[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 202 (Tuesday, December 12, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1687]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING JERUSALEM AS CAPITAL OF ISRAEL

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 12, 2017

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the Holy City of Jerusalem is 
recognized as one of the oldest cities in the world. It is also the 
eternal capital of the State of Israel and the Jewish people. Founded 
during the dawn of civilization, the city has been destroyed twice, 
captured and recaptured 44 times, and controlled by numerous great 
empires including the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, and 
Ottomans throughout its 6,000 year history. Throughout the centuries, 
Jerusalem has always been the spiritual capital of the Jewish people.
  The Jewish people's connection to Jerusalem is clearly recorded in 
the Bible, with the city being mentioned by name 811 times. King David, 
the Biblical and historic King of Israel, made Jerusalem his capital in 
1,000 BC. His son, Solomon, built the Holy Temple that was the center 
of the Jewish faith on Mount Moriah in the Old City of Jerusalem. After 
its destruction by the Babylonians in 586 BC, it was rebuilt years 
later only to again be destroyed by the Romans in the year 70 CE. 
Remnants of the ancient temple still remain with the Temple Mount and 
its outer wall, known as the Western Wall, serving as the holiest site 
in Judaism today.
  When the Romans destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem, it expelled its 
Jewish inhabitants, forbidding them from settling in the rebuilt city. 
Meanwhile, Muslim and Christian armies battled for the city, erecting 
their own shrines over top of the Jewish ones. We cannot ignore the 
importance the Temple Mount also holds to Christians and Muslims, being 
the location where Jesus prayed. Nevertheless, Jerusalem has for far 
longer been the center of the Jewish world. The city remained in 
political turmoil for centuries until the rebirth of the State of 
Israel and its unification under the Jewish State.
  In 1949, the Jewish people declared Jerusalem the capital of their 
new nation. As David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, stated: 
``there has always been and always will be one capital only--Jerusalem 
the eternal. Thus it was 3,000 years ago--and thus it will be, we 
believe, until the end of time.'' The city has since flourished as the 
capital of Israel, being a place where all faiths can peacefully 
worship. While the future of the full city has yet to be decided, it 
cannot be denied that Jerusalem is the political, cultural, and 
spiritual center of Israel.
  I applaud President Trump's courageous decision to recognize 
Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to relocate the U.S. embassy to 
the city. It is the obvious decision reflecting our strong commitment 
to the State of Israel and the Jewish people's historical ties to the 
land. The status quo of Jerusalem's holy sites should be maintain until 
a lasting peace agreement is decided on by the two sides.

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