"A joint future can only begin in the sharing of Jerusalem, equally, politically, economically, culturally, and spiritually.” - Dr. Marc Ellis, Jewish Theologian

 

Final Status of Jerusalem

Hanan Ashrawi describes Jerusalem not so much as religious area but simply as more land taken over; she paints a picture of Jerusalem as a fractured part of the land of a broken people. She is a proponent of Jerusalem being a mixed area with both Palestinians and Israelis, saying the majority of Palestinians would be happy to have a free open city, in which the west was predominantly Jewish and the east Palestinian, but with full access to all holy sites. She also speaks against the ever-increasing number of settlements surrounding and closing in the city.

In her view, Jerusalem is the core of the Palestinian-Israeli problems. According to Ashrawi, East Jerusalem still has a Palestinian majority, although this belief is contested by many. Dr. Ashrawi stresses that she will not stand for either religious group having complete control of the area, and the Palestinians' openness to negotiations and willingness to draw up new treaties.

Meretz, the Israeli labor movement, believes in a joint Jerusalem where both Israelis and Palestinians can pray and live. Meretz supports a two state agreement in which Jerusalem is the capital of both states, as proposed by the Security Council resolution 242. They have been working with the Palestinian Fatah movement to come up with peace agreements. As part of these agreements Jerusalem would be a fair place for refugees to settle. They do not want Jerusalem to be divided and believe its unique circumstances should be taken into account when negotiating about its final status. They are looking for agreements that are suitable to both sides. Meretz does not want peace processes to be put on hold solely because of Jerusalem's status. They strongly oppose the destruction of houses, expulsion of inhabitants and the proposed requirement for identification cards during transport in the city.