If Jerusalem has remained ‘divided’ it is because the Arab neighborhoods have been neglected for the past 49 years.
Now that there seems to be close to universal agreement that the two-state solution is not going to be realized in the foreseeable future, attention has begun to be focused on Jerusalem. If something has to be done to move out of the present impasse, why not start in Jerusalem? To the fore come all the preconceived notions and prejudices, hidden behind a veil of liberalism and a presumed concern for the Palestinian people.
Leading the pack is the leader of the opposition, Isaac Herzog. Jerusalem, he says, is in any case not united, so let’s really separate it. We don’t need the Arabs’ sections incorporated in Jerusalem in 1967 – and sotto voce he says we don’t need the Arabs living there either. Let’s build some more walls and let them fend to their own devices.
And a supporting chorus, composed of those claiming to be liberals, chants: We don’t want any more Arabs in Israel. And without realizing it they are moving closer to Avigdor Lieberman, who wants to rid Israel of the Arab population living in the Wadi Ara area by moving the area, lock, stock and barrel, to the Palestinian side of the fence. So we’ll be solving the demographic problem as well, and then what remains of Israel will really be a “Jewish democratic state.” And we’ll be getting out of “occupied territory” – territory occupied in 1967 and territory occupied in 1949.
Ehud Barak’s motto of yesteryear, “we are here and they are there,” has been adopted by the Zionist Union. In other words, the less Arabs the better. And who cares how Israel’s Arab citizens feel when they hear that?
Before we get too enamored with Herzog’s proposal to “really” divide Jerusalem, we’d better take a look at the feasibility of his proposal. Can the population of Jerusalem’s Arab neighborhoods really be disentangled from “Jewish” Jerusalem, or has the integration of this population in the fabric of Jerusalem’s day-to-day life proceeded to such an extent in the past 49 years as to have reached a point of no return?
A quick look at the number of Arab taxi drivers and Arab bus drivers, and hotel and restaurant employees in Jerusalem, and doctors and service personnel in Hadassah’s two hospitals in Jerusalem, and of course the number of Arab patients in these hospitals, will make it clear that disintegrating “Arab” Jerusalem from “Jewish” Jerusalem has become essentially impossible. In addition, annulling the Israeli residency permits and withdrawing the right to apply for Israeli citizenship granted to the population of Jerusalem’s Arab neighborhoods in 1967 would be legally questionable and morally reprehensible.
If Jerusalem has remained “divided” it is because the Arab neighborhoods have been neglected for the past 49 years by the Jerusalem municipality and successive Israeli governments who have flaunted the rhetoric of a “united” Jerusalem but have done almost nothing to unite it. Bringing the Arab neighborhoods and their educational standards to the level worthy of today’s Israel is the real challenge facing the municipality and the Israeli government, rather than looking for ways to build more walls and separating the Arab neighborhoods from the rest of the city. What is required is a major investment in the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem, and such a program should receive the highest priority.
Public opinion surveys taken among the population of East Jerusalem indicate that the majority would prefer to remain in Israel even if a Palestinian state were established. It is significant that their wishes seem to be of little interest to those calling for their separation from “Jewish” Jerusalem. It is pretty clear that separating them from “Jewish” Jerusalem would lead to a deterioration of their condition, even beyond their present sorry state. Their welfare seems to be of little concern to those calling for separation, little realizing that there is a connection between their welfare and the welfare of the Jewish population of Jerusalem.
Truly uniting Jerusalem is a step in the right direction under the present circumstances. The sooner the better.
the reason we are all discussing Jerusalem is that yehuda shomron was singlehandedly removed from discussion by Netanyahu during his watch. Until he came there was talk about new settlements in YS…. the only new settlements outside the euro designated ghetto are those that BB helps the euros to illegally build for the muslims.
I post this not because of the lost arab jobs, because I think it is good NOT to give your enemies jobs or a good economy. More people want to leave gaza because their economy sucks…. the same needs to be implemented in the west bank. A lousy economy will make them seek work elsewhere. Furthermore, destabilization of pal areas is good if it results in a contained arab spring there.
What is interesting is that the op ed author boo hooing over pal jobs has completely internalized what Israpundits appear not to notice:
See, he understands where BB is headed…. while folks here think that BB might do something outside the major blocks to retain YS, the leftists know different.
Here’s how to solve this problem. Ensure that Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria have an overwhelming Jewish majority by whatever legal means necessary. And by legal, I mean taking the Levi Report into account.
Uniting Jerusalem is not about uniting and integrating with an enemy muslim arab population who cant seem to stop killing jews and teaching their children that jews are sons of apes and pigs. Uniting jerusalem is about uniting the Jewish homeland, FOR JEWS, from that same despicable population.
this is where I would like to vomit. This is one more ludicrous argument which centers upon the interests of the enemy arab muslim population rather than the decades long slaughtered Jews. NO, Moshe Arens what is morally reprehensible is that Jewish leadership like your self continue to focus upon the interests of existential enemies and ignore the safety of Jews who have been slaughtered for decades precisely because of policies like that suggested here. What is morally reprehensible is the continuing policies that enable the enemies to reside in the Jewish home and slaughter Jews. This enemy has not veered from its MO in all the decades of giving it second chances. so Moshe agrees that 2 states is dead but he automatically assumes that if the Jews dont want the arabs to remain in their home they must then give half their home to the arabs. In other words they did not accept peace with the Jews so lets give them half our real estate. The ones who rejected peace are the ones who must move, they are the ones who must lose their homes. If you try to kill my family I do not reward you with half my home, if I dont kill you I kick your butt from my home and where you go is of no interest to me. I want to hear solutions that DO NOT take the jew killing enemy’s interests into account.
NO, it is because the arabs wished to remain existential enemies and only a fool improves the lot of those who want to kill them. Uniting the Jewish homeland does not mean uniting with the enemy with the Jews it means uniting the land of the Jewish homeland.
Arens logic is warped, he accepts that the 2 state solution cant work but does not say why…. it cant work because the muslims wont allow it to work… they prefer to get the Jews homeland with no jews in it and Arens solution to that situation is to make their wish come true for half the Jews homeland.
There is no sane, logical reason to give your home to those who try and kill you merely because they are already there trying to kill you, move them, any where, it does not matter and neither do their interests matter. They never consider the Jews in any of their decisions so why are the jews always considering them.
Its time to make jew killing and teaching your children that jews are sons of apes and pigs a morally reprehensible crime by removing such lunatics and criminals from the land of Israel.
Only those arabs proven loyal should be allowed residence or citizenship. Why should the Jews divide their ghetto to facilitate those who cant stop killing jews… the logic is absurd…. they kill us lets give them something and maybe they will stop. Nutter Jews just cant stop being ridiculous.
a deterioration of the condition of lunatic criminals who teach their children that jews are sons of apes and pigs should be a desired goal for the sane. Such folk should be greatly restricted and supervised as in any civilized society and should NOT be allowed to prosper or strengthen. Their connection with the Jewish welfare is that they kill Jews, they teach their children jews are sons of apes and pigs…..wake up Moshe….. they are not some idealized generic collection who want what everyone wants…. they are jew killers…. they cant stop teaching their children that jews are sons of apes and pigs…. their holy bible tells them that is the fact and they cannot dispute their holy bible…… they are anti semites until they are no longer muslims, by definition…. its their creed. There should be no anti semites living on any square inch of the Jewish homeland. Send them across the borders and then others can worry about their interests.
Arens hints at the truth that they cant be lived with but like all the others his solution to the problem they continue to cause is to give them what they want… a jew free jewish homeland…. for now he gives them half. Idiotic reasoning of stockholm syndrome Jews forever commiserating about the plight of those who want to slaughter their children.
NUTS!
In theory, I agree with Professor Arens. However, with all due respect to the gentleman engineer and former Defense Minister, I must object. Damn right their welfare is of little concern….The brazen attacks upon Jewish Israelis with rocks, knives, axes, automobiles and firearms occurs with the explicit approval and support of The PA. I hear no cries of protest from The Israeli Arab Community demanding an end to the cold blooded attacks, on the contrary, they are complicit in the attacks. Arens thinks we should give these fine folks a helping hand. F THAT. The appeasement policy does not work, it never did. You have to be truly sick to want such an outcome. If you cannot differentiate the loyal ones to Israel from the others, expel them all or fence them off. Hell with ’em. No wonder Haaretz for over 25 years is proud to bankroll Arens “talk”, he is sheep in wolves clothing, which over the many decades has weathered, faded and all but disintegrated away to reveal a lamb’s ass.