When David united the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, he wanted a neutral place claimed by neither for his capital. So he took Jerusalem. He respected its Jebusite inhabitants, kept their city administration and honored their sacred sites. Karen Armstrong laments that as the 3,000th anniversary of that event is being celebrated this year, "Israel has not measured up to his example."

Jerusalem is shamed by the expropriation of others' lands, denial of human rights, rejection of ...