Today, I went around Jerusalem with an Israeli woman, currently living in Nepal and practising Vipassana meditation. For those of you who do not know me so well, I lived in Nepal for almost two years, and travel regularly to an Ashram in India, where I practice meditation. It seemed quite fitting for me to do a tour with her. We clicked straight away.
She knows East Jerusalem better than anyone else I have met so far, and she inspired me to tell you the story. Tonight, part one.
She started by explaining the different colours on the map.
The green line on the map is the internationally recognised border of Jerusalem. Everything to the left of the green line is West Jerusalem, where 300, 000 Israelis, mostly Jews, live.
The yellow line is the municipal borders of Jerusalem, which is the territory Israel annexed and declared as its own in 1967, but which no other State recognises. Everything between the green and yellow lines is known as East Jerusalem. The territory incorporates seventy square kilometres, which in 1967, contained twenty-eight Palestinian villages with 17, 000 people. Today there are over 250, 000 Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
In the center of the map is a small pale white box. That is the old city of Jerusalem.
The red line is the separation barrier. The solid line is where the barrier is constructed, the dotted line is under construction or planned for construction.
The blue spots are Israeli neighbourhoods. They are considered as illegal settlements by all other States, since it is forbidden to transfer your own population to occupied territory. But, most Israelis are unaware of this, and do not consider the Jewish neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem as settlements. Suburbs like French Hill (just north of Hebrew University) or Gilo (to the south) are as much a part of Jerusalem as Ben Yehuda street (where I spent many nights partying when I was here fifteen years ago). Around 200, 000 Israelis live in these neighbourhoods/settlements.
The brown spots are Palestinian neighbourhoods.
Next, she explained why Israel chose this route for Jerusalem's border.
First, for security reasons. Israel wanted to have military bases on the hills around Jerusalem to protect the city. Second, Israel wanted Jerusalem to be the biggest city in the country. Third, Israel needed as much land as possible, with as few Palestinians as possible.
A key challenge for Israel at the time, was to ensure that Jerusalem kept a Jewish majority, roughly two-thirds of the population. That remains a key challenge for the Israeli government. As a result, many of the policies and practices of the government are geared to maintaining that balance: the route of the separation barrier, the settlements and the house demolitions all point to that goal.
Now I know this might shock some people, but I do not have a problem with Israel encouraging Jews to come and live here and trying to maintain a Jewish majority in the country. I do not believe this policy should be used to harm or oppress the Arabs, Muslims, Christians, Armenians, Bedouins, cave-dwellers and any other minority group in the country, but I am not, per se, opposed to it.
What I do have a problem with, is Israel undermining the possibility of a viable Palestinian state. And what is happening in East Jerusalem, is exactly this. Everyone knows that any solution to this conflict involves East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state. What is going on here though, shows absolute disregard for the aspirations of the Palestinian people.
Now, not everyone likes the idea of two States. In fact, a number of people I speak to think the only way forward is one State, a binational State, that would be the home of the two peoples. This might sound completely far-fetched, but time might just be running out for any other solution.
So, what future do you envisage for these two peoples?
36 days to go...
Dear Carin,
ReplyDeleteI love this blog!
But I am not sure it is fair to say that what is going on in and around Jerusalem is an absolute disregard for the aspirations of the Palestinian people. Unless and until peace and co-existence becomes the actual and declared aspiration of the Palestinian people, just what aspiration is actually being absolutley disregarded? To destroy the State of Israel? To destroy and disrespect the Jewish history of Jerusalem as was done pre-1967? Is the active role of all governments in preserving the Muslim hstory and present of Jerussalem just to be ignored here? The critical element it seems to me as to whether aspirations are being completely disregarded is whether the acts of Israel are (1)undoable, and (2)indeed critical to the aspirations for a peaceful solution. Some may be, others are. But if maintaining the State of Israel is a legitimate objective, and maintaining its ancient and current Jewish history is also legitmiate, then by definition aspirations have to be compromised, and somehow made to fit together. Maintaining absolutes will not work for either. But, first, the clear defining of the aspirations of the Palestinian people for peace with Israel, by the Palestinian people, is still required.
Namaste,
Howie
Carin
ReplyDeleteNatanyahu stated specifically yesterday that all new settlements would cease EXCEPT for East Jerusalem!! So there you have it - the conflict will never be resolved without a settlement on Jerusalem - which Israel will never give up amd which never seems to be the main part of any agreement - they always start with the lesser conflict..small steps first....the problem is that the Palestinians also want Jeruslamen - so only solution seems an international city status of some kind for Jeruslam. Do you think this is possible? I'm not too sure myself.
Debby