The current political climate has led to a deteriorated atmosphere in Israel's capital, characterized by division, hostility, and terrorism. An Israeli security initiative, combined with civil-economic measures to improve the welfare of Palestinian residents, alongside a declaration of intent, would create a new political horizon and reason for hope.

EXPERT: ROLLY GUERON

Rolly Gueron, a member of the Executive and Steering Committees of Commanders for Israel’s Security (CIS), is a former Division Head in the Mossad. With over twenty-five years of government service in intelligence, homeland and international security, he is presently involved in introducing Israeli homeland security-related technologies to emerging markets in central Europe, the Middle East, and elsewhere.

Following his career with the Mossad, Gueron served as a senior executive with several Israeli and Israeli-based multinational corporations, including ZIM (global shipping), Union Bank of Israel (Bank Igud) and Tnuva (Israel's largest dairy producer).

The practical steps outlined below will not affect Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, require changes to the Jerusalem Law, or impact the status of Palestinian residents. They are also not contingent upon the existence of a Palestinian 'partner' at this time.

From “Security First”, Commanders for Israel’s Security (2016)

Security Measures

COMPLETE THE SECURITY BARRIER

Complete the security barrier along the Jerusalem envelope in order to prevent illegal workers and smugglers infiltrating into the city from the West Bank.

LAW AND ORDER

Establish a robust and permanent security presence in Palestinian neighborhoods, and increase the budget and personnel for the Jerusalem municipal police and the border police.

THE TEMPLE MOUNT

Maintain the status quo on the Temple Mount without exception in order to reduce friction at this important and potentially explosive flashpoint

Economic Measures

NEW CONSTRUCTION

Allow Jerusalem Palestinians to move to new residential construction projects in Area C that do not constitute a threat to Israeli settlements without losing their permanent residency rights in Jerusalem or related welfare benefits.

ECONOMIC PLANNING

Develop a master plan for planning, construction, infrastructure, services, and economic development in East Jerusalem.

ACCELERATED DEVELOPMENT

Immediately put in place an accelerated development plan that will provide for the needs of the maximum number of Palestinian residents in the shortest amount of time.

Political Measures

PALESTINIAN MUNICIPAL GOVERNANCE

Establish a municipal umbrella, with a separate budget than the City of Jerusalem, for Palestinian neighborhoods that has authority over planning, zoning, construction, tax collection, infrastructure, education, municipal services, trade promotion, and community services.

EXTEND CITY SERVICES

Extend municipal and welfare services to Palestinians living inside the Jerusalem municipality but outside the security barrier, as well as to permanent residents living outside the city’s municipal jurisdiction.

An Insider's Perspective - Col. (ret.) Shaul Arieli:(click for link)

Col. (Ret.) Shaul Arieli, a Senior Advisor at the ECF and member of the Steering Committee of Commanders for Israel's Security, is one of Israel’s foremost experts on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He is considered a leading voice on the history and future demarcation of Israel’s borders, on the route of the Security Barrier in the West Bank, and on the history of negotiations between Israel and the PLO. The following are excerpts from his Haaretz article, "The Dangers of Annexing the West Bank."

The number of terror attacks in the city fluctuates annually, but the city’s position as the top target is stable. The day-to-day friction and Palestinians’ freedom of movement in Jerusalem create opportunities for terrorism, reflected in the fact that the city’s Palestinian residents share in the struggle to create a state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

If the Palestinians change their policy and decide to take part in local elections, the mayor and most of the city council will be Palestinian.

Israelis can’t know for certain what it would look like if and when a two-state solution is adopted, but a “one state” future can already be seen in “united Jerusalem.” Once a developing city with a decisive Jewish majority recognized de facto by the international community, it has become a city marred by rifts and violence, a desperately poor city losing its Jewish majority and the international recognition it wants so badly.

More on Jerusalem:

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