People Ministries: Our International Messianic Centers
