Jerusalem has another ancient defender

A rabbi's observation about circumcision practices among the Tigrinya people of Eritrea prompted reflection on how little most Israelis understand about this ancient civilization and its religious traditions centered on the Orit, a biblical scripture canon, and the Tabot, a representation of the Ark of the Covenant.

The Tigrinya maintain a religious worldview in which Jerusalem holds significance not as a distant city but as part of their civilizational inheritance. While Israelis commonly regard Iran as a national security threat, few recognize that this ancient Red Sea civilization also views Jerusalem as central to its identity and perceives Iranian expansion as a threat to its historical and strategic interests.

The contest for Red Sea dominance extends back to the sixth century, when the Aksumite Empire - homeland of the Tigrinya's ancestors - confronted the Sassanian Persian Empire over control of South Arabia and the Bab el-Mandeb strait. Fifteen centuries later, geography remains constant. Through Houthi proxies, Iran has extended its influence back to the Bab el-Mandeb, reintroducing Persian power to Aksum's ancient maritime domain. For the Tigrinya, this represents not merely a new geopolitical contest but a recurrence of an old struggle over the same strategic crossroads.

The Tigrinya religious tradition integrates circumcision, the centrality of the Tabot, Old Testament laws and rituals, and Jerusalem's enduring significance. For this people, Jerusalem is inseparable from their sacred inheritance - a connection that creates a rarely recognized civilizational bond with the Jewish people. Both regard Jerusalem not simply as territory but as central to collective identity.

Iran's leadership has consistently positioned Jerusalem as central to its ideological struggle with Israel, shaping decades of regional policy and proxy warfare. For the Tigrinya, Jerusalem's role in their own civilizational heritage raises consequential questions about indifference to Iranian expansion toward the Red Sea.

Few peoples combine attachment to Jerusalem with a homeland positioned at the Red Sea gateway. Both the Jewish and Tigrinya civilizations have preserved ancient biblical traditions centering on Jerusalem. This convergence of faith and geography creates shared stakes: if Jerusalem falls, the Orit civilization loses part of its inheritance; if the Bab el-Mandeb falls to hostile control, Israel loses its southern strategic shield.

The destinies of these two ancient peoples have become intertwined through historical geography rather than modern diplomacy, linking them through shared attachment to Jerusalem and mutual interest in Red Sea security.