ABSTRACT
Recent events have proved again that Jerusalem is the key to peace between Jew and Arab, and without a solution to the Jerusalem question there can be no durable solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict. Attempts, such as the Camp David accords, to sweep the problem under the rug have failed. The renewed realization of the centrality of Jerusalem in the peace process has led people of good will to try their hand at the old game of devising ultimate solutions. Jerusalem represents for Israeli and Arab alike certain basic interests: identity, a sense of belonging to one’s home town and motherland; control over their destiny; recognition and self-esteem; security and welfare. In devising political solutions for Jerusalem one is tempted to regard it as a border dispute. Such disputes are usually solved by drawing demarcation lines that define absolute political jurisdictions.
