When the State of Israel was established 61 years ago this week it was decided that Yerushalayim would be its capital. Although it was not centrally located nor the home of the largest Jewish population, this city was chosen to be the capital of the modern Jewish state.
The reason for this was the role that Yerushalayim played in history as the capital of the Jewish kingdom and the home of the Beit Hamikdash and the Sanhedrin.
No wonder then that one of the major political issues in the recent Knesset elections was that of giving the Arabs control of parts of the city. The victory of the right-wing nationalist camp in those elections gave new hope for the policy of preserving Yerushalayim as the "eternal and indivisible capital of Israel."
