The single greatest political challenge of the new year will be to complete the Israeli-Palestinian peace accord. All discussions to this point have deferred considerations of control over Jerusalem to 1996.
Importance of Jerusalem
The importance of Jerusalem to many different religious organizations To Muslims, Jerusalem is the third holiest city in Islam after Mecca and Medina. According to tradition, the Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven from the Temple Mount. As well, the Noble Sanctuary is perceived as the gateway to paradise and accorded a status different from that of other earthly locations.
And of course to the Jews, the city is the physical manifestation of Zion. In Jewish lore, the entirety of Jerusalem is considered holy with its many monuments, including the wailing wall, the tombs of David and Zachariah, among others.
Only two parties to the discussions
Although the old city is divided into four distinct sections, the peace accord entails that only Israeli and Palestinian organizations will negotiate a settlement. For both Palestinians and Israelis, Jerusalem is the life blood of their existence, the heart and soul of their beliefs.
David Ben-Gurion, one of the founders of modern Israel and its first Prime Minister, once stated: “Jerusalem is an integral part of Jewish history, in her faith and in the depths of her soul. Jerusalem is the heart of hearts of Israel. A nation which over 2,500 years has always maintained the pledge vowed by the banished people on the rivers of Babylon not to forget Jerusalem — this nation will never accept foreign rule after thousands of her sons and daughters have freed, for the third time, their historic homeland and delivered Jerusalem from destruction.”
For Palestine, too, independence cannot be separated from Jerusalem. The Algiers declaration of November 15, 1988 stated that: “The Palestinian National Council, in the name of God, and in the name of the Palestinian people, hereby proclaims the establishment of the State of Palestine on our Palestinian territory with its capital Jerusalem.”
Conflict every step of the way
The first complex issue facing the negotiators is the fact that there is little consensus on the definition of the physical shape of the city or the demarcation of its boundaries. Definitions of the boundaries have changed with each war.
- The old walled city is about one square kilometer which contains many of the places holy to Christians, Muslims and Jews.
- After the 1948 war, the city was divided into Jordanian-controlled east Jerusalem and Israeli-controlled west Jerusalem.
- After the 1967 war, the city was reunited by Israel and its metropolitan limits substantially expanded to encompass an area of over 105 square kilometers.
- In 1947 the United Nations approved a plan expanding the city southward to incorporate Bethlehem and other Christian holy places. Although never implemented, this plan remains the foundation for the international legal definition of Jerusalem.
If the 1967 boundaries are used, the Israelis will be able to negotiate from a position of strength as the population of that area is 350,000 Jews and 150,000 Muslims. The 1947 UN plan, however, includes an area where the population is evenly split between Jews and Muslims.
Half the city taken captive
God speaks through Zechariah, “I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle” (Zech. 14:2-3). It is interesting to note from this prophecy that the city will be divided in half -one half the city’s population will be taken captive.
Current proposals split the city
Is it coincidental or of divine design that the two current proposals on the peace table both divide the city into two distinct parts? The first proposal was presented by Moshe Amirav, a Jewish city councilor. This advocates doubling the territorial limits of Jerusalem, dividing sovereignty over the two newly-balanced portions of the city, separating some municipal powers and establishing a shared administrative umbrella, half of Jews and half of Arabs. A rotating chair would be established to deal with common issues and joint supervision over the holy places.
The second proposal is similar and centers on the notion of joint sovereignty — Jerusalem would be governed by a proportional representation of Israelis and Palestinians in one municipal administration.
Whatever the final arrangement turns out to be, it will only be a precursor to the final peace of Jerusalem which will come after the shedding of much blood over the city. But this time, the devastation will usher in a bright new era for a city whose builder and maker is God.
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