It’s been another difficult week in Jerusalem. Tension has building over the past months. Indeed, it’s been building since before the terrible events of this past summer. Now, terror attacks, the announcement of new building over the Green Line in Jerusalem, the take-over of properties in Palestinian neighborhoods, protests and rioting over the status of the holy sites, police crackdowns, and diplomatic tremors are adding to the tension in the Holy City.
It’s tempting to despair, but that’s a luxury we cannot afford. Instead, we need to roll up our sleeves to support those Israelis working to push back against racism, incitement, and violence. We need to stand shoulder to shoulder with those Israelis working for peace and justice in Jerusalem. And there is reason for hope.
Here are some of the bright lights shining in Jerusalem today:
A forum of Israeli organizations are working with the Educational Coordinator for Jerusalem – who oversees all of the schools in the city – to put together a major conference that would unite educators from Arab and Jewish schools in the city. We hope they will address the growing issue of racism and incitement.
Months of advocacy by the NIF-funded Tag Meir coalition helped bring to an end Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu’s bid to become Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. Rabbi Eliyahu has a long history of divisive statements, including issuing a ruling forbidding renting homes to Arabs.
Ir Amim – an Israeli activist group focused on making Jerusalem a more equitable and sustainable city for the Israelis and Palestinians who share it – is tracking provocative activities within the city and bringing that information to policy makers and to the public.
That’s just a taste of what thousands of committed Israelis are doing, right now. It’s up to us to help them. So pray for the peace of Jerusalem, like the Psalmist says. But then join our partners in helping to achieve it.
The Peace of Jerusalem
7 November 2014
You left out what others are doing – some immans calling for jihad to “protect” the area and provocative statements by Abbas. It would be nice to ignore what the Palestinians are doing like stocking stones and othe weapons in the mosque, but it isn’t realistic policy and by not being realistic in describing the problem you become irrelevant.
Jerusalem should remain a united city, open to all, and become the capital of both the State of Israel and the State of Palestine. That is, Jerusalem should be transformed into an international enclave, placed under an international regime and administered by the United Nations. This would in fact be in line with Herzl’s declared vision of an “ex-territorial” Jerusalem.
In addition, our prime minister might launch a dramatic initiative to transfer UN headquarters from New York to Jerusalem. This may appear to be a pretentious idea. But bearing in mind that Jerusalem is the center of three world religions, and that such a step might put a final end to this long and festering conflict, such a proposal may eventually become to appear ‘realistic’. It would make Jerusalem the World Center of the United Nations, and might have interesting implications for the status of the city, as well as for its economy and its security.
At this point we seem to need to see both sides offer the other a real carrot
(which I think neither has done) and a really dramatic gesture mutually agreed upon, similar to Sadat’s visit to Jerusalem, otherwise more of the same: violence, hatred, Palestinains sufferring from the occuation, Israelis from the terrorists with no end in sight even though a few valiant peaceable people are trying…