Introduction The Holy Land. Israel. Palestine. No place on Earth evinces as much emotion, or has seen as much conflict, as this tiny sliver of land between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea. Revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and fought over for millennia, it remains the epicenter of one of the world’s most vexing and endur- ing conflicts. This encyclopedia surveys the rec ord of vio lence across the Holy Land from ancient times to the ongoing Arab- Israeli conflicts. While some have sought to control the Holy Land for its geostrategic value as a land bridge between Africa, Asia, and Eu rope, others seek to monopolize its sacred value. Jews built their historical identity around their conquest of the land, and then their return after the Babylonian captivity. They retained their devotion to the land after their dispersion by the Romans. After Christianity became a religion of the state in the Roman and Byzantine empires, Christians came on pilgrimages to strengthen their faith. Centuries after the Arab Muslim conquest, when the Seljuk Turks inhibited pilgrimage, the Roman Catholic Church authorized numerous Cru- sades to reclaim the Holy Land. After 100 years of conquest and occupation by the Crusaders, Muslims regrouped and reclaimed Jerusalem and its environs. Even today, religious attachments to the land inform the clash between Arabs Israelis. Most Arabs are Muslim and consider Jerusalem their third- holiest city, and behind Mecca and Medina. It was once the qibla (direction of prayer), and the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have traveled to Jerusalem during his Night Jour- ney to heaven, an event commemorated by the world- famous Dome of the Rock and al- Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem. For their part, many Jews believe that God granted them the Holy Land 4,000 years ago as part of a special cove- nant. They trace their history as a people back to the ancient Jewish kingdoms that stood there for hundreds of years. Jerusalem holds special significance as the loca- tion of a great religious temple in two dif fer ent time periods, making it the spiri- tual center of Judaism. Today, the Western (Wailing) Wall and Temple Mount stand out as the most impor tant of many Jewish holy sites in the area. Even tens of mil- lions of Christians today view the Arab- Israeli conflict through a religious lens. For example, many Christian Zionists believe that God commands them to favor Jews as his “chosen people” in their strug gle to control the Holy Land, and that the Jewish people must return to Zion before the second coming of Christ can occur. In addition to religion, the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians represents a clash between competing national movements. From this perspective, the
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