Letter to The Statesman, 7 August, 2000

Shri T. Mani Chowdary in his letter "Israel's Case for Jerusalem" (6 August) omits some relevant facts. Jerusalem was not envisaged as a part of Israel under the 1948 UN Resolution, far less as its capital. Thus Israel has no claim on it, except on ground of right of conquest which the international law today rejects.

Jerusalem is indeed holy for the Muslims, the Christians and the Jews. Either it should be internationalised and placed under the UNO with free access for the followers of all religious, indeed for all mankind, or, it should be jointly administered by Israel and Palestine, which may both locate their capitals in that city. Chandigarh is a working model.

I can understand Mr. Chowdhary's sympathies for Israel but I do not see the relevance of his asides into 'Islamic invaders' who destroyed Hindu temples. Jerusalem was taken by the Muslims from the Romans, not from the Jews. Yet throughout Muslim rule, the Jews always had a presence in the city and their religious places were never touched. In fact the Zionists were permitted to organise Jewish immigration into Palestine in the late 19th Century by the Ottoman caliphs. The restriction during 1948-67 was due to the state of war between the Arab States and Israel which considers every Jew in the world as its citizen.