Is Peace Possible? Lets think about Jerusalem. Whose land is it anyway? It has had many owners. Jerusalem was a Jewish land after it was captured by David, in 1000 B.C.E. After that, the Muslims had control over it. Then it changed owners again in 1099 through 1270, when the Christians took over Jerusalem . The next investor was the Muslims again. They ruled to 1917. An agreement in 1949 divided Jerusalem in two: Jordan and Israel. After the Six-Day War it was back in Jewish hands, where it remains today. Whose land is it? I'm not really sure!

The Western Wall was built by King Herod in 20 B.C. to support the platform of the Temple Mount. A century later the Romans mauled the Temple and the Western Wall was the only part left standing. Now the Wall has both religions and political meaning in the Middle East.

Three of the world's major religions consider the wall an important site. To Jews the Wall represents a very important part of their history. It is the only standing remains of two earlier temples that were built to honor their God. Christians, whose roots are in Judaism , also share this belief. To the Muslims the Wall, called el-Burak, is also a sacred site. This is because the Wall is believed to be the site where Muhammad ascended to heaven

Today the Wall has also become political. The name of the wall, its size, and the need for the minor repairs to it have become an issue. Most Jews make a point of calling it the Western Wall. Many non-jews say both the Western Wall and the Wailing Wall. Even this has become a problem for peace .

The size of the wall may also be a problem. According to Palestine the Wall is 58 meters long. Israel says the Western Wall is 485 meters. This caused a problem with one of former President Clinton's proposed peace agreements.

Lasting Peace has remained an issue in the Middle East. Israel and Palestine have continually tried to work out an agreement that would fit both their needs. The negotiations have proved to be useless with each side not agreeing to the other's demand. The U.S.A. has acted as a mediator, trying to help both sides compromise and work out a peace agreement.

So far attempts at peace have failed to bring the conflict to an end. Some positive and negative things have happened in the Middle East to try to improve the area. Like What? Well...

+ Arab Nations have created organizations that help each other.
- Most of these Nations do not recognize Israel.
+ Egypt now recognizes it as a country.
- Some other Arab Nations are mad at Egypt.

The United Nations has also tried to help. So far, the conflict has not been resolved. We selected this topic so that we can better understand what we see in the news. After doing our research, we decided to join many others around the world that wish one thing for the Middle East...