A Holy City Torn by a Bitter Rivalry

In many ways, Palestinians and Israelis live separate lives, seeking only minimal contact with one another. But in one place, they must and do mingle daily: Jerusalem. Times staff photographer Rick Loomis, in the final installment of his photo essay, documents the two sides’ desire to stake their claims to this holy city.

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Almost nowhere else on Earth do past and present collide with the intensity seen in Jerusalem, where ancient alleyways and parchment-colored walls have borne silent witness to centuries of strife in a city held holy by three faiths. But Jerusalem is more than a shrine to religion and conflict. It is a living metropolis where the sound of sacred chants mingles with the impatient honking of car horns, where satellite dishes dot a skyline defined by soaring bell towers, delicate minarets and simple stone synagogues. In the modern-day struggle between Israel and the Palestinians, Jerusalem is the ultimate prize: Both sides claim it as their capital. Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat wanted to be buried in the city, but when Israel objected, Palestinians had to satisfy themselves with a stone-lined tomb in the ruined West Bank compound in Ramallah where Arafat spent the last years of his life. Palestinians say they hope to move the grave to Jerusalem one day.