A-Z of the Holy Land

Can Zion prove to itself and to the world that it is capable of being a holy site to all?

For Jews, Christians and Muslims, Jerusalem represents the divine–human encounter, linking heaven and earth.

Is the Jewish state's right to exist legitimised – or illegitimated – by stones or pottery from 3000 years ago?

Words have power. They can build or destroy, heal or harm.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict therefore is not just about solving disagreement but rather who has the God-given right to this land. Religious faith not only easily leads to exclusive claims but can also inspire self-sacrifice.

The rivalry of two nationalisms – Jewish and Palestinian – was set in motion well before then but despite the UN's involvement, they have continued, unabated, to this day.

Adherents of the Abrahamic faiths in the Holy Land have gained profound experience in polemic and apologetics but little in genuine dialogue.

Whilst plurality and diversity are under threat on and between all sides, the repairs in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is an example of how sometimes religious leaders can transcend partisan elements.

While the State of Israel will not agree to their return since it would effectively destroy Israel as a Jewish state, the Palestinians steadfastly refuse to abandon their claim.

The Holy Land as a whole and Jerusalem in particular are, according to the Qur'an, sacred and retain an important place in Islamic consciousness.

Palestine is the focus of attention - and contention – around the world.

Should we conclude that Ottoman rule in the Holy Land was one of harmony between Muslims, Christians and Jews? That's one heavily debated question.

You might expect the Old and New Testaments to contain conflicting views of the Holy Land. However, there is surprising consistency.

Did you know that the first accurate record of the melodies used for chanting the Torah was made by Christian scholars during the 15th century?

Arabic and Hebrew have not always been dominant in the Holy Land.

The kibbutz, a collective community traditionally run on socialist principles, is portrayed in the Israeli narrative as one of the guardians of the Holy Land

The events that led to Jesus' death have been vigorously debated over the centuries.

The conflict will not be resolved in the long term by military means but only by compromise.

Don't know whether to laugh or express anger? Is the joke iconoclastic? Insensitive? That's Holy Land humour.

In a quest to encounter the Almighty, where better to go than the Holy Land?

Jewish fanatics are no different from other land-centred religious fanatics. The argument is simple: “God gave us this land, it is Holy Land; it is ours and only ours”. Pictured here is Masada, the site of the mass suicide of Jewish Sicarii rebels in approximately 74 CE, and it's just one example of religious fanaticism in the extreme.

Nothing illustrates the environmental challenge facing the Holy Land better than the decline of the Sea of Galilee, also known as Lake Kinneret, to its lowest levels for 100 years.

Although Muslims now pray towards Mecca, they once faced Jerusalem.

Christians are a minority in the Holy Land and a minority within the Arab minority. Purely on the psychological level, the Church is under pressure.

In 67 words, the Foreign Secretary publicly declared the support of the British government for the Jewish claim to a ‘national home' in Palestine in 1917. What happened next?

Come on a journey from biblical times to the modern day...

It may seem obvious to begin an A-Z of the Holy Land with ‘A' for Arab but the term is more confusing than it may seem at first glance. Dr Ed Kessler introduces us to this subject in this first episode.