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Contested Cities and the Fallacy of Unilateralism Scott A possessing the critical mass necessary to make a firm Palestinians must emerge. claim on the city. Each side would love the other to It is precisely these daunting issues that the evaporate, but neither seems willing to fulfill the town planners now confront at their drawing boards dreams of the other side by doing so. Jerusalem will -as must the national leaders of both peoples who be viable as a city only if shared by the two collectives are gathering around the negotiating table in order who vie for its space. The rules of the previous status to determine the political future of the city. quo will not only undermine the peace process but Jerusalem’s very viability as a city. Danny Seidemann, an attorney, specializes in public All of this sounds terribly unromantic in comparison interest issuesfocusing on East Jerusalem.He has argued to the “...eternal undivided Capital of Israel that will several cases dealing with government policies and never be redivided.” But if Jerusalem is to become the practices in East Jerusalem before the Supreme Court. internationally recognized capital of Israel, and a city He is legal advisor to and one of the founders of Ir Shalem, Jewishnot only in dry, fragde demographic statisticsbut an NGO dedicated to the development of Jerusalemfor in its values, new interactions between Israelis and both Israeli and Palestinian residents. Contested Cities and the Fallacy of Unilateralism Scott A. Bollens he emotional scars and physical and peaceful flat in the Talbieh neighborhood of West psychological separation one faces in Jerusalem. He is sulky, depressed, tired, and T politically contested cities such as Jerusalem, thoughtful. Benvenisti was chief deputy under Belfast, Johannesburg,Nicosia, and Sarajevo present mayor Teddy Kollek, who held power in the city us with urban characteristics that all - including from 1965 until 1993. As a Labor politician, Kollek North American - cities share: fear, separation, publicly advocated fair treatment of Arab residents exclusivity, and denial. We divide here, too, but and mutual co-existence of Jews and Palestinians. history, territoriality, and religion have less tangible Yet, during his tenure, Jewish-Arab spending ratios effect on us. Rather, we build walls to protect us from reflected gross inequalities in public funding for past histories and those basic human instincts that roads, water, sewers, and other urban infrastructure. these cities must deal with daily. Benvenisti himself recalls bitterly that goals Although different, cities like Belfast, Jerusalem, pertaining to social justice in the city were not Johannesburg,Nicosia, and Sarajevo share a common carried out. sorrow. Their citizens struggle daily for coexistence Despite current mayor Ehud Olmert’s stern in the midst of intense and sometimes violent conflict. and unaccommodating stance that ”Jerusalem The extreme physical manifestations of hatred seen was, never ceased to be, continues to be, and will in these cities provide a window into the role of urban forever remain the undivided capital of only the policy vis-a-vis ethnicity for all cities. state of Israel and the Jewish people,” his In Jerusalem, despite the constant feeling of administration is making an effort to narrow tension on the streets, I experience a sense of intimacy Jewish-Arab spending disparities. Especially in shared by Jews and Palestinians, akin to a war anticipation of the negotiations over the status between brothers in a long family battle, a knowing of Jerusalem, the Olmert administration has been about each other amidst conflict. I hear progressive cognizant of the potentially negative effects of Israeli voices in Jerusalemthat stress the need for some current service and spending differentials. As mutual accommodationwith their Arab co-residents. such, current municipal efforts constitute a Yet, they are tired and frustrated, weighed down and political tactic to strengthen Israel’s hold over ultirnately captured by the historical consciousness Jerusalem by positioning the municipality as of the Jew in the 20th century. benign caretaker of its Arab residents. In I meet Meron Benvenisti, former deputy mayor Jerusalem, Jews want to control, or “unify” East of Jerusalem and now a prolific author on city Jerusalem while also wanting to maintain development and politics, in the serene setting of his cognitive distance from it as an Arab place. Slz’ma May2000 http:/ /www.shma.com Penetration and Jewish-Arab proximity occur at the same time as both sides say they want residential separation. There are times in divided cities when one is able to break though the seriousness of conflict and the roles that people play amidst contention to find Chair, Sh’ma Committee ofJewish Family & Life! Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin underneath it all soft and pliable souls who desire Editor, Susan Bewin re-connection and re-integration. Division - Publisher & Executive Editor, Yosefl. Abrarnowitz whether it is physical or psychological - is an Founding Editor, Rabbi Eugene Bomwitz extremely difficult emotion that spawns hatred, Art Director, J@qRosmbaurn grief, denial, depression, and forgiveness. At Bir Proofreader, Judith Anfonelli Zeit University, near Ramallah, I meet Albert Rabbi-in-Residence, Susan Fendrick Aghazarian, a lecturer in history and director of Israel Representative, Juy Shofit public relations for the campus. With the rugged, Assistant Editors, Ronnie Friedland, Gabi Soble mustachioed face of an aggressive debater, he is Chair, Jewish Family & Life! Board noncommittal and evasive, using personal Martin Karniner Sh‘ma Committee, Caroline Hawis, Susan Men, Carl anecdotes to diverge from our conversation. He Sheingold, LaqYiuielson speaks of Israeli character and politics as if the Contributing Editors: Michael Berenbaum, Elliot hrff, Arnold Israeli was a brother who had misbehaved his Eisen, Leonard Fein, Barry Freundel, Rela M. Geffen, Neil whole life. When we meet a second time, he is Gillman, Irving Greenberg, Joanne Greenberg, Brad Hirshfield, friendly, vulnerable, and self-reflective. Thinking Lawrence Hoffman, Paula Hyman,Lori Lefkovitz, Deborah Dash back on the many individuals I have talked to Moore, David Nelson, Vanessa Ochs, Kerry Olitzky, Riv-Ellen Prell, Harold Schulweis, Elie Wiesel, Amold Jacob Wolf, David makes me want to both cry over our ability to hurt Wolpe, Walter Wurzburger, Michael Wyschogrod. one another and celebrate the human soul and its Sh’ma Arnitirn/Fellows: JonathanGolden, JonathanRei&, Joshua ability to persevere amid the trials of hatred. One Stein, Rebecca Wartell, Dinah Zeltser. gains much greater faith in the human spirit and Sh’ma welcomes articles from diverse points of view. less confidence in the ability of political leaders. Hence, the opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those In the end, one learns in Jerusalem about what of the editors. Donations to Sh’ma are tax deductible. Sh‘ma is can and cannot be achieved through political power available in microfilm from University Microfilms International, supported by military strength. Israeli policy has Ann Arbor, MI, and in audio format from the Jewish Braille Institute, New York, NY. likely strengthened the ability to control Jerusalem Address all editorial correspondence to: Sh’mu, 56 Kearney politically, yet it has weakened Israel’s moral and Road, Suite B, Needham, MA 02494. Telephone: (781)449-9894 authentic hold on the city. ”Jews have Jerusalem Fax: (781)449-9825 Email: [email protected] all but increasingly cannot use it in its entirety,” asserts subscription queries to: Sh‘m PO.Box 1019, Manchester, NH 03105-1019. (877)568-SHMA. Robin Twite, director of a conflict management Sh’ma (ISSN 0049-0385) is published by Jewish Family & project at Hebrew University. Unilateral control in Life! 56 Kearney Road, Suite B, Needham, MA 02494, monthly contested Jerusalem appears a fallacy, in that its except July and August. Application to mail at periodical-class very ”success” in creating urban conditions of postage rates pending at Needham MA 02494.POSTMASTER Send address changes to Sh‘m, P.O.Box 1019, Manchester, NH domination and subjugation leads to an urban and 03105-1019.Subscriptions: $36 for two years in U.S.;$21 for one regional instability that is corrosive of Israel’s year; $24 for one year overseas; $44 for two years overseas; bulk genuine control of the city. subscriptionsof 10 or more to one address, $15 per subscription; students, the retired or those of restricted means may subscribe for one year at $10; institutional subscriptions and libraries, $36. Scott A. Bollens, Associate Professor of Urban and Please notify subscription office, in writing, if you prefer that Regional Planning at the University of California, Irvine, your name not be given out on rented lists. studies ethnically divided cities and the role of urban policy Visit our website at www.shma.com or participate in our makers in these contested regions. He is author of Urban interactive discussion group available through any online service that can exchange with the Internet. ”The Best of Sh’ma” Peace-Building in Divided Societies: Belfast and can be found on the Jewish Community Online at America Johannesburg (Westview Press, 1999) and On Narrow Online. Type in keyword “Jewishnews” and look for Sh’ma. Ground: Urban Policy and Ethnic Conflict in Copyright 0 2000 by Jewish Family & Life! Jerusalem and Belfast (SUNYPress). He can be reached May 2000 at [email protected]. -~ ~ Sh’my. May 2000 http://www.shma.com .
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