Talk:Israel/Israel and the Occupied Territories-3

Spiritual home

My proposed changes:

 Many Jews consider Israel to be their spiritual home (see Holy Land)

Removed. Because, while it IS true, it is also true that many other persons than the Jews consider the land which Israel reside on their spiritual home. Notably the Palestinians. Besides, neither the Jews nor the Palestinians are especially attached to the state but the land. Therefore a compromise wording which includes that would be ok.

If it's true, then there's no reason to remove it. Jayjg 03:11, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)

I withdraw it, and instead propose:

 The land on which the state of Israel is built, is often called the Holy Land due to the 
 three major monotheistic religions attachment to it. Particularily Palestinians and many 
 Jews consider it to be their spiritual home.

Because they consider the land their spiritual home. Palestine-info 14:34, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)

The sentence makes sense as the introduction to a narrative on the history of Jews in the region. There is no claim that they are the only people with a connection to the region, and indeed the disputed nature of the land is covered extensively already. --Delirium 20:02, Oct 14, 2004 (UTC)

I don't think the disputed nature of the land is covered extensively. I don't think it is covered in a fair way either. And I especially don't think that all sides attachment to the Holy Land is covered in a fair way. The "spiritual home" sentence is akin to two kids fighting over a toy, suddenly their mother comes in and asks "what are you doing!?!". Now one of the boys immidiately says "I love you mommy!" Who do you think will get the toy if the other boy does not also say "I love you mommy!"? Palestine-info 01:26, 15 Oct 2004 (UTC)

What do you mean when you say Palestinians consider it a "spiritual home"? What evidence do you have for that? Israel is certainly not considered the spiritual home of Muslims by the Qur'an; if anything, it consider it to be the spiritual home of Jews. And I'm pretty certain Arabia is the "Holy Land" for Muslims, what with Mecca being there and all. Jayjg 07:26, 17 Oct 2004 (UTC)

The evidence is that almost every Palestinian that was removed from the land wants to return to it. That their children and grandchildren who has never even visited the State of Israel wants to return to Palestine. Palestine as they know it, doesn't exist but that doesn't matter. They live their lives in a refugee camp in Lebanon but consider their true homeland to be Palestine. And as I stated above the, state of Israel (which is the subject of this article) is not the "spiritual home" of anybody. Why you bring up Islam I don't know. Many Palestinians are not Muslims and not many Muslims consider Mecca their spiritual home anyway. Palestine-info 20:12, 21 Oct 2004 (UTC)

And what evidence do you have that "almost every Palestinian that was removed from the land wants to return to it"? All the people arguing for a Palestinian "Right of Return" claim the exact opposite. And in any event why would thatr make it a "spiritual home"? In any event, the land of Israel is the spiritual homeland of Jews, and the State of Israel is currently on the land of Israel; there is currently no substantive difference between the concepts. Jayjg 14:55, 26 Oct 2004 (UTC)

The Holy Land is the spiritual home of Jews, Christians and Muslims for shared and distinct religious reasons. For Jews, it is the refuge for Moses and his followers, the site of ancient Jewish kingdoms and the burial place for Abraham, for Christians it is the site of the birthplace, life and crucifixion of Jesus and the burial place for Abraham, and for Muslims it is the location from which Muhammad ascended to heaven, the site of ancient Muslim caliphates and the burial place for Abraham. Jews do not have a monopoly on the Holy Land's spiritual nature. Learn to share. --Alberuni 15:29, 26 Oct 2004 (UTC)

There is a difference between something that is considered a spiritual home, and something that contains holy sites. Israel is the burial place of all the Patriarchs and Matriarchs (Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob Leah and Rachel), the site of the three Jewish countries, and it contains the four holy cities of Judaism, Tiberias, Sefad, Hebron, and in particular Jerusalem. Traditional Jews pray 3 times a day to be brought to Israel, to have a Jewish kingdom restored there, etc. Please find me any references of Israel being a "spiritual home" for Muslims and Christians, because a simple Google search gets thousands of hits for it being a spiritual home for Jews. Jayjg 16:38, 26 Oct 2004 (UTC)

The effort to monopolize the holiness of Hebron, Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land is highly offensive. Abraham is as holy to Christians and Muslims as he is to Jews. All People of the Book have the same reasons to regard the Holy Land as their spiritual home. In addition, Christians have the life of Jesus, the stations of the cross and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to venerate. Do you think the Vatican is more of a spiritual home to Christians than Bethlehem? Muslims have worshipped at al-Aqsa from the 7th century, more than 1300 years. Yes, of course, Jewish history is much longer than Christian and Islamic history but that doesn't make Jews more holy or more deserving of being able to call the Holy Land their spiritual home. The selfish Zionist attempt to privilege their beliefs over the beliefs of others is extremely conceited, arrogant, disrespectful and obnoxious. It reflects a core issue in the conflict between the Jewish state and the Muslim and Christian Palestinian residents who have as much, if not more, right to call that area their home than Jews from around the world who leverage their spiritual connections to the land with imperialist military aggression to seize the territory for themselves and exclude others. Unbelievable, really, that anyone would expect to live in peace after committing such outrageous crimes. --Alberuni 17:31, 26 Oct 2004 (UTC)

What "effort to monopolize the holiness of Hebron, Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land is highly offensive"; I stated the reasons why Israel is holy to Jews, this doesn't mean other people can't consider it holy as well. Regardless, please refer to Wikipedia:Talk page: Wikipedians generally oppose the use of talk pages just for the purpose of partisan talk about the main subject. Wikipedia is not a soapbox, it's an encyclopedia. In other words, talk about the article, not about the subject. In any event, the debate is irrelevant, since the issue and claim here is that Israel is a "spiritual home" to Palestinians, so I'll just repeat my last sentence (slightly re-worded): Please find me any references of Israel being a "spiritual home" for Palestinians, because a simple Google search gets thousands of hits for it being a spiritual home for Jews. Jayjg 17:47, 26 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Your efforts to monopolize the Holy Land as a spiritual home for Jews only. I am talking about the misrepresentations in the article and your efforts to maintain a Zionist POV. Who is arguing that it is only a spiritual home to Palestinians? Why do Jews from Australia and canada believe it is their spiritual home but Muslims from Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Indonesia, India and Brazil are excluded? These are religious beliefs. Jerusalem is the spiritual home of Muslims the world over. The burial place of Abraham makes it a spiritual home to all the people who descended from Abraham. That includes more than just the Jews. --Alberuni 03:14, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Spiritual Home 2

Provide evidence that this is a widely held view among Muslims and Christians. Statements from official religious bodies would be helpful. Jayjg 03:18, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Jerusalem: the Centre of the Universe

Jerusalem is said by the mythmakers to be the centre of the universe. It is certainly the locus and focus of devotion for the peoples of the three Abrahamic faiths. In his segment, Bishop Bayton will look at the Christian holy sites of Jerusalem, particularly the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is spiritual home to Latins, Orthodox, Orientals, Anglicans and Protestants. He will consider the question "How will indigenous Christianity survive in Jerusalem in the twenty-first century?" More to come......

That says the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the "spiritual home" of the various churches mentioned, not Israel. Jayjg 03:31, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Can we remove the Church of the Holy Sepulchre from Israel? It is within Israel making Israel the land of the spiritual home. --Alberuni 03:34, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

A Church is not a country. Jayjg 15:43, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

[1] "The Romans, with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, named the lands of the birthplace of Christ Palestine.8 The Holy Land has always been the spiritual home and symbol of the Christian faith. Following Constantine's Edict of Milan in 313 ending Christian persecution, pilgrimages to Jerusalem became safe for those who had the means of travel. --Alberuni 03:29, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

"Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, represents the spiritual home of two world religions - Judaism and Christianity - and is sacred to another - Islam. The city remains a fascinating destination for any traveller interested in either the past or the present. "--Alberuni 03:34, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Well, now you've got one for Christianity, but it specifically excludes Islam from holding is as a "spritual home". Up one, down one. Jayjg 15:43, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Islam's Stake Why Jerusalem Was Central to Muhammad. Inside the Dome of the Rock: The Rock is believed by the Jews to be the spot where Abraham offered Isaac in sacrifice, and by Muslims to be the site of Muhammad's ascent to heaven in the Night Journey. Jerusalem was central to the spiritual identity of Muslims from the very beginning of their faith. When the Prophet Muhammad first began to preach in Mecca in about 612, according to the earliest biographies, which are our primary source of information about him, he had his converts prostrate themselves in prayer in the direction of Jerusalem. They were symbolically reaching out toward the Jewish and Christian God, whom they were committed to worshipping, and turning their back on the paganism of Arabia. Muhammad never believed that he was founding a new religion that canceled out the previous faiths. He was convinced that he was simply bringing the old religion of the One God to the Arabs, who had never been sent a prophet before. Consequently, the Koran, the inspired scripture that Muhammad brought to the Arabs, venerates the great prophets of the Judeo-Christian tradition. It speaks of Solomon's "great place of prayer" in Jerusalem, which the first Muslims called City of the Temple. Only after the Jews of Medina rejected Muhammad did he switch orientation and instruct his adherents to pray facing Mecca, whose ancient shrine, the Kabah, was thought by locals to have been built by Abraham and his son Ishmael, the father of the Arabs. --Alberuni 04:03, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Yes, your link shows 'Jerusalem was central until Muhammad switched the focus to Mecca, but it certainly has nothing on it being a "spiritual home" for Muslims. Jayjg 15:43, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

[2] Jerusalem until then had been the capital of Palestine with a happy, prosperous, proud, highly advanced and cultured citizenry of various denominations and creeds: Muslims, Christians and Jews, living side by side in amity and matter of factly tolerance if not friendliness as behooves any civilized city, more so immortal Jerusalem, the spiritual home and cradle of universal civilization. --Alberuni 04:03, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

That's about Jerusalem, and it's the spiritual home for "universal civilization", whatever that is, not Islam and Christianity. Jayjg 15:43, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

[3] calls Israel the spiritual home of Christianity. And this [4] is so at the point that I have to quote it:

"For Muna Aghawani, a second-year graduate student at SFSU, that moment came at a summer camp in Denver for Palestinian and Israeli girls. Born in Ramallah to a Syrian mother and Palestinian father, she was brought up primarily in Syria and Tunisia, but "my spiritual home was Palestine," she said."

AND [5]v

"For Palestinians, who had lived in the area they had called Palestine for 1,000 years, the land was also a spiritual home for their Islamic religion."

More [6], [7], [8]... Etc. I'm tired of googling for "spiritual home." I don't know how to make it more obvious. Also consider the millions of non-religious displaced Palestinians that consider their place of birth their spiritual home. Palestine-info 01:48, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Sigh. Please read the links carefully; you are supposed to be looking for links which described Israel as the spiritual home of Palestinians, which was your claim. Palestinians, not Christians, or Muslims, or "people worldwide", or a half-Syrian half-Palestinian American, or a speech by Arafat intended to usurp Jewish beliefs. Jayjg 02:54, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

The article is written in a misleading and selectively biased way to imply that while Israel is the spiritual home for Jews it is not a spiritual home for non-Jews, including Muslim and Christian Palestinians. You have been outvoted by people who disagree with your Zionist revisionist arguments that dismiss non-Jews' beliefs in their spiritual homeland, the Holy Land currently usurped by Jews and named Israel. --Alberuni 03:07, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Your opinions are fascinating; when was that vote held, and who participated in the vote? Jayjg 03:09, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

You must have been dawdling on the circumcision page again.--Alberuni 03:21, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Interesting non sequitur; obviously no vote has been held. Jayjg 03:24, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

There has been no vote, and the positions expressed in this section of the talk page do not constitute a one. That said, I hope that my attempt to rewrite the disputed opening sentence proves acceptable to both sides. El_C.

Thank you EL_C. The wording is acceptable. Although not perfect because someone might get the impression that Israel, the state, is the spiritual home. But I'm tired of bitching, your wording is good enough. Palestine-info 09:19, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Good point, I revised the passage to account for this. El_C

And now I'll revise it to actually reflect reality, since the links clearly show that Israel is not widely viewed as a spiritual home for Muslims or Christians. Jayjg 15:43, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Actually, you are not the final authority on what is a spiritual home, Jayjg. No one said that there has it has to be -one- singularly important one. I strongly urge you to avoid citing reality or the links without detailing what these are/entail. El_C

My part of this discussion ends here. You asked to see quotes in which Israel was seen as a spiritual home first for Palestinians then for Muslims and Christians. I and Alberuni obliged and provided you with dozens of quotes. One in which a Palestinian girl in an interview said Palestine was my spiritual home. I have also repeatedly tryed to ensure that you understand the distinction between the State of Israel and the Land of Israel. To me it's evident that you either: 1) Cannot admit to ever being wrong. 2) Thinks that only Jews are able to have a spiritual home in the Holy Land. Whatever it is, I will not continue this pointless waste of time. Palestine-info 18:43, 27 Oct 2004 (UTC)

I urge you to reconsider your departure from this article, Palestine-Info (though I do wish you would do away with the personal comments), I think there is a productive role for you to play here. That said, a quote from a graduate student is not authoritative, . The problem I see here relates to the title of this section, the poorly-defined spiritual home.Does it need to be singular (could there be more than one home?). Does it need to involve Holly Sites only, as opposed to a Holly Land. As I already mentioned elsewhere in this talk page, this is not an article about the latter, so we should try to avoid from having that particular sentence become too convoluted. Sorry, I am writing in haste. El_C

Okay, very briefly (also pertinent for the Holly Land article), from the Hebrew edition of Diercke Länderlexikon (Amazon.de link), editor: Naftali Kadmon, published by the Israeli Ministry of Defence(Jerusalem, 1983), p. 420.

[T]he Land of Israel provided an important role for the developments of three world religions: it is the land promised to the Jews and as such, holly in Judaism; it is the cradle of Christianity; in Islam, it is the place where the prophet Muhammad rose to the heavens (Jerusalem). El_C

I'm tired of this also, so put that one in. But I'd change "holly" to "holy". Jayjg 02:47, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)

I'm sorry that you're tired, but I cannot put it in, even with my translation, it is still copyrighted. Don't worry about my spelling, I usually employ a spell-check or a dictionary for any language I am versed in whenever the need arises. It is not one of my strengths and I am well aware of it. El_C

How about this: The land of Israel has religious significance for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; in Judaism it is the Holy Land promised to Jews by God; in Christanity it is the birthplace of Jesus and the Christian faith; in Islam, Jerusalem is is the place where Muhammad ascended to heaven. Jayjg 15:22, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)

I don't like your new version because it sounds like a variation of "Jewish spiritual home, other religions have visited the land." I like this version better:

Jews, Muslims, and Christians, as descendants of the Biblical patriarch Abraham, have long considered the territory of current day Israel to be their spiritual home — as the Holy Land and the Promised Land. It is also the land where Jesus Christ was born and contains many sites of great spiritual significance in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

or this version:

Today, all principal forms of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic religions consider Israel (or conversely, the territory it encompasses) to be their spiritual home — as a Holy Land and a Promised Land.

or anything which doesn't assume a special status to Jews. Palestine-info 07:03, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)

I agree with Palestine-info. His versions are more neutral. Jayjg's version is less neutral because it bases Judaism's claims on divine promise to the Jews but bases Muslim claims vaguely on just having "great spiritual significance". Even in Judaism, God did not promise the Holy Land to the Jews. He promised it to the the descendants of Abraham. That includes Isaac AND Ishmael. It is a specific POV interpretation to view this divine promise as a categorical promise only to Jews. It may help to read this informative analysis. --Alberuni 17:09, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)

First of all, my newer version above reflects exactly why it's important to Muslims; I'll repeat it here: The land of Israel has religious significance for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; in Judaism it is the Holy Land promised to Jews by God; in Christanity it is the birthplace of Jesus and the Christian faith; in Islam, Jerusalem is is the place where Muhammad ascended to heaven. And in the Bible, God promises the land to the descendants of Jacob, not Ishmael. Jayjg 17:30, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)

I still like my Judeo-Christian-Islamic passage better because it is shorter, but more importantly, it purposfully avoids these details — details which it, in turn, defers to more pertinent articles. El_C

I like my proposed version better because it highlights the points of significance for each faith, and more importantly, it is actually accurate. Jayjg 19:28, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Again with the actually (?) The points of significance might be better suited to the Holy Land or Land of Israel. El_C

Yes, again with the "actually", because your statement is both misleading and false. It is misleading because it indicates that each faith has a similar relationship to the land of Israel, when in fact, while each faith views it as spiritually significant, each faith also has a unique and different view on it and relationship to it. It is false because it says that Muslims and Christians consider it their spiritual home, which is false for the vast majority of Christians and Muslims, and certainly not the official position of any organized Christian or Muslim faith body I am aware of. Jayjg 21:15, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)

My passage does not indicate a similarity of experiences or relationships, that's an implication you read into it. All it indicates is that these are considered profound, it makes no mention of neither universality nor particularity, nor degrees for that matter. The why and how and to what extent as per either (and how they relate to one another) are, therefore, to be be addressed elsewhere. How is it (or portions of which, rather not a (no one said the) spiritual home for Christians and Muslims? Random Googling:

Jerusalem is said by the mythmakers to be the centre of the universe. It is certainly the locus and focus of devotion for the peoples of the three Abrahamic faiths. In his segment, Bishop Bayton will look at the Christian holy sites of Jerusalem, particularly the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is spiritual home to Latins, Orthodox, Orientals, Anglicans and Protestants. He will consider the question "How will indigenous Christianity survive in Jerusalem in the twenty-first century?" 1

That is the position of the Bishop, whoever he is. The point I am trying to get across, however, is that I am more in favour of the approach adopted at the Hebrew Wikipedia, where the intro to the history of the (State of) Israel begins in 1947, and whereas the actual history article begins with the emergence of Zionism. Hebrew Wikipedia diambiguation for History of Israel :

This article deals with the history of the State of Israel. For the history of the Land of Israel, see entry History of the Land of Israel. ([9] versus [10]) El_C

We've been through that quote before; Bayton considers the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to be the "spritiual home" of various Christian churches. One man, referring to one building. Jayjg 16:51, 29 Oct 2004 (UTC)

My apologies for the redundancy and the Alk, but it is one man who is pretty high up there in organized religion. There are other sites and other men/women in what is considered by Christians a Holy Land. But a spiritual home could also be the Vatican, etc. Or it could be a prominent synagogue or mosque outside the ME. It could be applied towards less corporeal objects, too. I think you are attaching too much significance to the term and its connection to a Holy Land — but all that could be qualified at length in more pertinent articles is my main point which you have thus far neglected to comment upon.

At any rate, even more notable men than our beloved Bishop Bayton:

The Pope

Dear Brothers and Sisters. Psalm 86 sings of Jerusalem, the city of peace and spiritual home of the nations. Christian tradition sees in this Psalm a description of the new Jerusalem, the Holy City coming down from heaven (see Revelation 21: 2, 10).[11] - Vatican City, Nov. 13, 2002

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Still today two peoples claim sovereignty over Jerusalem, and the faithful of three religions, both on the spot and throughout the world, look to it as their spiritual home. [12] - The Holy See and the Middle East, by Most Reverend Jean-Louis Tauran, The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Archbishop of Canterbury

God's presence with us, and dedicate ourselves afresh in his service as we begin the new Millennium, let us pray for the peace of Jerusalem, spiritual home for millions of people, Christian, Muslim and Jew.[13] - Christmas message 1999 to the Anglican Communion, from the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Reverend and Right Honorable George L. Carey.

El_C

Well, you seem to have widened it to Jerusalem, at least according to some people; still not managing to encompass Israel, though. Jayjg 02:13, 31 Oct 2004 (UTC)