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Jerusalem: End the Pain!
Over the past 10 years (if not more), it has been established that without creating a State of Palestine alongside the existent State of Israel stability, peace, and prosperity will continue to elude the inhabitants of this region. Its mothers, children, and wives will continue to weep and it brothers, fathers and sons will continue to die. The ferocious dogs who feed upon its grief will grow fat. Though this consensus has placated both sides of this conflict, yet another question has arisen: which of these two future countries will have control over the holy city of Jerusalem?

Since the creation of a Palestinian state is crucial to the rapprochement of the opposing factions - the Israeli government and Hamas - and the only foreseeable solution is a division of Jerusalem along its Arab and Jewish quarters, the division of Jerusalem is a necessary consequence of peace. We must remember that although the political factors of this debate are exceptionally important, the value of human life must be put foremost. Haven't enough blameless souls perished due to this conflict? Isn't it in the best interest of the people for this contention of faiths to end and end soon?

1. Religious Conflict: Islam and Judaism

So why is it that the two sides are hesitant to accept the division of Jerusalem as a resolution? Their anxiety and anguish are rooted in the displeasure of Jerusalem's divided pious population which is composed of both Muslims and Jews. They cry in confusion: who will control the city's religious sites? Will it be the majority Jewish government or the majority Islamic government? Both sides distrust their opposition and believe if their heritage is left in the others' hands, it will be besmirched.

For the Jewish people, Jerusalem symbolizes their survival of unthinkably cruel ordeals: persecution, massacre, and war. Jerusalem is holy to them because it is bathed in the blood and sweat of their ancestors. They know that within the city's sand and earth, lie the remains of their grotesque past and giving that up would be like denying it ever happened. They view their habitation of the city and their access to its religious sites as proof that their faith will allow them to weather any storm and best any challenge. Even for a Jew who is not actively religious, the importance of this cause is unparalleled and incomparable to any other on Earth.

Islam recognizes Jerusalem as the site of the Prophet Mohammed's night journey. Most scholars who have

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