The Foreign Service Journal, February 2003

are shuttered, and Christian Quarter merchants are selling out to Muslims, taking their assets and moving to America or Europe from a city which had been theirs for centuries. The Palestinians blame the Israelis for their troubles, never criticizing their own leadership other than very indirectly by saying that, of course, they oppose terrorism and the bin Ladins. For all the economic losses the intifada causes, they say they will be happy if they never see another Israeli the rest of their lives. It is now mostly the old men who make the daily trip from the West Bank to mind the Jerusalem stores, not wanting the young men to face the humiliation and possible vio- lence at the Bethlehem or Ramallah roadblocks. They fear for their fam- ilies and the future. As for my Israeli friends, most of those who used to be in Peace Now or the leftist, pro-compromise part of Labour now would be pleased to never see another Palestinian Arab for the rest of their lives. The rejection by the Palestinian leadership of the Clinton/Barak proposals, which these friends now regard as almost danger- ously generous, and the approval by the same leadership of a terrorist campaign targeting their cities and their families, have pretty much destroyed the Israeli peace camp. It has also led these same Israelis to approve proposals to physically redi- vide Jerusalem, as they will redivide the entire Holy Land, along Arab- Israeli lines. Sovereignty over the Old City will remain the hardest of all negotiating problems, but eventually clever diplo- mats and fine words will find a way to paper over the differences once the terrorism and killing end. They gen- erally do. The result will be that what- ever the de jure language, Palestinians will de facto gain jurisdic- tion over the Arab neighborhoods of Al Quds, from Sheikh Jarragh to Abu Dis — albeit at the cost of any partic- ipation in the Israeli economy. Instead of roving patrols and check- points, there will be fences and walls keeping Palestinians, including Jerusalem-resident Palestinians, out of Israel and Jewish Jerusalem. I see the lines being drawn daily in Jerusalem. Although the era of a uni- fied city which began in that long-ago hopeful summer of 1967, bringing an era of unprecedented prosperity for all its residents from the 1970s to the 1990s, does not have to end this way, I fear it will. Those few of us who still cross the lines and wander its streets and alleyways on both sides despite official warnings will always find a way to get around. But the dream of a unified Jerusalem as a city of peace with open access throughout the city by all peoples and faiths is slipping away. F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 3 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 63 Spend your time the way you want . Do the same with your per diem . • Free Breakfast Buffet • Fitness Center • Laundry • Sundowner socials Your per diem goes much farther. So the next time you travel, spend some time here at Staybridge Suites . And Make It Your Place. Tysons-McLean 6845 Old Dominion Drive McLean, VA 22101 Phone: 703.448.5400 Fax: 703.506.0001 Owned by McLean Hotel LLC and Operated by Grand Duke Hotel, LLC Visit Staybridge Suites