An Israeli-Palestinian Proposal for Jerusalem

IAI COMMENTARIES 21 | 29 - JUNE 2021 ISSN 2532-6570 © 2021 IAI 1 a placeof eternal conflict. Hereafter we that the Holy City is destined to remain Likewise, today we reject the notion framework inIsrael/Palestine. comprehensive modelfor a two-state agreed on theGenevaInitiative, a of, refusedtolose hope. Together we that Ihave theprivilege of being part a group of Israelis and Palestinians bloodiest days of thesecond Intifada, I recall how in2001–2003,during the Reflecting on thesepastdevelopments, leading toaserious 11-day escalation. spread all over historic Palestine, from Jerusalem violence gradually In atragically familiar turnof events, al-Sharif) intheOldCity. holy esplanade(Temple Mount/Haram wounded when the police stormed the by Israeli police and hundreds were protesters wereviolently attacked In early May 2021,peaceful Palestinian once againdescendedupon Jerusalem. As Iwrite thesewords, violence has and Prime Minister Ehud Barak. University (Israel) and former advisor totheMinister of Foreign Affairs Shlomo Ben-Ami Menachem Klein isProfessor Emeritus in theDepartment of Political Science at Bar-Ilan by Menachem Klein Palestinian Proposal for Jerusalem Back from theBrink: An Israeli- provide inspiration for policymakers sharing of thecity that wehope can suggest anewblueprint for anequitable York, Columbia University Press, 2007. York, Press, University Columbia Initiative Account ofInsider’s the Geneva An and Israel. Palestine Between Peace Possible org/?p=543. website: Initiative Geneva the in available are maps 1 in Jerusalem andits environs has The urbananddemographic reality Palestine. the independent states of Israel and all, with sovereignty divided between City andits holy sites would beopen to would ensurethat accesstotheOld border crossing stations around it, arrangements insidethecity and into two independent capitals. Special Jerusalem would be physically split According totheGenevaInitiative, Open Jerusalem and residents alike.

The Geneva Initiative full text, annexes and and annexes text, full Initiative Geneva The The AccordThe 1 See also Klein Menachem, Menachem, Klein also See , https://geneva-accord. , New , New A Back from the Brink: An Israeli-Palestinian Proposal for Jerusalem

undergone substantial changes in the in what may be termed a “role back” nearly two decades since 2003, creating strategy. greater unequal interdependence between the Israeli and the Palestinian Second, the proposal champions a sides. This brought Israeli and local, city-led perspective for Jerusalem Palestinian experts of the Geneva rather than the exclusive top-down Initiative (including the author) to and state-led perspective that directed present an alternative to the hard former final status talks. State agencies 2

© 2021 IAI border model inside Jerusalem. deem that most of the important political problems can be solved once Our new proposal for an “Open national sovereignty is established. Jerusalem” examines the practicability City dwellers, however, are clearly of two open capitals set within the more concerned with what happens in framework of two states. The proposal their place of residence and livelihood. is not exhaustive. Nor does it shy from Trust building at the local city level confronting the more challenging is achieved through everyday urban topics, such as security. It does, encounters, whereas at the state level it ISSN 2532-6570 however, acknowledge the complexity is limited to high level officials. of the issue and outlines areas that necessitate further study. Third, “Open Jerusalem” looks at the city as a living urban entity beyond its The proposal seeks to prepare the unquestionable historical, religious ground for future talks. Since much has or national-symbolic status as well as changed all over Occupied Palestinian beyond its symbolic-national status. Territory (OpT), some of the proposals Urban wellbeing, openness, inclusivity contained in the “Open Jerusalem” and sustainability do not imply making framework may be relevant for peace the city less secure. building beyond the city as well. Hard-border problems Guiding principles Four core problems call for a Three core principles – that have been reconsideration of the hard border broadly lacking in previous rounds concept between the two capitals. of diplomatic talks – guide our Open Firstly, there is the practical problem Jerusalem proposal: of a border crossing next to the Old City gates due to the sheer volume of First, Open Jerusalem will begin with vehicle and pedestrian traffic between the well-defined end goal of two the sides. sovereign states with two open capitals in Jerusalem, mapping out gradual Sites sacred to Christians, Muslims and steps toward achieving this objective Jews are located across the Old City. It would be difficult if not impossible to check the large number of people 2 Geneva Initiative, Jerusalem Reconsidered. every weekend and on holydays, nor is Two Capitals, One Undivided City, March 2021, https://geneva-accord.org/?p=1741. it possible to locate checkpoints next IAI COMMENTARIES 21 | 29 - JUNE 2021 IAI COMMENTARIES

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to Jaffa and Damascus Gates without bouts of intra-ethnic and confessional severely damaging commercial centres violence.4 Thriving cities require adjacent to each that currently establish diversity, exchange and openness. a living link between the two sides. Forth, fiscally dividing Jerusalem along Second, Israel’s expansion to the ethnic lines would necessitate huge and east of the pre-1967 war line, with costly infrastructure works to reverse the expressed purpose of preventing decades of heavy Israeli investment.

© 2021 IAI a division of the city’s Palestinian and Israeli areas, impedes the ability The Open Jerusalem regime to build a hard border. This and the separation wall that Israel built in With regards to municipal boundaries, 2003 divide East Jerusalem businesses our open Jerusalem proposal envisions from their hinterland in the West the prospective Israeli Yerushalayim Bank. East Jerusalemites residents, municipality to include Jewish have consequently turned westwards, neighbourhoods and settlements, heightening the mutual – yet unequal while the and Palestinian al-Quds ISSN 2532-6570 – dependency of the city’s Jewish and municipality would include all Arab Palestinian sections. neighbourhoods (see Figure 1).

Almost half of the East Jerusalem Areas that exist in close proximity of labour force work in the West side and the municipal boundaries that would earn their wage there.3 More than ever delineate the open border within the East Jerusalem Palestinians visit West city must be treated sensitively. No Jerusalem shopping centres, use its party should enjoy absolute authority public transportation and study in its to develop its respective side without universities and colleges. In addition, consulting the other. new transportation infrastructure has been constructed including highways With regards to the issue of institutional and a tramline connecting East and authority, we recommended that the West Jerusalem, as well as Israeli states of Israel and Palestine give settlements built beyond the 1967 line. maximum power to the two separate municipalities. As reflected in the Third, there is growing awareness Geneva Initiative, the two sides should among both Israeli and Palestinian form a Jerusalem Coordination and Jerusalemites about the mutual benefits Development Committee (JCDC) to of keeping the city open and prevent oversee cooperation. turning al-Quds and Yerushalayim into near lifeless dead-end border cities, or worst still the epicentre of new 4 See 2018 public opinion survey: Dan Miodownik and Noam Brenner, One City 3 Marik Shtern, “Towards Ethno-National Two Realities: Jerusalem 2018 Public Opinion Peripheralisation? Economic Dependency Survey, Survey Report of the project “Building Amidst Political Resistance in Palestinian East Visions for the Future of Jerusalem: A Bottom Jerusalem”, in Urban Studies, Vol. 56, No. 6 (May Up Approach”, April 2018, p. 20-21, https:// 2019), p. 1129-1149. jerusalemvisions.huji.ac.il/node/281613. IAI COMMENTARIES 21 | 29 - JUNE 2021 IAI COMMENTARIES

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Source: Geneva Initiative, Jerusalem Reconsidered, cit., p. 33.

During its creation and based protection, religious sites and festivals, on international experience, the archaeological sites, energy and water. following issues should be addressed by the committee: structure and Moving to the economy, we suggest a responsibilities related to the desire model that enables the free movement for coordination; dispute settlement of goods, people and capital between mechanisms with an agreed role for the two cities and ideally the two states. third party monitoring and evaluation The three relevant options include of implementation and the criteria signing a bilateral economic agreement for appointing delegates to the joint including free trade and the use of committee. the two national currencies; creating a special economic zone in order to The two states should for instance attract international investment or agree on visa policy matters, adopting a model similar to that which security issues and the economy. exists among Gulf Cooperation Council At the municipal level, systematic states. This latter option can include cooperation should be established on elements from the previous ones. areas encompassing emergency and health services, transportation, higher The separation wall fosters slum education, tourism, environmental conditions in East Jerusalem and an IAI COMMENTARIES 21 | 29 - JUNE 2021 IAI COMMENTARIES

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asymmetric interdependency between A series of advanced technological it and West Jerusalem. Removing this solutions such as biometric cameras physical separation, with all that it and smart identification procedures entails in both symbolic and practical aimed at diminishing the physical terms, and creating an independent imposition of hefty checkpoints al-Quds while maintaining freedom infrastructure could also be deployed. of movement between it and Advanced technology, privacy and Yerushalayim would benefit both security cooperation could help to

© 2021 IAI peoples and capitals. Freed from mitigate the security risks by potential Israeli control over sectors such as spoilers on both sides. tourism, basic services, planning and housing, Palestinian residents would In the context of an open city it see substantial improvements in their would be more desirable to have a quality of life and could further benefit series of easy crossing points dotted the development of the open city. along the agreed-upon location. Jerusalemites will have maximum and With regards to infrastructure and easy movement and will not require a ISSN 2532-6570 basic services, attempts to disconnect visa for access. Smart city technologies and separate the electricity, water and can also contribute to the monitoring sewage systems all at once would be of people within each side which can technically problematic and harm the serve as an additional security element. everyday life of residents. Instead, Open Further study is needed to identify Jerusalem suggests first separating the the right solution to security and management of these lines and then legal challenges introduced by those gradually working towards physical technologies. separation. Special arrangements should be found for cross-border Finally, given the undisputed religious transportation and environmental and cultural significance of Jerusalem, systems of shared interest. religious rights and cultural heritage must also figure prominently in any Turning to the sensitive issues of agreed resolution on the final status of policing and security, each state Jerusalem. Within the parameters of a will assume responsibility for the two-state framework, cultural heritage maintenance of law and order in its properties within Israeli territory would capital. A joint policing command fall under Israeli jurisdiction and vice team with special legal status can versa. The reciprocity principle of free synchronise cross-sovereignty access maintenance and respect for operations. The subject requires further each sides’ narrative should guide this study and there is value in drawing process. best practices from international cases (e.g. the EU experience) on command Further recommendations include hierarchy, locational jurisdiction and expanding the Jerusalem World security arrangements as they relate to Heritage site to include the open area, legal arrangements. establishing a joint cultural heritage council with UNESCO participation, IAI COMMENTARIES 21 | 29 - JUNE 2021 IAI COMMENTARIES

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returning all artefacts previously • For the international community: excavated in the territory of the other Establish an international fund to help side to its original place and enhancing East Jerusalem overcome its lack of a cultural heritage management significant investment in infrastructure system. and services. The fund will receive applications from East Jerusalem NGOs Preparing the ground and work with them directly.

© 2021 IAI This Open Jerusalem proposal can only • The international community should work in the context of a broader political put pressure on Israel to let East environment, very different from that Jerusalemites vote in Palestinian which exists today. It requires a peace Legislative Elections as the case was in process based on a clear framework 2006, and in accordance with the Oslo and parameters for action. Accords. Pressure on the Palestinian Authority to announce a new date The EU and the US have a special for the elections should similarly be responsibility to push both sides and applied. ISSN 2532-6570 societies towards this objective. If and when room is created for diplomacy, • Israel should let the Arab Studies Open Jerusalem will be worth Society reopen Orient House, the considering. cultural and identity centre of East Jerusalem that Israel closed in 2002, To help prepare the ground for new and and return its confiscated library creative arrangements we propose a collection. In addition, Israel should number of concrete recommendations let Palestinian Jerusalemites select below. their local representatives to represent community needs to the Israeli • For Israel, the PLO and international municipality, and receive international mediators: Negotiations over donations to improve services and Jerusalem should not be postponed infrastructure utilised by Palestinian until other components of the final residents. status agreement have been completed as agreed in Oslo Accords. Moreover, 14 June 2021 in order to build trust, the sides should implement areas that have been agreed upon while discussions on other issues continue.

• For Israel and international mediators: There should be a freeze on the building of Israeli settlements in occupied East Jerusalem, on house demolitions and forcible evictions and a prohibition on land confiscation in East Jerusalem. IAI COMMENTARIES 21 | 29 - JUNE 2021 IAI COMMENTARIES

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Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) The Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) is a private, independent non-profit think tank, founded in 1965 on the initiative of Altiero Spinelli. IAI seeks to promote awareness of international politics and to contribute to the advancement of European integration and multilateral cooperation. Its focus embraces topics of strategic relevance such as European integration, security and defence, international economics and global governance, energy, climate and Italian foreign policy; as well as the dynamics of cooperation and conflict in key geographical regions such as the Mediterranean and Middle East, Asia, Eurasia, Africa and © 2021 IAI the Americas. IAI publishes an English-language quarterly (The International Spectator), an online webzine (Affarinternazionali), three book series (Global Politics and Security, Quaderni IAI and IAI Research Studies) and some papers’ series related to IAI research projects (Documenti IAI, IAI Papers, etc.).

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