>> i like him.

he is not as crazy as his father. [laughter] there is a long way to go. [inaudible conversations]

[applause] >> i apologize so much for keeping you waiting. figure for waiting for me. i had no idea of the traffic on connecticut avenue. let's go straight to "jerusalem." i have been going to jerusalem all my life since i was a little boy. ever since i have been a writer i have wanted to

write basically this book. and i have been thinking of a way to write about jerusalem. there are millions of books about jerusalem but the israel, palestine conflict and king david and jesus and there are very few books maybe one book in print in english that is a parallel history which is the armstrong book. it is a wonderful book but it is about the nature of. [inaudible] i wanted to write a book about the architecture, not just the holiness, theology, one empire after another. but the people that made jerusalem and how they built it. after all the people and families built cities. jerusalem is a city that is involved and has been created by great dramatic

tax and a combination of these two things. i wanted to catch that. looked at the book for a long time and i read other books and once i read about benjamin disraeli who said when i would to read a book, i write it. , believe following in his footsteps. [laughter] i have a slightly down the same thing here. -- is that malfunctioning? >> not any more. >> so why "jerusalem" the biography"? >> many of you know, in the jewish scriptures she is always described as a woman sometimes a mistress abandoned or a beautiful

princess but always a woman. that is one reason why that is the idea that i like that appeals to me. also also about the people. i wanted to create a book to confront very complicated idea is. the names are incredibly complicated. turkish names, english names , hebrew names or arabic names and so many civilizations say the book has to be readable from someone who knows nothing about the middle east lourdes jerusalem and did not read history books. mainly my mother. [laughter] that is why i designed it so it is in small sections. is a person to help make the

city some way or another but those of the people to interest me and who i want to write about it is a section of biographies. they may have characters you have scarcely heard i'd like jesus christ. and of those tata characters like the travel writer, the arab night from the time of the crusade come as some of these people i have discovered. i am sure many of you have to be there but it is partly a very book i want to show the joy of reading and discovering maybe you go off and read more books or to the primary source of it

catches your imagination. that is what i decided to do. the great challenge of course, is is both a blessing and curse that everybody feels jerusalem is partly owned buy them everybody has a vision even though you could be a secular person as someone who despises religion you could have a view of what it should be if you are religious you have a very strong view of what it should be. that is why at the moment it is a fascinating time because even though washington d.c. to london or paris those people we portrayed them in the media as borderline mad. in fact,, in america, in the middle east in all over the

world by which those who believe the bible is fundamental. but bush you feel this strongly now? the muslims and palestinians it has seen it -- been enormously the streets of jerusalem now you see people going down am praying in a way you never was seen before. of course, there are far more jews now.

we have evangelism more than in england here but all the people as it was thermometer jesus for when the kingdom of heaven comes the apocalypse, of coming of messiah, a second coming, it could only happen in jerusalem. it will happen outside of the golden gates. a beautiful mr. kohl mysterious structure that is the accomplishments and that is very different scenarios but that is what will happen. so for them of the ever increasing numbers also in the muslim world and elsewhere it is ever more

the center of the world. you know, into the middle ages, really up to the reformation, you often saw maps that it was literally the center of the role. and the center of the cross it was the center of the world. now to say in a weird sort of way that jerusalem is again the center of the world that the fundamentalists believe in judgment day and the apocalypse but in the middle east it is in the cross hairs of the great conflicts of today.

not just between the west dune road in the muslim world but with the judaism off 10 the non of serving choose. so within the religion themselves, a jerusalem is at the center of the israel palestine conflict in that in itself has the iconic value or centrality in many of the crisis that is happening in the arab muslim world and with ever greater importance. all of these have been played out in jerusalem in different ways.

iran has taken up the cause. the of the park negative and the revolutionary guard so in so many ways they have cleverly taken now jerusalem in a way there shia in appeal to the sunni arabs or often suspicious of them. so that is the clever way to do this. it is ever more central it is one of the sadness that this bias on the intensity of all the world's troubles and complex which is really the temple mount, what does that mean? it is a phrase frequently used cnn and in newspapers but this is the place, the

perfect place, the prime place where man can encounter god. that is what holy city means. the place for this is the temple mount in jerusalem. so that large structure is considering the hopes and dreams pile on top 70 people who go to jerusalem are hugely disappointed and have jerusalem syndrome. it is a special madness peculiar. as a mental institution, that specializes and every year several hundred people lose their lives. it is one of the few places

where you walk can in do see the patients produce a jesus several people turnaround. [laughter] and in fact, there are various levels of jerusalem syndrome. it has many names madness come of fever, not just for silly names but this psychiatric and recognized buy psychiatrist is a syndrome and it is caused by dead this -- disappointment certainly they have also suffered from it as jewish pilgrims and surgeon the muslims also. one of the bizarre characteristics of anybody who gets old but that is every concord who has

managed to control of jerusalem bought mono atheism means if you believe you believe in one god. one way. so that you cannot compromise with the road to happen to the last judgment. that is why it is the one city where people just want to live there and possess it totally. but to come back to the jerusalem syndrome it is where people expect a white marble city, pristine towers rising to the clouds with a guide smiles down. how many of you have been to jerusalem? it is political in a wonderful and gripping and

it is also the messiest, noisiest, pancreas most serious and chaotic crazy city in the whole world. no wonder many pilgrims to go there have jerusalem syndrome. i thought it was a joke as you probably do as i tell you about it but i found hour recent and the last 10 years and has been done by some very scholarly work about featureless -- jerusalem syndrome. they have divided it up and analyze it in unintelligible psycho babble but the section is for idiots like me and it says this might be useful for people for those two were groups here are

five simple things to look for in your group. [laughter] f1 of your people start to display any of the characteristics and then literally call for the commercial institution. [laughter] first, obsessional clipping of tate -- fingernails and toenails. and the keeping of the clippings. second, the obsession mall cutting of her. the third the fashioning of the togo like robe from hotel bet sheets. [laughter] fourth, putting on that road in progressing to a high place and to give a sermon

preferably title on the mount. my wife thinks you can only write this if you're totally immersed in the subjects she thinks i have suffered from it for years. the book is finished now think god. but it is definitely the most daunting and challenging book i have ever written. when i started to write it it, there was no point* finreg teeing the and he is really history of jerusalem are pro palestinian or the zionist few. it has been done i am a historian. i wanted to write a as close as you could get without bias. i should tell you it is hard. i am jewish.

and i am a montefiore that is a big part for the creation in jerusalem. he was my great great great uncle and a fascinating character. born in italy and came to england as a child and there we had a very successful financial career he had the first rothschild and it has been proven recently they were seeing the battle of waterloo. they new-line tin had when the battle because that meant they could buy the british government's stock.

so it is said they made a great fortune. luckily for montefiore. he is exactly what the victoria in nearest -- aristocrats thought 614, barrel chester, fair hair, in one of those people who had great charm when queen victoria met him she would say i saw montefiore what should grand hebrew he was which was a great complement but would not go down so well today but he england was in a strange situation and 90 of the leaders of britain with evangelicals believed in the return of

the jews to israel as every gathering of the jewish people and ultimately this would accelerate both of their hopes for british control and also the second coming that coincides with a montefiore. he was very friendly of the evangelicals. there were very similar. when montefiore went to jerusalem he was a world the english gentleman who made his first fortune who was jewish but not orthodox. when he saw jerusalem he felon love and when seven times wrecker he said when he received his knighthood from queen victoria i am proud to see my banner fluttering of all but i was to receive a title from the queen of england. he became a very orthodox jew and always traveled very

grand way with the complete parent -- paradox or paraphernalia that he could take with him. he went seven times which is incredibly difficult and dangerous. many people die on the road to jerusalem. after a while they were incredibly poor and realized they refuse to have a future to return to jerusalem but also had to make their own living. now fascinating is if you read the papers in europe coming you would believe all the suburbs, that were jewish were authentic and a

palestinian and neighborhoods are very ancient and one of the interesting thing is this they're not as ancient as they think. montefiore built the first jewish wine and saying his started almost exactly the same time. so all of these things were built roughly at the same time. he brought a little bit of england to jerusalem because it is a winter million did not work for very long.

and then what they look like is fake gothic battles like the medieval castle program and look like london suburbia. but in 1948, 47, voting for palestine, the palestinian irregulars took possession you have that here looking down and the montefiore win to real and the hotel here with a huge fortification and as the battle started

the regular started to attack the montefiore and the jewish defenders had used the fake battlements israel bottom as there were very useful survey were vague the backing of the arabs so that is the background would is part of the connection to the interests of lumber it went down many generations. blend of british took jerusalem, by coincidence the military police chief was a nephew of montefiore like me. his job was to run jerusalem.

negative not in the family papers this book is over roaming way a book, a show subjects inouye but what if there is a lot of stuff in there. one of the things from my family papers basically no tension between jews and arabs at that point* but the big problem was stopping the israeli soldiers and there was very clear instructions in the archive that they would not be put off at that time. and he could regularly who

pulled out of his brothels people put them in shackles and put them in prison for the night and it was very simple about 20 of them in to say the jerusalem quiet and vitti rapid. [laughter] i grew up in jerusalem that is why i went there as a child. moses montefiore as our passover come in the aldermen of the family come up with the older men a wound where top pilots you would not believe that in america but it was very

victorious. they would go on how he was the family street and the more restarted to look into him we found like all great magnates he had a secret life. we discovered when he died the next day his nephew who my descended from, went into his house and burned all of his papers. and but more recently we have discovered there have been many rumors that he was happily married bell so clearly a typical victorian magnate. recently we have discovered the age of 81 he fathered a child by the 60 year-old house made. the shock core.

it shocked the older members of the family it almost finished them off. but i have to say for the younger members there's a lot more interested than we were. [laughter] that is how it came to be. know the great challenge coming from this background was to write the unbiased history. there is so much to say but one of the first things is every religion has its mythology that if you are believer you believe it is true if you are not a believer it sounds ridiculous. for the jews, abraham, said david, us all men, christians, jesus to rises on the third day from the dead, the knights

journey from arabia the course with wings and a human face to jerusalem. no point* in rite aid history of we will lock it in without respecting it the history is meaningless. so i have a policy not to find any religious belief but to embrace it in to write a history of the mythology as far as we know my father came up to me and said if you say king david does not exist. [laughter] someone from just about every religion because the

interesting thing throughout the history is not just jews and palestinians, that is one of the tragedies of the internationalism but multiple identities. you can read it as the great story ever told a the empresses and the fascinating characters speak also steady how the holiness develops and identity develops, empire of control, a position of power. i have tried to balance the to interest. in 1970 when they ask the palestinian mayor but they did not call them that then, if you read the autobiography written in the late forties, when he talks

about palestinians threw the book he means the jewish community of palestine. that is quite interesting. but the palestinian arab is one of the great families i have written about they ask him his nationality and he said ibm quite clear. i have three nationalities. first data from jerusalem third the arab and third the altar ran. a similar complexity that is what this book is about to respect the complex identity is. you may not know that the armenian community in jerusalem speaks its own dialect fed is special and have many words that a special and unique to jerusalem.

the serbians or the georgians it is their story to. many had descended from the turks or the great palestinian family is. i have written about the rothschild and in a small way, my family but also the herodian san the maccabees but in modern times the arab families, i have taken the trouble to go to every one of these families to find out the family history and they're all fascinating. by the way the church is still open to every day. of family is a family metals

butchering sri back to my point*. in jerusalem this is as powerful as the facts. that is one of the peculiar characteristics as well that many of the myths are wrong but are believed by many people in there are many examples but the biggest is the one that almost certain along which millions walk every year, almost the wrong route. but it but it is a different site for all religion. the focus of great year reverence and the whole political question to try to build new settlements.

but don't tell them that. do i say they're wrong? no. that is in reference to them but if you want to know the historical story, it is here. when people arrived in jerusalem just about all of them thought to all of the big buildings they saw were built buy king david working solomon. they are all built by herod the great, the older one. for 300 years the walls were overwhelmingly built, they are not very ancient of all. that is interesting. of course, the walls around the temple mount themselves

are very ancient but there is a great variety and jerusalem itself talks about the holy city with so on in so forth all the great religions have forgotten. but the jews i would say ever since it was destroyed destroyed, could use have wanted to return whenever they could. not always possible but for hundreds of years there were banned but them buys indians kept the temple as a ruin. to approve bejeezus prophesies that jerusalem would not be rebuilt in the temple to -- would be destroyed a lot of their once a year as a circus but that had gathered into crowds stood jews would amend the destruction of the

temple. and they would lock them. for hundreds of years it was not very important to the christians either but the key moment of muslim history it was abandoned with no walls, in 1800 at the turn of this century win montefiore jerusalem had munchausen and inhabitants 1/2 empty and overgrown. not always like it has been today but it is the approach of napoleon when he invaded egypt and he hoped to take jerusalem he was the early

zionist. but that law is the beginning of the return to jerusalem which has culminated now to geopolitics. that is how i approach the book. what time did i start talking? i shall stop in the second and we can take questions. given my background and the nature and the way, one of the weird things about it is the two great distractions come of those two great ones were the most important

thing is. it intensified. in a way it makes it indestructible. one of my hopes for this book is by sharing the history of all people of jerusalem come up by telling them as fairly as i can. i knew i would not be popular with everybody and if i was with one side or the other i would have failed in my task progress first that is difficult than i realized i have to embrace it. he was popular a first but then he became unpopular with both sides. creek as a flashy said if

either side stops complaining i will minute. i followed a similar attitude with the book. it has been very challenging the most controversial things of the biblical period over the last 50 years, i don't quite finished 67. that is less change of possession so that is the climax but it goes through obama, an air of spring, present time, and of course, it is the most controversial so i decided i had to get both the palestinian and israeli government to read it. i got both people to do it. they knew it was published in many languages but they took trouble in each keep me a long memorandum. they did not mind the things

that were wrong but what was against their interests so after while i had two macquarie and judgment. which i did. this book is a result. we don't know what will happen with the air of spring for the palestinians statehood at united nations. all the great complex of the world which is founded on jerusalem which is the holy city come in universal city, all of these are unknown and i can caesars loan he has almost negotiated if both sides know the terms they were

very close to agreement. it has a myth about the other side. the israelis for example, claim palestinians are not people and they were invented very late in the jews came first that is why they are worth less but they often claim that zionism was only invented in the 1890's the war only became holy very late 17th century and so on. both sides foster lies about one another. you could take -- make peace

with legal documents and the security council but neither will hold less both respect somehow the heritage your the story or the truth. if in a very small way contributes to that, i would be happy. everything is up in the air i can also see one that is destroyed and blown up by a fanatic. that means jerusalem and only become holier. the one thing we know is ultimately the day of judgment, second coming from my jesus christ will return to jerusalem. and whatever else happens will end in jerusalem. thank you very much. [applause]

>> he i would like to make a comment about king david and some archaeologists believe. >> this is the key question my father was concerned rough. but to take things step by step, if you are a fundamentalist believer that the bible is god's word, you don't have to listen to this

but if you're interested in a really happen. [laughter] the bible is like any other historical source, who wrote it, when the road it, why the road it. of course, we don't know the answer to all of that. we have to ask what we do know about. everything about jerusalem jerusalem, this is an obsession no question and the politics has forced both sides and archaeologists and historians into extreme positions that they never would have taken before. because the palestinians believe that they base seven keene david said this is so viciously debated among the are college used -- archaeologists.

but what do we know essentially? we know that david did exist because of the inscription found in 1993 by a israelis referring to israel he was from the house of david. so, after his death, we know he was an interesting character but that is all we know. in archaeology, what you don't find is not held against dubai you simply use what you do find and understand archaeology is like shining a flashlight looking for a slight so in

the city of david, zero cyrix that leaves the same but the way the huge but since it has survived into today camerino there was a large structure there and jerusalem was much smaller. and probably just a stronghold. david's kingdom was probably less formal more like a confederation of tribes. that does not mean it did not exist but it is interesting making them the we know existed 1,000 years later there is virtually no archaeological reference.

only because david was such an obsession and a fascination, but we do know virtually no evidence of solomon. but what we do know within 30 or 40 years of the probable death of solomon on this side to the jewish temple that is now the temple mount we know that there was a jewish kingdom there so i am less excited 15 david existed not we did about 50 years of him and all of the conditions did exist.

is there any way to have political diminishing the rights of the palestinians or the arabs threw been in jerusalem since 68 but a fascinating question nonetheless. >> that was solemn gives her >> i have two questions. stall and was the machiavellian and he picked on people. wooden i want to go to one place to point* out the weaknesses of the religions there rather than going somersaults in africa? i think it was intentional the hour religions focused on a place to build themselves up to get the attention.

>> i know exactly we were saying. what is fascinating is each new revelation that took control, they did not say we would start from scratch. no way. holiness is a tradition in infectious. fitch use almost certainly be built the first temple on the candidate shrine. she just -- aegis very consciously the film does a practicing to base since legitimacy of the fulfillment of the prophecies. similarly, we don't know if he was literate or not but certainly very familiar with

the profits. so for them but with a profit david become less so they consciously bill of the jewish at what was he doing? >> that is what all religions have done throw time that is why there is three religions in jerusalem. >> i recently read there's a lot of anti-semitism in great to bridge chin and they would not put to a jew in the parliament at that time and said you mentioned

to get ahold of israel but yet or palestine but yet it is antagonism. >> the british attitude was ambiguous but in fact,, this that i was describing which is very similar to christianity vandalism today in america was very pro jewish. but it limitative never very vague way that it deprived many americans. maybe crowned heads a were in europe but that is uneasy

passport two exceptions but nevertheless it does defy the preconceptions about victoria and england, a dozen non? >> -- does it not? >> to put questions. outside of the last pages of your book could you give me to books that our objective history of israel and palestine? also to the effect your ratings with lawrence zero? >> i love him. he is a great man. do you like kim? >> he came to me his image and his books.

>> alexandria akamai jerusalem, these through the grace -- great cities who of nationalities. the other question? >> two abjective books on the conflict? >> it is hard to find them. most of the ones i can think of, i don't to name because i regard them as an equal. i am not saying that just to promote my book but i cannot answer truthfully. i can think a lot of books that i loved as a child but i could see no are pro zionist but a lot of the modern books written a are either neocon which by a look at totally unrealistic your 38 you will judge when

it you read the book how why have done. nothing is perfect. but if it is very hard to find an objective view. i cannot answer your question quite. >> to honor you in this book i have a long history of loving your work in very much admire renew as a thinker and as of a writer so my question is involved with the work that i am doing and i want to show you how i honor you and what i think if you. i am doing a novel on the friendship between catherine it -- catherine the great

and it -- procure the man who could make me think what a handsome man. a cave media to have stolid and undergo a transformation of being helped out by catherine the great. my question now and i have not dove and year rather for yet but it she says that don't know why people have this idea and i don't know why i have gone down in history that way and she says don't worry. i have asked simon sebag montefiore to rate a biography of view and i know he will tell the truth. [laughter] now i have to go home tonight, i shall i be scared or drink?

>> definitely have a glass of wine. [laughter] that is the basis question i have ever had. [laughter] before we finish i got an e-mail today. i love your question but i received a letter from a history teacher in provincial england to say he put up the picture of the young stalin a poster over his desk and first one uniroyal than many that all of this girl -- schoolgirl came to see this as a pilgrim ridge she he was alarmed that they all found him so handsome. so what shall i do about this problem? all of the girls in school are in love with stalin.

[laughter] thank you for that lovely question i knew very flattered. cannot wage to read you're novel. >> thank you very much for having me. [applause] hot. >> it is authors night several different authors are here selling their books to support charity. one of those authors is in the author of a new voice for israel. first of all,, what is jay street the pro-israel/perot peace lobby a new organization pressing for american engagement to

achieve a middle east peace. >> host: how do stand compared to aipac? >> we believe the two state solution is in the united states in israel best interest we want to see the president do more, not less to help achieve these. >> host: mr. ben-ami, what is the new voice? >> guest: menu voice is to have a counterweight that for too long have spoke for the entire community for the average jewish-american for those who are 40 and under the jewish community that does not mean supporting every decision of the israeli government or take gain the most hawkish possible a view. >> what is p