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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