NEW YORK – Jerusalem holds deep religious significance for Jews, Muslims and Christians, heightening the stakes for President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize the city as Israel’s capital.
Jerusalem includes the holiest ground in Judaism, the third-holiest shrine in Islam and major Christian sites linked to the life of Jesus.
The three religions have co-existed in Jerusalem with mixed results, under long-standing agreements that give oversight of different sectors in the Old City to separate coalitions of Muslims and Christian groups, and to Israeli authorities. Trump’s announcement Wednesday has no direct impact on those arrangements, but creates new tensions around maintaining those already fraught relationships.
Pope Francis said he was “profoundly concerned” over the move and appealed to these shared ties to Jerusalem among the monotheistic faiths, “who venerate the holy places of their respective religions and has a special vocation to peace.”
Here are some facts on the significance of the city to the three religions: