Jerusalem is an ancient city and capital of the State of Israel, located in the center of the country. The Palestinian Authority also lays claim to Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.
Jerusalem is considered a holy city by major religions, chiefly Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Jerusalem is a host to many religious sites, especially within the walls of the old city. The Temple Mount is remains of the Jewish temples, and the holiest site in Judaism. Jews often pray at the Western Wall, or Kotel, a retaining wall for the Temple Mount built by Herod the Great. On the temple mount now sit the al-Aqsa and Dome of the Rock mosques, the former being the 3rd holiest site in Islam. Several chirstian sites, such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, are important to many sects of Christianity.
As it is the political capital of Israel, Jerusalem is home to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. There are also ministries that have their headquarters in Jerusalem, such as the Foreign Ministry. The status of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is not recognized by all international actors. However, embassies of states such as the US reside in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is built on several hills, and has a cooler climate than many other major cities. One of its aesthetic features is that buildings are made with Jerusalem stone, a pale white-yellow limestone.
Jerusalem has been the center of Jewish life since Davidic times. In its history, it has been conquered and destroyed dozens of times by invading armies and empires. However, there has always been a Jewish presence in Jerusalem. In late 1800 Ottoman censuses, Jews were a majority of the population of Jerusalem. However, Jerusalem was set to be an international city in initial partition plans in the late 1940s. Following the Israeli War of Independence, Jerusalem was split between east and west, with the east side being in the possession of Jordan. In 1967, Israel retook east Jerusalem, and the bulk of Jewish holy sites. In 1980, the Knesset passed the “Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel” which establishes a united Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and under complete Israeli sovereignty.
A new study by the University of Haifa claims to completely change the story of the biblical Shikmona.
Orian Ben Khalifa had argued against the verdict and sentencing by claiming that the decision could impact her goal to study law.
Women of the Wall continued to be a controversial presence at the Western Wall during their Rosh Hodesh prayer services on Monday.
The Jerusalem Post Podcast - Travel Edition, Episode 61
In recent months, there has been an increase in attacks by haredi and extremist Jews against priests, nuns and Christian pilgrims.
A Jewish man was arrested at Ben Gurion airport on Friday morning on his return to Israel after he attempted to flee the country to avoid arrest.
The Foreign Ministry said that the building complex will include a residence for Russian diplomats and a conference hall.
As the fire quickly advanced in the direction of the Israel Aquarium and the zoo, aided by strong winds, the two sites' visitors were evacuated.
Titled the Einstein House, the new museum would deepen the scientist’s longstanding ties with the university.
Ish-Ran says the current series is partly designed to enlighten us about the various strains of piyutim (liturgical poems) that were once commonly recited across the Jewish world.
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