Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Jerusalem for all its Citizens



by Nadav Shragai


For years there has been a stalemate between advocates and opponents of dividing Jerusalem.

Those who seek to divide the city pounce on every indicator of a divided city to bolster their claim that the city is already divided. All that is left in their view is to take out a death certificate for the united city and stamp it with the word "divided." 

Their rivals jump on every empty hill in the divided city in an attempt to conquer another acre and another goat, another house and another neighborhood. They are convinced that this is enough to ensure the city's unity. But beyond this kind of hackneyed thinking there is another world. Between the poles of "united" and "divided" there is also normalcy and an entire fabric of coexistence between Arabs and Jews. Surprisingly, this togetherness exists in many areas of the city. Those who support division are blind and deaf to them. But those opposed to it fail to understand that the way to ensure Jerusalem's unity is not just through building and investment for the city's Jews, but through investment and development of Arab residential areas. 

For years, the media has treated Jerusalem as de facto divided, as a fait accompli. It intentionally blurs the line between separateness and division. There are separations in Jerusalem, just as there are in London and Paris. Muslims in those cities use everything that the modern city has to offer them, while Parisians and Londoners almost never visit Muslim neighborhoods. Does that make Paris and London divided? On the other hand, aside from the partition line between east and west Jerusalem, there are many aspects of the city that all residents share, and that the media are careful not to highlight. 

This unity, with all its problems, exists in universities and colleges, where Jews and Arabs learn and teach together and share dorm rooms. It also exists in the area of medicine, particularly at Hadassah's hospital campuses in Ein Kerem and on Mt. Scopus. It also exists in employment is sectors such as the hotel industry. Shopping centers are full of both Jews and Arabs, as is the car repair area in Wadi Joz and Liberty Bell Garden, with its playground serving both populations. Jews even come to the turbulent Issawiya neighborhood for cheap dental work or to purchase construction materials.

In the Old City, the absolute partition between the four quarters is gradually eroding. Jews go shopping in Beit Hanina and we still haven't mentioned the use of common municipal infrastructure. There is also the light rail, which makes an enormous contribution to coexistence and normalcy in the city. Its main virtue is that Arabs and Jews, many of whom haven't seen the other for years, consume together the same service (as on many bus lines) and realize that the "monster" does not have horns. 

There are also dividing lines. The most prominent differences, aside from those of religion and nationality, are in the areas of infrastructure and the level of services. The gaps, by almost every measure, reach thousands of percentage points. East Jerusalem lacks about 1,000 classrooms, and many neighborhoods still use septic tanks and have no health clinics, well-baby clinics, sidewalks, roads, or public gardens. A country cannot claim sovereignty over a piece of land while relating to the residents living there as superfluous. 

Despite all this, by virtue of normalcy, and by virtue of the many benefits they derive from their status as residents, many of the residents of east Jerusalem -- contrary to the false declarations of their leaders -- prefer to live in the united city under Israeli rule. 

Will it always be this way? Of course not. Anyone who desires a united Jerusalem must, both morally and tactically, strive to preserve this preference among east Jerusalem residents. The formula is not complicated: Every project that Jews and Arabs take part in together in Jerusalem is a win-win for us and them. The more joint services and initiatives there are, the better for us and them. Today, many east Jerusalem Arabs see themselves as closer to Israeli Arabs than to the Arabs of Judea and Samaria.

Those who are satisfied with the Jewish presence and grip over Jewish residential areas, without developing, constructing and investing in infrastructure and services for east Jerusalem Arabs, are throwing the city's unity into greater question, as well as weakening the desire of the city's Arabs to continue to live under Israeli rule.


Nadav Shragai

Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=4249

Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.

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