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Jerusalem / A Solution for the Old City

The Old City of Jerusalem is more complicated than municipal Jerusalem. Over 27,000 Muslims, 4,000 Jews, and 7,000 Christians (most of them Palestinian), live in an area of one third of a square mile, divided into the Temple Mount/Haram Al Sharif, the Jewish Quarter, the Muslim Quarter, the Christian Quarter and the Armenian Quarter. As most Jews in the Old City live in the Jewish Quarter, it might be possible to divide Israelis and Palestinians demographically.

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Major Jewish Holy/Historical Site

Major Christian Holy/Historical Site

Major Muslim Holy/Historical Site

But there would be no clear way to divide the hundreds of significant religious and historic sites located throughout this small area. The Old City is a focal point of Israel’s tourism industry, and likely will be for the future state of Palestine. Any border scheme in or around the Old City must cater to the complex and sometimes contradictory needs of different constituencies.

© 2018 by Is Peace Still Possible? a product of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace.

Design by SAYA/Design for Change and Harel Schreiber

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