Should Jerusalem be split between the Israelis and Palestinians?

Yes

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by Harmanas Chopra

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Jerusalem: End the Pain!
Over the past 10 years (if not more), it has been established that without creating a State of Palestine alongside the existent State of Israel stability, peace, and prosperity will continue to elude the inhabitants of this region. Its mothers, children, and wives will continue to weep and it brothers, fathers and sons will continue to die. The ferocious dogs who feed upon its grief will grow fat. Though this consensus has placated both sides of this conflict, yet another question has arisen: which of these two future countries will have control over the holy city of Jerusalem?

Since the creation of a Palestinian state is crucial to the rapprochement of the opposing factions - the Israeli government and Hamas - and the only foreseeable solution is a division of Jerusalem along its Arab and Jewish quarters, the division of Jerusalem is a necessary consequence of peace. We must remember that although the political factors of this debate are exceptionally important, the value of human life must be put foremost. Haven't enough blameless souls perished due to this conflict? Isn't it in the best interest of the people for this contention of faiths to end and end soon?

1. Religious Conflict: Islam and Judaism

So why is it that the two sides are hesitant to accept the division of Jerusalem as a resolution? Their anxiety and anguish are rooted in the displeasure of Jerusalem's divided pious population which is composed of both Muslims and Jews. They cry in confusion: who will control the city's religious sites? Will it be the majority Jewish government or the majority Islamic government? Both sides distrust their opposition and believe if their heritage is left in the others' hands, it will be besmirched.

For the Jewish people, Jerusalem symbolizes their survival of unthinkably cruel ordeals: persecution, massacre, and war. Jerusalem is holy to them because it is bathed in the blood and sweat of their ancestors. They know that within the city's sand and earth, lie the remains of their grotesque past and giving that up would be like denying it ever happened. They view their habitation of the city and their access to its religious sites as proof that their faith will allow them to weather any storm and best any challenge. Even for a Jew who is not actively religious, the importance of this cause is unparalleled and incomparable to any other on Earth.

Islam recognizes Jerusalem as the site of the Prophet Mohammed's night journey. Most scholars who have analyzed the subject confirm that it is likely that this is true. The source of this claim to sanctity is the fact that Jerusalem is believed to lie on top of the location of the temple first built by King Solomon which is described repeatedly in the Qur'an. Atop this holy site, Muslims have built their places of worship which they are not ready to give up.

Delays will only exacerbate this altercation; however, if Jerusalem is promptly divided along the lines of its Jewish and Islamic quarters and the proprietorships of its religious sites are divided appropriately among its governments, there may be a chance to avoid the untold casualties and mass human suffering which has and will once again corrupt the beauty of such a marvelous city. Assemblies chosen from both religious communities should be chosen to come to a decision about which sites will belong to which country. For sites that are valued by both faiths, there should be a timeshare plan which allows citizens of both countries to celebrate their religious holidays in the way in which they choose to.

2. Genocide and Refugees: The "Right of Return" Policy as it Affects Jerusalem

Another mountain the two sides must scale is how refugees from the various quarters of Jerusalem will be dealt with. The Middle East hasn't forgotten the events of 1947 and 1952 when the partition of Palestine led Arab masses to form anti-Jewish riots in Yemen and Syria and the overthrow of King Farouk of Egypt and Israel's invasion of Sinai in 1956 lead to Egyptian Jews being declared "enemies of the state." Governments did not protect their citizens and in the case of Libya actually revoked the citizenship of their Jewish citizens. Iraqi Jews had their property stolen from under their feet and as if the Arab world was collaborating in harassing its Jewish population, hundreds of thousands if not millions became refugees. The result was one of the largest forced migrations in human history. What is sad is rather than the cause being a natural disaster or climate change, it was humanity's own folly: intolerance.

Where did all these refugees go? What was their asylum this time of universal strife? Many came to the city of Jerusalem. Thus, the city of Jerusalem became a harbor for the lost Jewish population of the Middle East. They feel that it the Palestinians succeed in implementing their "right of return" policy Jews will become minority in their homes and will become slaves to the Islamic majority. Muslims see it differently they believe that Israel is trying to create an artificial majority of Jews to control policy and that they need to come back to reality and realize that they are outnumbered by their Islamic neighbors.

3. Terrorism: Loss of Life in Jerusalem

Although both sides like to blame one another for the terror which is plagued the population of this beautiful city, they are both guilty. Jews like to point out that Islam considers suicide attacks morally permissible in the case of a jihad. Muslims sling mud right back saying that the Israeli government has caused more pain and suffering than all Islamic efforts combined. The parties who wish to resolve this issue are still debating the most important question: Will the division of holy sites in Jerusalem worsen the terrorism situation or lift this plague from the city? They have only been able to come up with one answer which creates unease among the congregation (both Palestinian and Israeli): there is no way of knowing.

The simple reason is that the organizations that have generated this mass terror have directly opposing views on the matter and it is impossible to please everyone. However, the division of Jerusalem will probably placate more extremists that it angers.

4. Relations Between the Quarters of Jerusalem

Will the split of Jerusalem really mean anything? Will its citizens respect the boundaries created by their governments? Will it lead to a more peaceful city or one in which the neighborhoods are imbued with blood and human bodies decay on the ground? Will this split really mean a permanent end to the conflict? If the people of Jerusalem are given their space and allowed to reflect on their situation after Jerusalem's split, they will learn to tolerate and eventually love their neighbors. However, the Jerusalem of today has two groups of people living together who distrust each other in every way and do their best to undermine and harass their fellow man. If this is allowed to continue it will end in the extermination of both populations and the destruction of many of the religious sites Jerusalem is known for. To protect the city and its people, this split must happen.

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