Jerusalem, one the world's oldest and holiest cities, was in December 1949 proclaimed by the state of Israel to be its capital. The city plays a central role in the spiritual and emotional perspective of the three major monotheistic religions. For Jews throughout the world, Jerusalem is the focus of age-old yearnings, a living proof of ancient grandeur and independence and a center of national renaissance; for Christians, it is the scene of their Saviour's agony; for Muslims, it is the goal of the prophet Muhammad's mystic night journey and the site of Islam's most sacred shrines. …
