יום שישי, כ״ד אב תשפ״וFriday, August 7, 2026
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By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
When Islam conquered the Holy Land, it made its capital in Ramle of all places, not in Jerusalem.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
The story in a nutshell: The terrorists (Arabs) act, and the victim (Israel) ignores and pretends.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Judea and Samaria (Yesha) have been governed by the IDF and not officially under Israeli sovereignty
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
"We have succeeded in raising an ideological generation that loves death like our enemies love life"
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
How many illegal Arab structures are there in the city? Why are they not being destroyed?
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
"This arbitrary ban is an ugly stain on our democracy, and it also undermines the rule of law."
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Arab mother: "Life is zero, life is worthless. That is why we have all the suicide bombers;"
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Our capital was not arbitrarily chosen, as capitals of some other nations were.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Jerusalem: The historic and spiritual capital of the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
It is critical to note the solid legal basis for the position that no part of Jerusalem is actually "occupied."
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Jerusalem: extraordinary financial and building growth and satisfaction by both Jewish and Arab residents.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Arab attacks on Jews must be stopped and Jewish construction in Jerusalem must proceed without hindrance.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
The Arab world is simply not built to accept the existence of Israel in its midst.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Under the plan, a person who was not a citizen of either the Jewish or Arab state was to be appointed governor to administer Jerusalem and to conduct external affairs...
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Is it not ironic that the renewal of a decades-old Jewish town is considered an "illegal settlement" on "occupied territory"?
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Much has been written about President Shimon Peres's promises to grant the Vatican official status in Jerusalem and control over its holy sites.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
One of the claims made by pro-Arab interests on Jerusalem is against archaeological findings.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
National park status is, unfortunately, not an ironclad guarantee against Arab encroachment.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
While the Temple Mount evokes such strong Muslim emotions, it is no longer clear that it does the same for most Jews.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Gilo, Har Homa and Ramat Shlomo – among the Jerusalem neighborhoods liberated from Jordanian control during the Six-Day War – are scheduled to gain hundreds of apartments.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
What exactly does MK Hanegbi mean when he says "no division of Jerusalem?"
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
While Lyon is backed by the haredi parties, Barkat has been endorsed by leading religious-Zionist rabbis.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
The Israeli curriculum is also offensive, according to Ma'an, because it actually dares to refer to Israel as a bastion of human rights and democracy.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
If peace talks are such a good thing, why is there so much pessimism regarding the chances of success for the Israel-PA talks? This is not a rhetorical question; it has a very concrete, specific, one-word answer: Incitement.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Yes, Israel made a sickening decision to release high-profile terrorist murderers in exchange for the PA's consent to sit at a table and insist that Israel's generous concessions do not suffice. However, it seems to have come together with a consolation prize of sorts: The announcement by Housing Minister Uri Ariel of tenders for the construction of nearly 400 new housing units in Judea and Samaria, and another close to 800 in three of Jerusalem's post-'67 neighborhoods.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
The name of the diplomatic game over the past few weeks seems to have been "Bear Down on Israel." The pressure has come in many forms:
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
How many times does PA chieftain Mahmoud Abbas have to repeat that the Israelis are planning to rebuild the Holy Temple atop the most volatile spot in the world before the world begins to accept it as true?
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
What could be more natural for a column dealing with Jerusalem than to pay special interest to the Temple Mount, the site of the Beit HaMikdash and the very center of the world? Especially given the distinct impression that throughout Israel, interest in this holiest spot has been swelling notably?
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
When we talk about developing Jerusalem and ensuring that it remains united under Jewish sovereignty, what could be more critical than actually building Jewish housing? Yet it is an open secret that the Netanyahu government has been waging a long-running general construction freeze in the Jewish areas of Judea and Samaria (Yesha), as well as in the liberated areas of Yerushalayim.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
It's only natural to see increasing evidence of Jerusalem's glorious Jewish past being unearthed, quite literally, under modern Israeli sovereignty. The new archaeological finds are also very timely – as the Arab onslaught attempting to detach Jerusalem from its Jewish roots gains steam, the facts on the ground, or "under" the ground, show quite otherwise.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
A zoning plan that would have enabled the creation of critical Arab facts-on-the-ground in a strategically vital area of Jerusalem has been shelved thanks to efforts by several Zionist organizations.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Rather than ask why Minister Baird met with Minister Livny in the eastern Jerusalem office, why not ask why Minister Livny agreed to meet there with Minister Baird?
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Israel, for its part, knows that developing E-1 is critical for its own existence.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
One doesn't have to be a Temple Mount loyalist to realize that something not good for the Jews is happening in the world's holiest spot – under Israeli sovereignty.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
We must remember, too, that Abbas has said no Jews would be allowed to live anywhere in a Palestinian state.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
It appears that when the dust settles after Obama's upcoming visit, Israel's housing market is very likely to take a big hit - in the form of a construction freeze.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Nearly eighty percent of Americans believe the Bible is either absolutely accurate or at least the "inspired word of God," surveys have shown. Around the world, Christianity and Islam comprise an estimated eighty-four percent of the world's population – demonstrating that the Bible clearly has an extraordinary influence over humanity. It is puzzling, then, that the concept of "exclusive Jewish rights" to Jerusalem has not yet caught on internationally.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Amid an intense Israeli election campaign in which "keeping Jerusalem united" figured prominent as a key issue, the question continues to crop up: Is Jerusalem already being divided?
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
We came across this startling headline in Haaretz:"Most Right-Wing Voters Support Establishment of Palestinian State and Division of Jerusalem." But Haaretz, as dovish and radical as it is, surely wouldn't lie straight out, would they? So how did they come up with such a headline?
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
With the international community barely having finished expressing its outrage over Israel's decision to build in E-1, between Jerusalem and Maaleh Adumim (reported at length in last week's column), two other similar decisions have been made that are sure to re-ignite the flames.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
International opinion has it that the new planned Israeli neighborhood between Jerusalem and Maaleh Adumim will prevent the creation of a contiguous Palestinian state. Unfortunately, though, that is not true.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
For probably the first time since the Yom Kippur War nearly 40 years ago, air raid sirens sounded this week in Jerusalem and environs. The sounding of the sirens occurred about two minutes after sundown on Friday, such that Sabbath-observers had no direct way of ascertaining where, what, how many, or who, if anyone, was hurt.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Mahmoud Abbas, chairman of the Fatah wing of the Palestinian Authority, was forced last week to retract some controversial remarks and in the process only succeeded in thoroughly confusing much of the Israeli public.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
What is the source of Prime Minister Netanyahu's apparent scorn for the religious, Land of Israel-faithful public in Israel?
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
A big week for Jerusalem: Britain's Press Complaints Commission ruled that newspapers may not refer to Tel Aviv as Israel’s capital, and Palestinian Media Watch publicized five recent examples of the Palestinian Authority's ongoing attempts to erase Jewish history in Yerushalayim.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Once again we see that no matter what happens, Yerushalayim keeps popping up in the center of world events. Just last week, the Democratic Party was innocently preparing the re-election bid of the incumbent leader of the free world, when it abruptly found itself having to deal with a major brouhaha concerning its omission of Jerusalem from its platform – and an even larger commotion when it put it back in.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
The Jewish people have had bitter experience in recent decades with enemies who repeatedly vow to destroy them. Despite this, here are some of the arguments being presented as to why Israel should not attack Iran:
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
In the heat of the American election campaign, it's fascinating to note the large part being played by Israel's capital, Jerusalem – at least in the Mitt Romney campaign.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
The U.S. presidential campaign is upon us, and one of the central issues – at least based on a perusal of recent press reports – is none other than the Jewish people's right to their own capital.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
The Levy Report's conclusive findings: Israel is not an occupier, and the settlements are not illegal. We all know that history repeats itself, but of late it seems that even the repetitions are repeating themselves.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Mourning, repentance – and love of the Land of Israel. These are arguably the major themes of these Three Weeks of Mourning over the destruction of the Holy Temple. The first two are well known and require little elaboration. But how does love and concern for Eretz Yisrael fit in to the picture?
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Just 15 miles to the north of Jerusalem, the Jewish effort to return to the biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria (Yesha) suffered a severe blow this week – or did it?
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
As most of you read these words, Egyptians are taking to the polls to elect their new president – and the outcome is liable to be fairly treacherous for their smaller neighbor to the northeast, Israel.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
The Municipality of Jerusalem and Mayor Nir Barkat are trying to stay on everyone's good side. On the one hand, the city is working together with the Ir Amim organization – a group that promotes dividing Yerushalayim along Arab-Jewish lines – jointly sponsoring a seminar on the controversial topic of urban planning for eastern Jerusalem.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
How does a state keep its capital city united? A strange question, and one that is clearly not an issue in most of the world. But in Israel, whose capital is the most coveted and contested city in the world, the problem is an acute one.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
A brief review of Jerusalem's police blotter for recent days looks like this: * April 2: Haredi man, 55, is axed by Arab terrorist near Shaar Shechem (Damascus Gate); lightly wounded. * April 15: Seven Molotov cocktails are hurled at Jewish homes in Maaleh Zeitim, causing a fire in one of them. * April 19: Young worshipper on his way from Shimon HaTzaddik to Meah She'arim is stabbed by two Palestinian terrorists (moderate wound).
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Who said Arabs lack imagination? Take the one who is in charge of thinking up new ways to perpetuate anti-Jewish sentiment, especially regarding Jerusalem. Here's what he came up with just last month: Accusing Israel of planning to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque atop the Temple Mount via artificial earthquakes.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
A million Arabs plan to march on Jerusalem highlighting strange "accusations" that Israel is seeking to retain the Jewish character of its holy capital.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
The fight for Jerusalem continues, on a number of quiet fronts. And if "want of a nail" can lose an entire war, as per Benjamin Franklin's poem, Yerushalayim can certainly be won via our close attention to issues that may not appear decisive or crucial.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Rabbi Porat oncesaid that his proudest parliamentary achievement was having sponsored and ensured the passage of a law entitled “Do Not Stand by Your Neighbor’s Blood”—rendering it a legal duty to offer assistance to someone in mortal danger. Based on a verse in Vayikra, Rabbi Porat’s law ensures that sanctity of life is a national value not only in word, but in deed.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Over the past year, KeepJerusalem has been keeping you informed in these pages about developments in Jerusalem that are likely to affect its Jewish future, for better or for worse. We strive to educate readers regarding the importance of a United Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
While Republican presidential contenders Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich vie with each other in expressing ever-stronger support for Israel, polls show Romney has a better chance of unseating President Obama in the November election. It is for this reason that many Israel supporters would like contender Rick Santorum to withdraw from the Republican race to ensure Romney is chosen over Gingrich.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
In a city of Jewish symbols, the Mount of Olives is perhaps the most symbolic of all: With a theatrical view of the Temple Mount and the Old City, it was the last stop for the Divine Spirit before the destruction of the First Beit HaMikdash and will be its first stop when Mashiach arrives.
By Hillel Fendel and Chaim Silberstein / KeepJerusalem.org
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, elected three years ago on a strong "Jerusalem will never be divided!" platform, has changed colors.
August 7, 2026 
