The heart and soul

Jerusalem Must Not Be Severed from Israel -Aron U. Raskas

It is important to consider the dangers that would arise from placing large segments of the city, including Christian holy sites, under the control of the Palestinian Authority. After centuries of strife, the State of Israel alone has been able to preserve the peace and freedom of Jerusalem.

Most of the desecrations of Jewish and Christian holy sites in the Palestinian territories have occurred under the rule of the Fatah party, to which many suggest that parts of Jerusalem should now be ceded. Hamas' ascent to power adds a growing, and thus troubling, Islamic component to any analysis of the fate of Jerusalem's holy sites under Palestinian rule.

There is little doubt that ceding even a portion of Jerusalem to Palestinian control would strengthen the role of such radicals, much as Israel's retreat from Lebanon and evacuation of Gaza brought Hizbullah and Hamas to prominence. Western leaders must do all in their power to avoid being enshrined in history as the ones responsible for bringing to Jerusalem the Islamic regime that destroyed Judaism's and Christianity's holiest sites.
(National Review)