Israelis and Palestinians - Movie Review Example

Movie Review (a) The video explains the significance of the of Jerusalem to the Jews, Muslims and the Christians. It clearly s that the Jews have a historical connection with the city of Jerusalem. The video further explains that the Christians see Jerusalem as their holiest city while the Muslims consider the city as their holiest city after Mecca. The video claims that the Jews inhabit most part of Jerusalem as they inhabit the most part of West Jerusalem. The Christians also hold the city of Jerusalem dear to their heart as they go there en masse from year to year for the holy pilgrimage, while the Muslims consider the city as a sacred site. The video further explains that the three groups; the Jews, Muslims and the Christians revere Jerusalem as a very holy city and they seek to protect this land and in doing this, they are likely to be at loggerheads with each other. This explains the strife in the region as the Jews and the other groups tussle for a claim to the possession of the city of Jerusalem (Israelis and Palestinians). The video explains that Judaism is the religious culture of the Jews as they have been practicing this religion in the city of Jerusalem for several centuries now and their religious affiliation with the city could be explained by their sacred temple in Jerusalem and this makes the city highly significant to the Jews. The Jews claim that Jerusalem has always been the central city of Israel, hence they lay their claim to the ownership of the city as they believe that it is their sovereign city. The Christians on their own part claim that the city of Jerusalem is where the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is, they claim that Jesus Christ was buried on the site of the church and this underlines the significance of the city to the Christians and they also believe that Jesus was crucified somewhere around Jerusalem. The Muslims on their own part believe that the Temple Mount (Hara mesh=Sharif) is a very important sanctuary to the religion of Islam as they believe that it was from a rock on the site of Temple Mount that Prophet Muhammad ascended into heaven and this explains the reason the Muslims believe that Jerusalem is sacred to them as they go there year after year not only to honor the prophet, but also to pray to Allah (God) as they are of the opinion that their prayers would easily get to heaven from the spot the holy prophet ascended to heaven, as some Muslims claim that it is the gateway to heaven. (b) It would be really difficult to make a decision on whether Jerusalem should be divided between the Israelis and Palestinians. The Palestinians have a bulk of their population in the city of Jerusalem, while the Israelis equally have a large amount of their citizens in their city. The Israelis live in most parts of West Jerusalem, while the Palestinians live in most parts of East Jerusalem and this makes it really difficult to grant either of the two parties a claim to the ownership of the Jerusalem. Considering the fact the Israelis and the Palestinians have both established some facts on their attachment with the city as history has it that they had been enduring in the city for centuries, this makes it more difficult to grant either the Israelis or the Palestinians the city of Jerusalem. The Israelis and the Palestinians have both claimed that Jerusalem is their sovereign land and any attempt to take their land away from them would be met with serious resilience. For peace to reign and considering the history that the two countries have with the city, the best resolution for the city is to divide and this should be done by the United Nations, which is the best party that can solve the problem considering the fact that it is the association of all nations of the world. Since the Jews (Israelis) and the Arab Palestinians live in opposite sides of Jerusalem, this makes the puzzle easier to solve. Jerusalem should be divided into West and East, with the Israelis taking the western part, while the Palestinians should be given the right to the eastern part of Jerusalem. Dividing the city of Jerusalem into West Jerusalem and East Jerusalem would go a long way in quelling the crisis in the Middle East. Peace would likely reign in the region by this act. Granting a party the right to the ownership of the city of Jerusalem could further increase the unrests in the region. Hence, the wisest thing to do is to divide the region according to the masses of the Palestinians and Israelis in the region. (c) I do not think the video presents a balanced view on the issue of Jerusalem as its arguments is mainly based on sentiments as it favors the Israelis and it is clear that the people behind the video were more interested in seeing that the city of Jerusalem is solely given to the Israelis considering the Israeli oriented fact they presented. The facts they presented actually favored the Israelis more than the Palestinians as they presented historical facts that strongly proved that Israel actually had the sovereign right to the city of Jerusalem, neglecting that Palestine also has an inheritance in the land (Israelis and Palestinians). In terms of defending the rights that Muslims and Christians have on the city of Jerusalem, the video presents a more balanced view on this issue as it clearly states that the religions have the right to claim that the city is sacred to them considering the attachment the city has with their respective religions. But this is not to say that the video was not biased in its judgments as it was generally biased in presenting the issue of Jerusalem. (d) The strengths of the video are that it clearly explains the significance and fate of the city of Jerusalem to the Jews, Muslims, Christians and the Palestinians. The weaknesses of the video lies in the fact that it attaches some sentiments in its arguments and this really flawed the video as it favors one party over the other (Israelis and Palestinians). I would actually recommend the video to all viewers that want to learn more about the city of Jerusalem and the struggle for the ownership of the city. The movie really exposes the gory detail that surrounds the strife for the ownership of the city as the Muslims, Christians, Jews, Israel and Palestinians always claim they have some form of connections with the city. People that love the history of Israel and Palestine would actually find this video interesting, making it a must watch for all lovers of history. Work Cited Turning Point. Perf. Israelis and Palestinians. 1996. Read More