SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

The miraculous truth about Jerusalem

May 16, 2018, 11:07 AM

Trump...

President Donald Trump visits the Western Wall, Monday, May 22, 2017, in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Jerusalem is now the home of the United States Embassy in Israel, as it should be.

But our first diplomatic presence in Jerusalem began in 1844, when we established a one-man consulate in the holy city. Why a mere consulate, and not an embassy? Because Jerusalem at the time wasn’t the capital of anything — no separate Palestinian state had ever existed, and Jerusalem wasn’t even a provincial capital in the Turkish Empire that ruled the area.

The population of the destitute village was only 15,000, with more than 7,000 Jews and scarcely 5,000 Muslims. In other words, more than a hundred years before the rebirth of the modern Jewish state, Jerusalem was already a predominantly Jewish city — and still is, now that the population has multiplied to nearly a million.

Moreover, Jerusalem has emerged as a world class center of culture and technology, with one of the world’s most livable urban environments. The truth about Jerusalem is more compelling than any of the propagandistic myths.

Associated Press

Hurricane Nolo expected to unleash powerful winds, flash flooding on Hawaii

HILO, Hawaii (AP) — Heavy rain and powerful winds are expected to bring flash floods and extreme surf to the Hawaiian Islands over the weekend as Hurricane Nolo bears down on areas still recovering from previous storms. Nolo was churning slowly south of Hawaii’s Big Island on Saturday with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph […]

45 minutes ago

A "Do Not Enter" sign is pictured on the fence at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Art...

Associated Press

Kennedy Center put off planned repairs despite known structural issues, former employees allege

Kennedy Center officials were long aware of serious structural issues that they cited as new problems after the abrupt decision to close the performing arts venue this month, a group of former employees allege in a letter to Congress. The center’s executive director and chief operating officer, Matt Floca, did not treat the roofing issues […]

1 hour ago

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations Gener...

Associated Press

German, Russian foreign ministers have rare meeting at UN

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The German and Russian foreign ministers met Saturday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, holding what’s believed to be the first such tête-à-tête since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The meeting came as tensions between the European Union and Russia rose — and just before Russian Foreign […]

2 hours ago

President Donald Trump disembarks Air Force one at McGhee Tyson Airport, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, ...

Associated Press

CNN says it was left off Air Force One for Trump’s Saturday trip to a college football game

The White House left CNN off Air Force One for President Donald Trump’s trip Saturday to a college football game in Tennessee, marking the latest media restriction from the administration in an ongoing dispute with First Amendment implications. CNN, a member of the U.S. network video pool that rotates duties shooting and sharing video coverage […]

3 hours ago

Palau's President Surangel Whipps Jr. speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General ...

Associated Press

‘We’re not giving up’: Beset by climate change, island nations act as conscience of a warming world

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — When Palau President Surangel Samuel Whipps Jr. recently took his children to his nation’s Helen Island, two-thirds of it was gone. Rising seas caused by climate change had swallowed generational burial grounds, washing away a people’s entire culture and identity. “For us, it’s devastating,” Whipps told The Associated Press on Friday, […]

4 hours ago

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assem...

Associated Press

China, as usual, uses UN speech to promote global development as solution to world’s challenges

NEW YORK (AP) — A day after his boss met with President Donald Trump in Washington, China’s vice president unfurled the nation’s familiar list of global talking points, emphasizing development, issuing mild statements about the U.S. war with Iran, artificial intelligence and protectionism, and making no direct mention of Taiwan. Han Zheng’s speech to the […]

4 hours ago

The miraculous truth about Jerusalem