Arabs Willing to Make Jerusalem an International City

The Israeli-Palestine peace talks continue to stagnate while the rhetoric of war escalates. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat blasted Israel in a key address to the Arab League here Sunday, complaining that "weeks had passed" since the US-sponsored Camp David summit ended in failure July 25, "without the Israeli side budging from its stubborn position." Arafat firmly rejected any proposal for shared sovereignty over Jerusalem. "Rights are rights. I can't betray my people. I can't betray the Arabs. I can't betray the Christians. I can't betray the Muslims," he said. "And (the Israelis) have to respect all these items concerning Christianity and Islam."

Meanwhile, Israeli Internal Security and Acting Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami said Arafat "has not budged one millimeter in seven years." Ben-Ami insisted that under no circumstances would Israel accept a situation in which the Palestinians have an element of sovereignty on the Temple Mount. While meeting with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan during the Millennium Summit Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said that he will give the peace process another "few weeks" before turning his attention elsewhere. Barak has until mid-October to try to restructure his government and reconstitute a Knesset majority. Ben-Ami cautioned that Israel must now prepare for "confrontation with the Palestinians. "Our ability to stand by our national and unique interests require us today more than ever before to show strength and preparedness for the hour of confrontation as well, something which we do not want," warned Ben-Ami.

The Guardian Unlimited reported on September 6 that the Palestinians floated a trial balloon to seek a breakthrough to the stalled peace talks by joining Pope Paul in declaring Jerusalem an "international city." Ahmed Qureia, one of Yasser Arafat's most trusted lieutenants, said the Palestinians would support internationalizing all of Jerusalem - including Arab East Jerusalem, occupied illegally by Israel since 1967 - should the two sides fail to reach a final settlement in the crucial weeks ahead. "Unless we can reach an agreement on Jerusalem, I have to declare that both parts of Jerusalem east and west should be a unified international Jerusalem ... not just the capital of Israel or Palestine, but a capital of the world," said Mr. Qureia, who is speaker of the Palestinian parliament.

This revives a plan first put forward by the UN in 1947 and trumpeted by the Pope in recent years. Both the Israelis and the Palestinians have been adamantly opposed to it until now. It is likely that the Palestinians are playing the "Jerusalem internationalization" card in a last ditch effort to show that they are not the ones blocking peace. It is doubtful the Palestinians would accept such a plan, even if the Israelis agreed--which is extremely unlikely. It is, nonetheless, an intriguing idea.

From a Biblical standpoint, such a designation is unlikely. While Daniel 9:27 seems to encourage such a solution, Luke 21:24 strongly suggests that once Israel was again in control of Jerusalem, it would remain in Israeli control. Daniel 9:27 states that the last week of Daniel's 70 weeks of years (seven years) would be marked with a covenant with a "he". While some believe that "he" refers back to verse 25-26 and is the "Messiah" (or Jesus Christ), grammatically the "he" must refer to the prince in the phrase, "the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary" of verse 26. That prince was the Caesar of Rome who sent his general, Titus, to put down the Jews in Israel. Although he did not want to, Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70. Daniel 9:27 therefore says that another prince will come out of the "people" or the international community as we now call it. So, Jerusalem becoming an international city which was negotiated by an international figure would fit Daniel 9:27 perfectly. Since "he" will cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease in the middle of the seven years also strongly suggests that the Jewish Temple will be rebuilt just before or during this seven year period.

However, Luke 21:24 argues against this interpretation. "And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." (Luke 21:24). As explained in the August issue of DTT Digest, the first half of the verse deals with the fall of Jerusalem by the Roman General Titus in AD 70. Then Jerusalem will be controlled by the Gentiles (all non-Jews), until that time when it once again comes under the control of the nation of Israel. From then on, the verse strongly suggests that Jerusalem would remain under Israeli control until Jesus returned.

While it seems that Jerusalem will remain in the control of Israel, something may be worked out in an international agreement that would be allowed in this passage, so we cannot be dogmatic. God is sovereign and will do what he ordains. When it happens, it will fit all of the prophecies dealing with it. V mc