India and Israel Against Islamic Terror

33
rrris with shepherds of the South. Crowned king in Hebrew he

h d to contend with Abner, Saul’s faithful general from North,

nd old rivalries flared up again with the advantage of numbers

nd strengtFTIying with the latter. David’s tiny kingdom was in

neril as Philistines watched gleefully the two Hebrews slugging it

out But they reckoned without David. Resourceful, patient,

supremely confident, using diplomacy, tact, flattery and bribes,

accidental but timely murders removed all obstacles. Abner died

in a vendetta, Ishbual’s head was severed through a treacherous

plot and at the end of ten years David rises as a new star out

of the bloodshed and mire of treachery; victorious and happy,

admired by all, controlling a much wider area than Saul ever

did, and a ruler in his own right. He united the scattered tribes

into a nation providing religious and national symbols by

conquering a centrally located town from a Jebusite clan, high

up in the Judean hills, called Jerusalem.
History of Jerusalem
Having gained the Kingdom and the unification of all the tribes

under his leadership, David now decided to give a religious and

political focus to his Kingdom. The place found most suitable

was Jerusalem. While the boundary of Israel lay north of Jerusalem

that of the Northern Judah lay South. Thus Jerusalem lay on the

overlap of both the kingdoms. This was reason enough for its

selection. Further, Jerusalem lay on a hill within the hollow of a

valley in a strong position, though not commanding a large area

but at a height of 2500ft., on the rather inaccessible southern

part of the hills, west of Jordan.
Jerusalem, the capital city of David, has probably the most

chequered history of all the cities in this world. Possibly, no

other city in the world has suffered as much arson, carnage,

destruction and warfare as Jerusalem. In three thousand years

°f its’ recorded history, Jerusalem has been attacked forty times.

It has been successively conquered and occupied by Egyptians,

Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Seleucids, Greeks, Romans,

Muslims, Arabs, Seljuks, Crusaders, Seracens, Mamelukas and

Ottomon Turks. Not mentioning the earlier inter and intra tribal
I! 34 INDIA AND ISRAEL CHAPTER 2
i, - 11
wars for the occupation of Jerusalem before David, a brief but
| not comprehensive chronolo^
5y of some major conflicts for
»|| Jerusalem is given below.
li
f I Time
Events
I’1 1. 587 or 586 B.C.
Destruction by Babylonians.
li 2. 198 B.C.
Seleucid Conquest.
| 3. 170 B.C.
Capture by Antiochus Epiphanes.
’I 4. 164-141 B.C.
Hasmonean Revolt, Occupation,
I
Defeat & Reoccupation
I 5. 63 B.C.
Pompey’s Siege.
I I 6. 37 B.C.
Conquest by Herod.
II I 7. 70 A.D.
II
Destruction by Romans.
II
I 8. 132-135 A.D.
Bar Kochba Revolt.
§’ ”’ rH 1

«*: *1 111
I 9. 614 A.D.
Persian Conquest.
* IT”. . • II
in!
-^ * i II
I 10. 638 A.D.
Muslim Conquest.
^ II II
|| 11. 1071, 1076 A.D.
II
Seljuk Conquest.
>*’”* * H li
I 12. 1098 A.D.
Fatmid Conquest.
1 13. 1099 A.D.
I
First Crusader Siege and Conquest.
.;• a i
I I 14. 1187 A.D.
Siege of Saladin.
<;r,i i
I ll 15. 1229 A.D.
Third Crusader Siege.
ife/ * ~ 9

,*2f*?» H in
I | 16. 1244 A.D.
Conquest and Sacking by Tartars.
• ill
I 17. 1917 A.D.
Starvation relieved by Allenby’s Entry.
I I!
I 18. 1920, 1929, A.D.
Arab Mob Outbreaks in Old City.
* ,*• I
I 19. 1944.1946 A.D.
Jewish Underground Violence.
-Hv|
I 20. 1947 A.D.
m
Arab-Jewish Conflict.
Vl ” I
|| 21. 1948 A.D.
Arab Siege and Conflict.
I i 22. 1967 A. D.
Jewish Conquest of East Jerusalem.
„ * m. i
Hi
*, - > •*& i
in
r a
|”| i The name Jerusalem is derived
from two Hebrew words-”Yara”
i I
II and ”Shalom” the former meaning city and the latter stands for
£ i I
in ’ peace; in other words a city of peace. Another interpretation
I could be the combination of
”Yara” with ”Salome”, a local
i I goddess. In Egyptian hieroglyphs, the city is referred to as
|)i| Urushamem, in Akkadian tongue as Urusalim. Another school
II’ i of thought relates to the belief
in Hebrew connotation as ”City
CHAPtK 2 HISTORY OF ISRAEL 35
of Peace” born out of two Hebrew words ”Ir” meaning city and

”Shalon” meaning peace. Modern historians, however, consider

the derivation of this name from the two words ”Yara” meaning

”Founded” and ”Salem” the name of the local Cod. Thus the

city was supposed to be founded by the Cod ”Salem”. Thus the

word Jerusalem had it’s roots in antiquity. The city of shalom

was conquered three millennia ago by David from the Jebusites,

just after the onset of 10th century B.C. But the establishment of

David’s capital in the city of the House of Lord came much

later. As described in Bible II Samuel (Chapter 7), the Lord

spoke to David thus:
7 5. Thus saith the Lord, Shalt thou build me an house for

me to dwell in?
6. Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time

that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt,

even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a
i tabernacle.
7. In all the places wherein I have walked with all the

children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes

of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel,

saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?
8. Now therefore, so shalt thou say unto my servant David,

Thus said the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the

sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over

my people, over Israel.”
*****
Thus the Lord’s message to David through Samuel:
13. He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish

the throne of his kingdom forever.
14. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit

iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and

with the stripes of the children of men:
1 5. But rny mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took

it. from Saul, whom I put away before thee.”
36 INDIA AND ISRAEL CHAPTER 2
In obedience to the aforesaid word of the Lord, David purchased

a ground site for the Temple from the local tribesmen for fifty

shekels of silver at the same spot where Abraham had prepared

an altar for the sacrifice of his son to please the Lord of Israel.

Earlier called ’Mount MorialY the place was subsequently named

the Temple Mount’, which also later became Haram-esh-Sharief,

the existing site of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of Rock. The

Israelies even today refer to the Temple site as ’Mount Moriah’.
Impregnable and strong, a bastion of Hebrew honour,

Jerusalem served the emotional needs of the Hebrew people.

Starting from modest beginnings David turned it into a great

capital city, enlarging, reconstructing, uniting it to the fortress

of Zion on a nearby hill and surrounding both with a strong

wall. And then with great pomp and fervour he brought here

the Holy Ark of Yahweh that had passed through troubled times

earlier. Thus consecrated and hallowed, Jerusalem became a

focal point of Hebrew faith, their kingdom and unity. Its marts

and markets overflowed, its sanctuaries crowded with pilgrims

and old Hebrew history was revived and relived, firing countless

generations of bards and patriots, while the enigmatic bandit

warrior, the founder of the city became a pious religious figure,

a favoured son of Yahweh. Esconsed there in his new capital the

restless soul of David struck everywhere fighting the surrounding

foes and fired by his unquenchable thirst for conquest, he

founded a kingdom that stretched from Lebanon to the Red

Sea. Eeared by the Syrians he beat back the Philistines, occupying

their capital Goth, and avenged the indignity of Mount Cilboa.

Moabites were routed, the Ammonites, Edomites. Armeans and

Amalekites were crushed in a ruthless and brutal manner

symptomatic of the times, desperation for life and home marking

his exploits. These achievements unified and consolidated the

Hebrew life around its kingdom with David as the law giver,

arbitrator, and warrior king.
Jerusalem has never been the seat of Moslem empire. Earlier

it was Damascas which was the seat of the Caliph, which later

moved to Baghdad. Moslems never built a single town in Palestine

except Ramalah, built by Abd-el-Malik, the second son of
CHAPTER 2 HISTORY OF ISRAEL 37
Suleiman. This name too is derived from the name of the Jewish

king Soloman, who founded Ramalah near the international

airport of Lod. As far as the the Dome of Rock or Mosque of

the Dome is concerned, it was initially a ramshackle wooden

structure built by Omar and only later improved to its present

shape by the Caliph. The site is, as Moslems believe, where

Prophet Mohammed made his mystic flight to heaven on his

legendary steed el-Burak. However, the Rock within is the site of

an improvised altar on which Abraham was commanded by the

Lord to sacrifice his son Isaac. The rock or Mount of Moriah as

well as the site of Holy of Holies is part of the Jewish Temple

made by king David.
The great shrine built later by Abd-el-Malik (682 to 705

A.D.) stands at the highest point of the Jewish Temple compound,

renamed by the Arabs as Haram-esh-Sharief, meaning Noble

Sanctuary. AI-Aqsa Mosque or the Dome of Rock was

subsequently improved by Abd-ei-Malik’s son. It was later

reconstructed with building material of the columns and remains

of churches destroyed in the area. The mosque of AI-Aqsa later

became the headquarters building for the Knights known as the

’Order of Templars’ and named ’Palatium Solomanis’, the place

of Solomon, considering it to be the site of his residence built

south of Solomon’s Temple. During the Crusaders’ occupation

of Jerusalem ( 1099-1187 A.D.) the Dome of Rock was

converted into a Christian church, known as ’Templum Domini’

due to the association of the site with the Jewish Temple.
David moved into his new capital Jerusalem, the ancient

tribal relic of the Ark, in order to give this city the dignity due

to this central relic of the confederation of the tribes. In the

process, he boldly linked it to the ancient tradition which bound

the tribes together and made it a central point for all the Jews.

’Mount Zion, the name of the hill top on which Jerusalem’s

place of worship stood, became a concept in Israel’s religious

vocabulary. Around Jerusalem developed all the trade and

prosperity of Israel. Construction and development followed the

establishment of the city. Ancient trade routes were revived.
38 INDIA AND ISRAEL CHAPTER 2
v* Trade developed as exchange of goods and services took place;
• roads were constructed, houses built and good governance
^j£ | provided to the children of Israel. Commerce and wealth flowed.
H , ! Wells were dug where possible and resting place for the pilgrims
HK 1: constructed to shelter the pious visiting Jerusalem for worship
^H I and sacrifice.
^B Trade flowed from neighbouring lands along highways and
^H the Hebrews, the scattered little nomads, became a strong force
|PP • of the East. This was the peak of David’s glory and then the
j decline began. He fell prey to the weaknesses of unbridled
| ! power, and developed into a medieval despot, his harem
-* ’ . overflowing with women and hangers-on, the military austerity
I replaced by adulterous deeds and court intrigues. Rebellions
broke out and the aging David lost most of his prestige and
i|! ! halo. His son rebelled and was killed by Jacob, his faithful general.
jj|:j His son’s quarrels and endless intrigues among his concubines
I; made his last years miserable. One of his famous concubines,
Bathsheeba got her son propped up as the next king. This last

i phase of degeneration notwithstanding, David was the maker of
!’ Israel, a statesman and warrior king. Inheriting a disspirited and
divided people, he raised a kingdom battle by battle. A succession

of diplomatic coups pushed forward and secured the frontiers

, to establish a kingdom. He brought back the Holy Ark and
1 created Jerusalem, a capital and a shrine. David, a king at 30,
ruled in glory for forty years and his kingdom prospered. His

-,, rule stretched along the sea from Dan in the north to Beersheba
, in the south, while its eastern borders lay along the Judean hills
and the river Jordan. His muster roll for battle included eight

i ’< hundred thousand men from Israel and a hundred thousand
jj, from Judah. History remembers the man not for his foibles but
j[ jj his achievements. A genius in war and diplomacy, he holds a
unique position in the Hebrew lore. A king poet in shining

[ armour, he holds the unique distinction of being the maker of
I the Jewish nation. The star of David on Israel’s flag is well
|! deserved.
CHAPTER 2 HISTORY OF ISRAEL