JERUSALEM UNBOUND GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY, & THE FUTURE OF THE HOLY CITY MICHAEL DUMPER JERUSALEM UNBOUND C6430.indb i 4/21/14 9:44 AM C6430.indb ii 4/21/14 9:44 AM JERUSALEME UNBOUNDN GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY, AND THE FUTURE OF THE HOLY CITY MICHAEL DUMPER Columbia University Press New York C6430.indb iii 4/21/14 9:44 AM Columbia University Press Publishers Since 1893 New York Chichester, West Sussex cup.columbia.edu Copyright © 2014 Columbia University Press All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Dumper, Michael, author. Geography, history, and the future of the holy city / Michael Dumper. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 978-0-231-16196-1 (cloth: alk. paper)—isbn 978-0-231-53735-3 (e-book) 1. Jerusalem—History. 2. Jerusalem—International status. 3. Jerusalem—Boundaries. 4. Jerusalem—Ethnic relations. 5. Israeli West Bank Barrier. 6. Arab-Israeli confl ict—1993—Peace. 7. Arab-Israeli confl ict—1993—Territorial questions. 8. Diplomatic negotiations in international disputes. I. Title. ds109.15.d86 2014 956.94′42—dc23 2013039550 Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent and durable acid-free paper. Th is book is printed on paper with recycled content. Printed in the United States of America c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Cover Design: Jordan Wannemacher Cover Image: © AP Images References to Web sites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. Neither the author nor Columbia University Press is responsible for URLs that may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared. C6430.indb iv 4/21/14 9:44 AM To my brother and sister, Nicholas and Hildegard C6430.indb v 4/21/14 9:44 AM C6430.indb vi 4/21/14 9:44 AM CONTENTS Acknowledgments ix Abbreviations xiii INTRODUCTION 1 1. THE HARD BORDERS OF THE CITY 19 2. THE “SOFTER” BORDERS OF THE CITY 54 3. THE SCATTERED BORDERS OF HOLINESS 97 4. THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AND THE LIMITS OF SOVEREIGNTY 146 5. JERUSALEM IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY: WHAT PROSPECT OF PEACE? 186 Appendix: Web Site and Facebook Surveys 237 Notes 265 Bibliography 307 Index 325 C6430.indb vii 4/21/14 9:44 AM MAP 0.1. Jerusalem and Region C6430.indb viii 4/21/14 9:44 AM ACKNOWLEDGMENTS HERE ARE SCORES of people who have helped in writing this book. Some did so directly by agreeing to be interviewed or by providing T feedback, advice, and introductions to others. Others did so indirectly through informal conversations, though mealtimes at their homes with their friends and families, and by letting me share a part of their lives. I off er them all my deepest and most humble thanks for their time and eff ort, which they gave freely and graciously. Th is whole endeavor would have been much poorer without their support and interest. In particular, I would like to thank my colleagues who worked closely with me on the Confl ict in Cities and the Contested State project—Wendy Pullan, Liam O’Dowd, James Anderson, Max Sternberg, Britt Baillie, Rami Nasrallah, and Haim Yaacobi. Of this excellent team I would like especially to mention three people: Craig Larkin, my research associate for the fi ve-year duration of the project—our collaborative study of the city was a highlight of the project for me; Lefkos Kyriacou, the cartographer of the project, who put many hours into developing the maps used in this book and also supplied some of the photographs; and Razan Makhlouf, my fi eldwork research assistant and photographer whose photographs are also included in this book. Much appreciation must also go to Adam Whittock for helping in the preparation of the manuscript for publication. C6430.indb ix 4/21/14 9:44 AM ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In Jerusalem and the region there are almost too many people to men- tion but in particular I would like to thank Amneh Badran, Azem Bishara, Hillel Cohen, Ray Dolphin, Fouad Hallak, Mahmoud Hawari, Kevork Hintlian, Hiba Husseini, Adnan Husseini, Huda Iman, Nazmi al-Ju’beh, Haifa Khalidi, Israel Kimhi, Menachem Klein, Ruth Lapidoth, Awad Man- sour, Meir Margalit, Yusuf Natshe, Mazen Qupti, Amnon Ramon, Yitzhak Rieter, Bernard Sabella, Maha Samaan, Patricia Sellick, Danny Seideman, and Salim Tamari. Th eir encouragement often went beyond the call of duty, and I am grateful for their time and insights, in some cases, their friend- ship and hospitality. Others not resident in Jerusalem were also of great help. Th ese include Trond Bakkevig, Marshall Breger, John Bell, Michael Bell, Rosemary Hollis, and Mike Molloy. All the aforementioned people may have contributed to my understanding of the dynamics of the city, but they are in no way responsible for any mistakes or inaccuracies. Finally I would like to thank by wife, best friend, and partner, Ann, and my two boys, Rowan and Declan, for their forbearance during the course of writing this book. When I was physically at home, I was often either locked in my study or mentally and emotionally in Jerusalem. I would also like to thank the Economic and Social Research Council for providing the funds to conduct the research on this book. Th e full title of the project is Confl ict in Cities and the Contested State: Everyday Life and the Possibilities for Transformation in Belfast, Jerusalem and Other Divided Cities (Research Grant No: RES-060–25–0015). ◊◊◊ A note on the transliteration of Arabic and Hebrew words and names into English is required. One of the main problems in arriving at a consistent transliteration system has been the crossover of Arabic and Hebrew names. Many English transliterations of Arabic names are actually transliterations of Hebrew transliterations of Arabic. A good example is the way in many English texts al-Azariyya (transliteration from the Arabic) is spelt Eiza- riya (English transliteration of the Hebrew transliteration of the Arabic). 1 Tracking down the actual Hebrew or Arabic spelling to transliterate is not x C6430.indb x 4/21/14 9:44 AM ACKNOWLEDGMENTS always easy, and some inconsistencies have crept in for which I apologize. In the main this book uses the transliteration system followed by the Inter- national Journal of Middle East Studies except where English names a bet- ter known; for example, I use Bethlehem, not Bayt Lahm (Arabic), Temple Mount, not Har Habayit (Hebrew). However, I do use Haram al-Sharif rather than its English translation, the Noble Enclosure, which is not so well used and I fi nd to be an ugly translation. xi C6430.indb xi 4/21/14 9:44 AM C6430.indb xii 4/21/14 9:44 AM ABBREVIATIONS ACRI Association for Civil Rights in Israel CEC Central Elections Commission EU European Union IDRC International Development Research Centre OPTs Occupied Palestinian Territories PLC Palestinian Legislative Council PLO Palestinian Liberation Organization PA Palestinian Authority PNA Palestinian National Authority NGO Nongovernmental Organization UN United Nations UNCC UN Conciliation Commission on Palestine UNCTAD UN Conference on Trade and Development UNDOF UN Disengagement Observer Force UNDP UN Development Program UNEF UN Emergency Force UNESCO UN Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural Organization UNGA UN General Assembly UN GAOR UN General Assembly Offi cial Records UNHCR UN High Commissioner for Refugees C6430.indb xiii 4/21/14 9:44 AM ABBREVIATIONS UNICEF UN Children’s Fund UNIFIL UN Interim Force in Lebanon UNISPAL UN Information System on the Question of Palestine UNOCHA UN Offi ce for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance UNOGIL UN Observation Group in Lebanon UNRWA UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East UNSC UN Security Council UNSCOP UN Special Committee on Palestine UNSCMEPP UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process UNTSO UN Truce Supervision Organization xiv C6430.indb xiv 4/21/14 9:44 AM JERUSALEM UNBOUND C6430.indb xv 4/21/14 9:44 AM C6430.indb xvi 4/21/14 9:44 AM INTRODUCTION Only when borders disappear does the need arise to construct walls. —RÉGIS DEBRAY, ÉLOGE DES FRONTIÈRES TANDING ON THE Mount of Olives that looks down over the historic cen- tre of Jerusalem, an observer would be struck by several contradictory Simpressions. At fi rst sight, she would notice the many and varied archi- tectural styles that are scattered throughout the valleys and ridges below and even inside the walled Old City itself. From Chalcedonian shrines to Byzantine basilicas, from Mamluk domes and minarets to Ottoman forti- fi cations, from British colonial facades to Israeli modernist high-rises and hotels, these all refl ect the consecutive conquests and occupations that the city has been subjected to. Also from this vantage point, a long-sighted observer would notice, despite its prominence in the world’s media and cor- ridors of power, how small the city is. Comprising less than 1 million inhab- itants, on a clear day one can see the outer limits of the city in all directions.1 Indeed, when traffi c is light you can drive from north to south or from east to west in less than ten minutes. Th e astute observer would also surely notice a revealing absence in the landscape—no chimney stacks and smoke polluting the air—both telltale signs of the lack of heavy industry, of manu- facturing, and of mining industries. Th is would lead our observer to regis- ter the barrenness of the surrounding hills, the paucity of the agricultural hinterland especially in the dry summer months, and the absence of large stretches of parkland and trees—all indicating a scarcity of water. A refl ec- tive observer would then ponder as to why such a small city with so little C6430.indb 1 4/21/14 9:44 AM INTRODUCTION obvious economic attributes and assets could be the focus of so much politi- cal interest and military strife.