Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., September 07, 2008 Elul 7, 5768 | | Israel Time: 12:52 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Last update - 12:44 03/09/2008 False oaths of allegiance By Nadav Shragai Tags: Eli Yishai, Tzipi Livni  All of a sudden, everyone is swearing allegiance to Jerusalem: Tzipi Livni, who has already discussed dividing Jerusalem with the Palestinians every which way; Shaul Mofaz, who has known about it for more than a year but is still clinging to his cabinet seat; and Eli Yishai, too. But what is really irritating is that both those whose conduct is dictated by devotion to power rather than to Jerusalem and those who understand that dividing Jerusalem is an unparalleled risk, one that will melt the glue that has held the Jewish people together for generations, are relying on formalistic arguments. Ehud Olmert lacks any legitimacy to negotiate over Jerusalem, not only because of the heavy cloud of criminal suspicions that hangs over him and because his days in office are numbered, but mainly because no one ever authorized him to hand over the treasure of the Jewish people and smash one of the foundation stones of the Zionist movement. This bunch understands that Mahmoud Abbas is not the sole custodian of Jerusalem on the Arab side, and that Jordan, Egypt, Morocco and perhaps Saudi Arabia also need to be brought into the picture. However, it does not understand that it is not the sole custodian of Jerusalem for the Jewish people. This group is "democratic" when it comes to Arab countries, but would never dream of bringing representatives of the Jewish people and the Jewish religion into the talks, not to mention taking the most elementary step - a referendum that would make clear the significance of dividing the city. Advertisement The implications of such a move are completely lacking from the discourse over the historic snatch Olmert is now trying to bring about. His willingness to bring the members of the Quartet into the negotiations over Jerusalem (even as "advisors") opens the door to internationalizing the conflict over the city, and that is tantamount to public suicide. In the Middle East, internationalization does not work - and when it does, it usually works against us. That is the case in Lebanon, where Hezbollah's strength has grown to that of a small army under the umbrella of international "monitoring" in recent years; that was the case in 1948, when the United Nations, despite having ostensibly internationalized Jerusalem and defined it as a corpus separatum in UN General Assembly Resolution 181, did not respond when the Jewish population of the city was besieged; and that was the case in Gaza, where observers from the international force that Condoleezza Rice made us station at the Rafah crossing fled when Hamas took over the strip. Need we even mention the attacks on multinational forces in Beirut and Iraq? No fertile imagination is needed to picture, for example, what the "internationals" will do when the Waqf excavates the Temple Mount and damages Jewish archaeological remains - or how they will act when Israel reinforces the Western Wall. Dori Gold, Israel's former ambassador to the UN, recently noted that the more Israel concedes in Jerusalem, the more the American position regarding our status in the city erodes. He still remembers how the U.S. used its veto power in the Security Council to reject Palestinian initiatives to condemn Israeli construction in neighborhoods like Har Homa. Today, not only is it difficult to conceive of such a veto, but the Americans are those who initiate complaints over Israeli construction in Jerusalem. Almost no one is warning the public of the likelihood that those who give away East Jerusalem will pay with compound interest in West Jerusalem: that abandoning the eastern part of the city might result in large-scale migration to West Jerusalem by tens of thousands of Palestinians who refuse to give up their rights as permanent residents (this is already happening in East Jerusalem, after construction of the separation fence left parts of the city outside the barrier); or that, just as after the forced division of the city in 1948, tens of thousands of Jews might get up and leave. They will do so because Jerusalem, as in 1948, will go back to being a frontier city, vulnerable to small-arms attacks from across a border only dozens or hundreds of meters away from where 250,000 Jews currently live. There are not many differences left between Netanyahu's Likud and Kadima and Labor. But one of these is Jerusalem. If Netanyahu wants to prove to his potential voters that on this issue, he says what he means and means what he says, at the very least he should announce that he does not intend to honor any agreement that would lead to the division of Jerusalem - that Jerusalem is a red line, which will not go back to being a green one. Bookmark to del.icio.us   But you cannot hide Court rules Michigan resident helped liquidate Polish Jews during Holocaust. Junk TV Airing of first Palestinian soap opera was cancelled because topics were 'too liberal'.   1.   For us, the people of Israel, Jerusalem is ours! 14:02  |  am Israel 03/09/08   2.   sorry mr. shraqai, 14:21  |  abraham 03/09/08   3.   Religion and politics a toxic mix: Leave Jerusalem Out of It! 14:50  |  Ivar 03/09/08   4.   abraham is ibrahim, Why ashamed of his name? 14:54  |  x-ray 03/09/08   5.   Mr Shraqai 15:03  |  Dany 03/09/08   6.   Best article in "Haaretz" ever.The "internationalizing" 15:13  |  Absolute Sweden 03/09/08   7.   Surrending on Jerusalem 15:31  |  Frank 03/09/08   8.   #4 x-ray not ashamed of my name but 15:38  |  abraham 03/09/08   9.   @2 abraham and the arabs who are not palestinians 15:43  |  vhardman 03/09/08   10.   Share and share alike 16:23  |  utagawa 03/09/08   11.   IVAR Have you told Hamas,Iran Hesballa to leave religion out 16:37  |  PETER SM 03/09/08   12.   abraham 16:57  |  lady from USA 03/09/08   13.   11, Israel can eat its Jerusalem cake only by SHARING it 16:58  |  Ivar 03/09/08   14.   Ivar 17:03  |  lady from USA 03/09/08   15.   abraham again 17:11  |  lady from USA 03/09/08   16.   utagawa 17:16  |  lady from USA 03/09/08   17.   Ivar 17:20  |  lady from USA 03/09/08   18.   So Ibrahim you put your trust in numbers do you? 17:25  |  x-ray 03/09/08   19.   #15 lady from usa no thanks lady 17:55  |  abraham 03/09/08   20.   IVAR where has Hamas said they will share? Anything? 18:02  |  PETER SM 03/09/08   21.   IVAR which part of Jerusalem is Hamas going to share? 18:27  |  PETER SM 03/09/08   22.   if no jerusalem than the right of return for all refugees 18:48  |  johnj 03/09/08   23.   If I forget thee o Yerushaliem 18:51  |  Big Sur 03/09/08   24.   Electioneering for Bibi.... 19:36  |  Esther 03/09/08   25.   It`s most of us who want to keep our capital Esther 20:08  |  x-ray 03/09/08   26.   To Abraham 20:25  |  lady from USA 03/09/08   27.   Nuke Jerusalem! 21:26  |  W 03/09/08   28.   Nadav Shragai and the right... want to perpetuate the conflict.. 21:56  |  Smadar 03/09/08   29.   Break Kadima Into Pieces Instead Of Slicing Jerusalem 22:14  |  Joseph.E 03/09/08   30.   Jerusalem Division = Israel `Fitna` 22:23  |  Joseph.E 03/09/08   31.   If partition was acceptable to Ben Gurion... 00:24  |  Concerned 04/09/08   32.   Between Yerushalayim and Makkah 11:08  |  Tikva 07/09/08

Read & React Cheney tells Peres: Russia supplies weapons to terrorists Responses: 29 Fatah leader: Al-Qaida intifada could make Hamas look like child's play Responses: 11 Zvi Bar'el: Israel has shown U.S. that sanctions against Syria are pointless Responses: 3 Uzi Benziman: Livni, Mofaz opposition to settler evacuation bill stems from fear Responses: 8 How can grandparents make interfaith grandkids more Jewish? Responses: 8 More Headlines 12:38 Olmert: We must prepare now for the evacuation of West Bank settlers 08:11 Police to hold key meeting Sunday on Olmert indictment 09:28 'Al-Qaida intifada could make Hamas look like child's play' 10:12 Iran army to hold 3-day drill amid speculation over Israeli strike 12:23 Israeli security officials laud PA crackdown on Hamas 08:21 Jordan and Lebanon refuse to become alternate Palestinian homelands 02:12 How can grandparents make their interfaith grandkids more Jewish? 10:35 Senior IDF officers: Army 'radically' better prepared for next war 11:35 High hopes for Israeli Paralympic team as Beijing Games open 10:06 Cheney tells Peres: Russia supplies weapons to terrorists 08:16 HMO to pay record NIS 14m for failing to diagnose genetic disorder 12:09 31 people buried alive under rockslide in Cairo shanty town 20:06 Report: UN to demand Israel pay Lebanon $1 billion in reparations 04:32 New plan aims to clean construction waste scattered across Jerusalem Previous Editions Select Day 05 sep 04 sep 03 sep 02 sep 01 sep 31 aug 29 aug 28 aug 27 aug 26 aug 25 aug 24 aug

Special Offers Advertisement Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. JMG your online solution Jewish Singles Personal Ads Find the love of your life on JDate.com MBA in Israel in English APPLY NOW! Limited spaces available Israel's Premier Real Estate Website www. israel-property.com Hebrew Summer courses From $39.95 ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved