Scribd
Upload
21 views

contested spaces assignment

Uploaded by

haylee06
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
21 views

contested spaces assignment

Uploaded by

haylee06
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Haylee Smith

1331801

GEOG*1200

Dr. Susan Dupej

November 15, 2024

Contested Spaces
The city of Jerusalem, in Israel, is a highly contested space as it is a central factor to three of the

world's largest religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Each religion has its own sacred

connection to the city, which causes tension between religions and who should get to rule it.

Jerusalem is considered the holiest city for Jews because it is the location of the ancient Jewish

temples, especially the Western Wall. The Western Wall is the remains of the first temples of

Jerusalem. It is now a place of prayer and pilgrimage for Jews (Snitkoff, n.d.). For Christians, the

crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ took place in Jerusalem, making it a very sacred

location. Today, there are various holy sites to commemorate this central event to Christianity

(Michael, 2011). With the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, where the Prophet

Muhammad is said to have ascended to heaven, Jerusalem is regarded by Muslims as the third-holiest

place in Islam (Little, 2017). As expected, Jerusalem has become a struggle for power due to differing

claims to its holy places. Jerusalem also is a contested space due to its political state. In fact, the

recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a causing factor to the political fight for Jerusalem. Jerusalem has

been the capital of Israel since 1980, although Palestinians and other communities across the globe

question its legitimacy. East Jerusalem was taken over by Israel in 1967, during the Six-Day War

from Jordan (Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | Global Conflict Tracker, n.d.). Many people around the

world and international organisations do not agree with the takeover of Jerusalem, and do not

recognize it as Israel’s capital (Nashashibi, 2017). This, on top of the religious differences, make

Jerusalem a very contested space. Jerusalem is a perfect example of social geography, and how

different social identities can cause division among people (Knox et al). In Jerusalem, these identities

include Jews, Christians and Muslims, as well as Israelis and Palestinians. Power also plays a large
role in the contentious city of Jerusalem, as each individual identity is constantly fighting for power.

The religious groups fight for who the city belongs to in terms of religion, while politically, Israelis

and Palestinians fight over who governs the city. Overall, Jerusalem is divided in many ways,

geographically, religiously, politically, etc. It is important for the people of Jerusalem to come to

reasonable agreements over who has power over what, to avoid more division, war, and exclusion.
References

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | Global Conflict Tracker. (n.d.). Council on Foreign Relations.

Retrieved November 15, 2024, from

https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/israeli-palestinian-conflict

Little, B. (2017, December 6). Why Jews and Muslims Both Have Religious Claims on

Jerusalem | HISTORY. Retrieved November 15, 2024, from

https://www.history.com/news/why-jews-and-muslims-both-have-religious-claims-on-

jerusalem

Michael, S. (2011, June 2). The Significance of Jerusalem to Christians - ICEJ. International

Christian Embassy Jerusalem. Retrieved November 15, 2024, from

https://www.icej.org/blog/the-significance-of-jerusalem-to-christians/

Miller, D. (2022, January 6). Most Read of 2021: “Israel” and “Palestine”: Where Should

History Begin, and Should it Matter? - Australian Institute of International Affairs. Australian

Institute of International Affairs. Retrieved November 15, 2024, from

https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianoutlook/israel-and-palestine-where-should-

history-begin-and-should-it-matter/

Nashashibi, S. (2017, December 10). Why Jerusalem is not the capital of Israel. Al Jazeera.

Retrieved November 15, 2024, from https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2017/12/10/why-

jerusalem-is-not-the-capital-of-israel

Snitkoff, E. (n.d.). The Jewish Connection to Jerusalem. My Jewish Learning. Retrieved

November 15, 2024, from https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-jewish-connection-

to-jerusalem/

Marston, S.A., Knox, P.L. Liverman, D.M., Del Casino, V.J., & Robbins, P. (2013). World

Regions in Global Context: People, Places, and Environments. (5th ed.).

You might also like