Marbaniang, Domenic

The building of the Third Temple is one of the most anticipated events for Jews all over the world; for, the Temple is considered to be the heart of the identity of Jerusalem as the Holy City of God. For about 2000 years now, Jerusalem and the Jewish people have been Temple-less. However, the vision of a third Temple burns brightly in their hearts. History tells us that the First Temple built by King Solomon was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 586 BC. In 538 BC, Cyrus the Great Emperor of Persia ascended the throne and decreed the construction of the Second Temple. This temple was completed in around 516 BC under the leadership of Joshua the High Priest, Prince Zerubabel, and prophets such as Haggai and Zechariah. The Book of Ezra gives an account of this construction and the hindrances the people had to overcome during the work. The Second Temple was renovated and remodeled during the reign of Herod the Great in the first century BC. This temple was destroyed by the arm...

The State of Palestine is one of the states with limited international recognition. As of 27 September 2013, 134 (69.4%) of the 193 member states of the United Nations have recognised the State of Palestine. But, Israel doesn't recognize it. In fact, the recent UK MPs' vote on Palestinian State recognition was rejected by Israel as an hindrance to any prospects of peace between the two sides ( The Free Press , Oct.14). Opposition leader Isaac Herzog (Labor) felt that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to blame for it. "A cold wind is blowing toward Israel from every corner in the world, but they refuse to deal with the hard facts and are bringing a diplomatic storm," he said ( The Jerusalem Post , Oct 14). It seems that only the United States remains as a strong supporter of Israel. Back in 2011, President Barack Obama told Abbas that the US would veto any United Nations Security Council move to recognise Palestinian statehood ( The Telegraph , Sep 22, 2011). The ...