DESPUTED PEACE PROCESS SITES

DISPUTED SITES IN THE ISRAELI / ARABS PEACE PROCESS.

A light too bright No other place on Earth has stirred such passions as the barren strip of land on the edge of the Arabian Desert that has been called Palestine, the Holy Land and Israel. The harsh beauty of the landscape is infused with holiness and bitterness. In his book, "In a Desert Land," from Abbeville Press Publishers, photographer Neil Folberg captures some of this contradiction.

The dazzling white stone of Jerusalem's buildings reflects so much light at the height of the day that it "blinds rather than illuminates," Folberg writes. But at dawn, he says, the ancient city reveals itself: "For a moment, the light seems to burn everything it touches, but when that moment of brilliance passes, you are still standing, unconsumed and at peace with the world."A note from the publisherIn the foreground is the Western Wall, a remnant of the Second Temple, destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70.

Status of Jerusalem

Jerusalem is the center for three of the world's largest religions. The status of Jerusalem is one of the most contentious issues in the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Ground zero in the
dispute is a hill in Jerusalem known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary. That precious piece of real estate is believed to contain the ruins of Judaism's holiest temple, on top of which stands the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third-holiest site.

The 1999 Camp David talks broke down in part over the issue of which side would have sovereignty over the land on which the holy sites stand. The terms of the U.N. partition of 1947 call for Jerusalem to be an international city shared between a Jewish and Palestinian state.

Although Jews in British Mandate Palestine and elsewhere accepted the partition plan, Arabs rejected it and armies from surrounding countries invaded. Israel annexed West Jerusalem after gaining control during the 1948 war of independence while East Jerusalem, which includes the Dome of the Rock, came under Jordanian control.

In the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel captured East Jerusalem along with the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan Heights. Israel formally annexed East Jerusalem in 1980. Today, East Jerusalem is primarily populated by Arabs and West Jerusalem by Jewish residents.

Israeli viewpoint

Ceding control even over the Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, or the Old City, is a red line for many Israelis, who consider Jerusalem to be the heart of Zionism and an important part of Jewish identity. They want to ensure that they maintain access to sites they consider sacred, and they are not willing to negotiate on this point.

Palestinian viewpoint

Besides Palestinians' historic territorial claims on Jerusalem's Old City, the presence there of the Islamic holy sites makes the issue a red line not only for Palestinians but for the entire Arab and Muslim world. Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, who died in November 2004, was unable to compromise at Camp David on his demand for sovereignty over the sites and the eastern portion of the city.

The Dome of the Rock

was built as a mosque by Caliph Abd al-Malik in 691. The site is called the Temple Mount by Jews and Haram as-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary, by Muslims. It is Judaism's holiest site and Islam's third holiest site behind Mecca and Medina.

Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

The hill on the left is the Mount of Olives. The foreground structure dates from the Crusades.

The Mar Saba Monastery east of Bethlehem.

This Greek Orthodox monastery was founded during the Byzantine period.

Ain Kelt.

This spring is the source of water for the Wadi Kelt, a ravine that begins on the east side of the Mount of Olives and runs nearly to Jericho.

Village of Carmel.

This was a Jewish village until a new settlement was established nearby after the 1967 war. Now it is occupied by Arabs. View south from Jebel HarmunView from Har Hetzron to the east.

The Judean desert is in the foreground.

In the background are the mountains of Jordan.

Salt flats on the Dead Sea.

At 1,312 feet (398 meters) below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest body of water in the world.

Har Sodom and the Dead Sea.