By Orly Noy
On May 12, Israel celebrated Yom Yerushalayim, or Jerusalem Day, which commemorates the "reunification" of Jerusalem in the 1967 war. This article is a reflection on Yom Yerushalayim, which is celebrated with very little regard to the actual current conflicted status of Jerusalem.
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Jerusalem Day (Yom Yerushalayim) over the years, has become a bizarre event: in an impoverished, battered city, the western side celebrates an imaginary reunification with its eastern counterpart. The celebrants swear loyalty to a united, undivided Israeli capital from now until forever, while most of them cannot even identify the boundaries of this united city on map, and have never visited its Palestinian neighborhoods.
Jerusalem Day accurately portrays the Israeli public discourse regarding the political status of the city: a great deal of ceremonialism, slogans, and a sea of waving flags, but very little relevant substance relating to the root of the city's conflicted reality, and realistically examining its future possibilities.
A practical look at Jerusalem today leaves very little to celebrate. Jerusalem is the poorest large city in Israel, in which over a third of its population is Palestinians who do not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Eastern side of the city. It constantly stands at the heart of political storms, and its name has become equated with extremism and strife.
Over time, Jerusalem has become the symbol of the Israeli "having it all" illusion. We want to talk about peace, but also build in East Jerusalem. We want to support the two-state solution, but also sanctify the boundaries of Jerusalem. We want to hold on to the Palestinian neighborhoods, but also keep the demographic balance in the city. The attempt to "have our cake and eat it too" not only has no future, it also relegates the city to a chaotic state of uncertainty.
The future of the Jerusalem has never been more enigmatic. Are we building? Not building? If so, where? And what borders of the city does Israel aspire to, anyway? The route of the Separation Barrier, encompassing Greater Jerusalem? The existing Municipal Boundary?
Jerusalem presents complex problems to the Israeli leadership, which may not have the public status or political courage to solve them. Israeli politicians generally run from every significant discussion of the Jerusalem issue. But after 43 years of annexation, they cannot continue to avoid it. In the beginning of the 44th year, Israel needs politicians who have the courage to openly say that the city is not actually united, and it never was. Israel does not have the feasible option to ensure a Jewish Jerusalem in its current boundaries. Without dividing the sovereignty of the city into 2 capitals, there is no real possibility to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a two-state solution.
For many years after the Six-Day War, Israel held the perception that was embodied by Moshe Dayan, who said, "We're better off with Sharm-al-Sheikh and no peace, than peace without Sharm-al-Sheikh." It took Israel approximately 12 years to free itself from this perception, but as a result, obtained a peace agreement with the most dominant Arab state, and peace in its southern border. We should hope that Israel will act now with the same maturity and choose peace without East Jerusalem, instead of East Jerusalem without peace.
Today extreme settler groups have launched a campaign to evict Palestinian families - refugees of Israel's War of Independence - from densely-populated Palestinian neighborhoods in the heart of East Jerusalem.
They are doing so based on the "right" of Jews to recover properties lost in the 1948 war. But under Israeli law Palestinians have no such right. So while Israel insists that Palestinians renounce any "right of return" - it is implementing a Jewish right of return to Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, and turning 1948 refugees into 2010 refugees.
Then there is the question of Israel's respect for other religions.
Due to Israeli restrictions, today it is easier for a Palestinian Christian living just south of Jerusalem in Bethlehem to worship in Washington's National Cathedral than to pray in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Today a Muslim living in Turkey has a better chance of getting to Jerusalem to pray at the Old City's al-Aqsa mosque than a Muslim living a few miles away in Ramallah.
Since 1967 all religions have had access to their own holy places and the city has thrived.
Israel has been a far better custodian of the city than the arabs ever were.
Start by calling arabs invaders (despite Jerusalem/al Quds having been a Palestinian city for centuries), ignore the ethnic cleansing that the Zionists had been engaged in, ignore the burned and demolished mosques (and the villages that they were a part of), the temporary nature of the closure, and ignore the restrictions on worship that Israel imposes.
"Religious liberty is severely restricted; the freedom of access to the holy places is denied under the pretext of security. Jerusalem and its holy places are out of bounds for many Christians and Muslims from the West Bank and the Gaza strip. Even Jerusalemites face restrictions during the religious feasts. Some of our Arab clergy are regularly barred from entering Jerusalem."
From the missive from the Christians of the Holy Land to their bretheren around the world.
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/dokumentation/documents/other-ecumenical-bodies/kairos-palaestina-dokument.html
When the jews invaded in 1949 they ethnically cleansed Jerusalem of all Arabs, burned mosques, did not allow any Arabs to worship within the city, and limited access even by Christians until the jews thought they got control in 1967.
Since 1967 not all religions have had access to their own holy places and the city has not thrived.
Israel has been a far more terrible custodian of the city than the arabs ever were.
Really tallen, who do you think you trying to kid. Do you think we don't read, can't tell the truth from the untruths of your hasbara BS?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPjpqiCxc4o&feature=related
And yet, depite paying taxes to the city, they are not allowed to drive out of their neighborhood, despite a court order (they are lucky, compared to the other 1,200 who live there and did not make the decision to swear loyalty to the state that annexed their village, their only route out involves scrambling down into a valley, then struggling up what is almost a cliff on the other side, a route that is impassible when it rains)
If they need a fire truck or ambulance, unless they've somehow had the foresight to know well in advance that one would be needed, and gone through all the long complicated process of arranging one in advance, they're not likely to get on (it might show up at the entrance to the neighborhood, but the 'Border Police' there are likely to turn it back)
They cannot open a store (no delivery vehicles allowed in), a school (no permit to build one) or a medical clinic.
Does this really sound like the 'undivided capital' of a 'shining light of democracy and equality'?
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/mess-report-palestinian-villagers-trapped-by-permanent-red-light-1.291803
The problem is that Israel simultaneously considers all of Jerusalem (and it expands the definition of Jerusalem greatly, mostly into the West Bank) to be part of Israel, and certain neighborhoods to be occupied by foreigners (who've only lived there one or two thousand years) and therefore part of another country.
BTW, those 1,800 people have Israeli issued documents saying that are indeed residents, read the story rather than trying to hide things.
Next thing you know, some Palin supporter will take issue with someone who thinks that knowing more about sex will make someone less likely to make uninformed decisions about it.
Sorry, the only modern ethnic cleansing of Jerusalem happened when Jordan took control of east Jerusalem and forced out all the Jews who were living there, even those who had lived there for generations and had nothing to do with Israel.
Under international law, neither east nor west Jerusalem is considered Israel’s capital.
Tel Aviv is recognised as Israel’s capital, pending a negotiated settlement with the Palestinians.
East Jerusalem is considered by the international community to be illegally occupied by Israel, in contravention of several binding UN Security Council Resolutions.