Jerusalem / A Solution for the Old City:
Special Regime Model
The Special Regime model preserves the Old City as a single entity within the boundaries of the Old City walls, managed by an international body or joint management between the two sides. This was the original formula under the 1947 Partition Plan, placing Jerusalem under a separate, international authority. The Jerusalem Old City Initiative, developed at the University of Windsor, envisions a third-party administrator with a multilateral governing council and police force, with the parties themselves taking over some of the less-sensitive governing duties. In past negotiations, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert supported a special regime model.
Pros and Cons of the Special Regime Model
Advantages:
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Old City is not physically divided.
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Allows for creative solutions to the question of sovereignty, such as “deferred,” “shared” or “divine sovereignty.”
Disadvantages:
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Requires the parties to suspend claims of sovereignty over key assets.
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Requires complex legal and administrative mechanisms, and would embroil an outside third-party in sensitive issues such as residency disputes and administration of holy sites.
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Creative attempts to defer resolution of sovereignty issues could drag out the conflict.