Jerusalem between Political Interests and Religious Promise : Jerusalem between Political Interests and Religious Promise. The Ceremony at the Opening of the New US Embassy as Media Ritual

Abstract

This article focuses on the opening ceremony of the new US-Embassy in Jerusalem on May 14, 2018. By analysing a live transmission of the ceremony, it aims at showing how Jerusalem is constructed as a "holy city" through the ceremony and its medial representation. Thus it contributes at deepening the relationship between religion and politics in Mideast Conflict by focusing on the intersection of ritual, (sacred) space, conflict, and the media. More specifically, in following a spatial approach to religion, it asks about the role of media rituals as the considered ceremony in the construction of holy space in Mideast conflict.