The dangers for Israel and united Jewish Jerusalem are real, however, especially with the likely ascendancy of the Muslim Brotherhood to the presidency of Egypt. Just a year ago, an Israeli-Arab Knesset Member, Ibrahim Sarsour, spoke in Israel and actually called for the revival of the Islamic Caliphate – centered in Jerusalem.
True, one of the main backers of a new Caliphate has been al Qaeda, which has suffered several major setbacks and is no longer considered a leading figure on the worldwide terrorism scene. Al Qaeda long had a multi-stage “master plan for world domination,” which was first revealed in 2005 by a Jordanian journalist who interviewed top al Qaeda leaders. The 9/11 attacks, a major part of the strategy, were to have been followed by more than a decade of attacks around the world, crowned by the formation of a worldwide Islamic state somewhere around 2015. Finally, by 2020 at the latest, the entire world was to have come under control of the Islamic Caliphate.
Even if al Qaeda is out of commission, its dreams of a Caliphate – with Jerusalem as its capital – are still alive throughout the Muslim world. In just a few days we will know whether the new ruler of 90 million Egyptians will seek to use his position of power to actualize these aspirations.
Meanwhile, we must redouble our own counter-efforts to make sure Jerusalem remains united, in word and deed, under Jewish-Israeli rule. To take part in bus tours of critical parts of Jerusalem, or to receive updates on the battle to keep Yerushalayim, send an e-mail to [email protected] or visit the Keep Jerusalem-Im Eshkachech website at www.keepjerusalem.org.
Chaim Silberstein is president of Keep Jerusalem-Im Eshkachech and the Jerusalem Capital Development Fund. He was formerly a senior adviser to Israel’s minister of tourism. Hillel Fendel, past senior editor at Israel National News/Arutz-7, is a veteran writer on Jerusalem affairs. Both have lived in Jerusalem and now live in Beit El.