The VaTican & Jerusalem - PASSIA Online Store

The Vatican & Jerusalemannexes• 1969: UN Security Council Resolution 267 denounces “in the strongest terms all measures taken tochange the status of the City of Jerusalem.”• 1971: The Israeli authorities issue the first ‘Master plan’ for Jerusalem, which plans to double theJewish population of the city by 1980.• 1973, Jan.: First meeting between a Pope (Paul VI) and an Israeli Prime Minister (Golda Meir).• 1974, March 25: Paul VI expresses in his apostolic letter “Nobis in Animo” the conviction thatpeace and security in the Holy Land cannot be achieved without respecting the equal rights of allthe religious communities.• 1974, July 16: Paul VI calls the Palestinians a ‘people’ in a letter addressed to the President of thePontifical Mission for Palestine.• 1975, Nov.: Brief encounter between Pope Paul VI’s special emissary, Cardinal Bertoli, and thePLO leader, Yasser Arafat.• 1979: Israeli Jewish population in East Jerusalem reaches 50,000.• 1979, March 22: UN Security Council Resolution 446 calls on Israel to dismantle the settlements,“those having no legal validity” in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including Jerusalem.• 1980, April 19: Religious Jews announce that they will work on overtaking Al-Aqsa Mosque.• 1980, July 30: The Knesset passes the ‘Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel,’ thereby confirmingthe 1967 annexation.• 1980, Aug. 20: UN Security Council Resolution 478 reaffirms that “the acquisition of territory byforce is inadmissible” and expresses its deep concern “over the enactment of a ‘basic law’ in theIsraeli Knesset proclaiming a change in the character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, withits implications for peace and security.”• 1981, Aug. 28: Israeli authorities start building a tunnel beneath the Haram ash-Sharif compound.• 1982, April 11: Israeli soldier Goldman shoots at Muslim worshippers at the Haram ash-Sharif,killing several Palestinians, injuring over 60, and spraying bullets at the Dome of the Rock from theinside, destroying a magnificent centuries-old mosaic.• 1982, April: John Paul II refers to the Palestinians as ‘a people’ in his Angelus message.• 1982, Sept.: First meeting between John Paul II and Yasser Arafat.• 1983, March 26: Israeli excavation underneath the Waqf Department leads to the collapse of themain entrance.• 1984, April 20: John Paul II issues his apostolic letter “Redemptionis Anno,” which recalls theunique nature of Jerusalem due to its holiness for the three great monotheistic religions and thenecessity “to preserve the unique and sacred character of the Holy City.”• 1987, Dec. 9: The first Palestinian uprising (Intifada) breaks out throughout the Palestinian territories,including Jerusalem.• 1988: Jordan renounces its incorporation of the West Bank.• 1988, Nov. 15: The Palestine National Council promulgates its declaration of independence, whichannounces “the establishment of the state of Palestine in the land of Palestine with its capital atJerusalem.”• 1990, March 22: The US Senate adopts by voice vote a resolution recognizing undivided Jerusalemas the capital of Israel.• 1990, March 27: The Knesset adopts a resolution saying that united Jerusalem is under Israelisovereignty, and that there will be no negotiations on its status.• 1990, April 27: The Church of the Holy Sepulcher locks its doors for the first time in 800 years inprotest over the presence of Jewish settlers in Jerusalem St. John’s Hospice.• 1990, Oct. 8: Haram ash-Sharif massacre; Israeli forces kill 18 Palestinians and injure 150 more, asPalestinians protest against the attempt of the extremist “Temple Mount Faithful” group to enterthe compound and place a cornerstone for the building of “a Jewish third temple;” the HousingMin. Ariel Sharon announces a plan to increase the pace of construction in East Jerusalem from2,000 to 5,000 units annually.• 1991: Middle East Peace Conference in Madrid.• 1993, July: An Israeli demographic majority is declared in East Jerusalem with 168,000 Israelisettlers and 154,000 Palestinians (or 180,000 counting those without residency permits).• 1992, July 29: Israel and the Holy See establish a ‘Bilateral Permanent Working Commission.’• 1993, Sept. 13: The PLO and Israel sign the Declaration of Principles on Palestinian Interim Self-Government Arrangements.• 1993, Dec. 30: Signature of the ‘Fundamental Agreement between the Holy See and the State ofIsrael.’• 1994, June 14: Full diplomatic relations are established between Israel and the Holy See, resulting inthe opening of an Israeli Embassy in Rome and an Apostolic Nunciature in Tel Aviv.• 1994, Oct. 26: Vatican formalizes official relations with the PLO.• 1997, April 25: UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/ES-10/2 calls for “a comprehensive, justand lasting solution to the question of the City of Jerusalem, which should be reached in permanentstatus negotiations between the parties, should include internationally guaranteed provisions toensure the freedom of religion and of conscience of its inhabitants, as well as permanent, free andunhindered access to the Holy Places by the faithful of all religions and nationalities”.• 1997, Nov. 10: Signature of the ‘Legal Personality Agreement’ between Israel and the Holy See.• 2000, Feb. 15: Signature of the ‘Basic Agreement between the Holy See and the Palestine LiberationOrganization,’ following Arafat’s ninth meeting with Pope John Paul II.• 2000, March: Pilgrimage of John Paul II to the Holy Land.102 103