This past Wednesday, at the Annual Policy Conference of AIPAC- the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, presidential candidate, Barack Obama drew a standing ovation when he pledged his "unshakeable commitment to Israel's security" if he is elected president in November, and declared that Jerusalem should stay an undivided Israeli city.
The day before, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice seemed hopeful to reach an agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis before the end of the year,
"Israelis have waited too long for the security they desire and deserve," she said, "and Palestinians have waited too long, amid daily humiliations, for the dignity of a Palestinian state." But no one cheered and no one stood up.
The fact of the matter is, Rice's statement in front of one of the United States' most influential lobbying groups is more realistic and more in tune with the facts on the ground.
The United States and other international powers do not recognize Israel's annexation of Arab East Jerusalem following the 1967 war. Their embassy and those of most other countries are located in Tel Aviv. Even Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert refuses to give a direct response to Obama's statement that Jerusalem will remain the undivided capital of Israel.
"His words on Jerusalem were very moving," Olmert told reporters after meeting U.S. president George W. Bush at the White House.
When it comes to Jerusalem, Obama can talk the talk but can he walk the walk?
In reality, Jerusalem is a divided city. It has been divided since 1948. An Arab city (East Jerusalem) and a Jewish city (West Jerusalem).
In 1967, Israel conquered East Jerusalem and later annexed it in violation of all international laws and United Nations resolutions. In spite of this, the city remains divided, not through international borders and an armistice line but through psychological barriers and the discriminatory policies that Israel has imposed over its Palestinian residents for more than 40 years.
Under Israeli law, Palestinian residents of Jerusalem are not considered citizens. They are not even considered permanent residents; instead they are considered "temporary residents." Under this discriminatory policy, any Palestinian Jerusalemite would lose his or her legal residency in the City if he or she lives abroad for more than 3 years. At the same time any Jew who immigrates to Israel is eligible for full citizenship rights.
On the political level, Palestinians living in Jerusalem do not have the right to vote in the Israeli Knesset. Imagine if a certain ethnic group living in Washington D.C. were not allowed to vote in the congressional or presidential elections. Furthermore, Palestinian Jerusalemites are forced to pay the Israeli "Arnona" tax. Taxation without representation.
On the socio- economic level, under Israeli rule, Jerusalem has been divided into a city for the haves and the have-nots. After forty years, Israel has yet to upgrade the infrastructure of its debilitated Arab neighborhoods. It also continues its policy of appropriating Palestinian lands to construct new illegal settlements and housing for its Jewish population with all the modern comforts and amenities, while continuing to deny most building permits to its Arab population.
The stark difference between the two Jerusalems is clearly visible to the naked eye and for a candidate like Obama who prides himself on being a candidate for change...perhaps for a change; he should stop pandering to interest groups and take a hard look at the facts on the ground. Perhaps he should walk the streets of Jerusalem and see the reality for himself just like former president Carter and others have done...the true tale of two cities.
Jamal Dajani produces the Mosaic Intelligence Report on Link TV.