Jerusalem

“Qods Day” reflects Tehran's determination to annihilate Israel, a pillar of Iranian foreign policy. It also is an important part of “exporting” the Islamic Revolution.

US recognition of the eternal city as Israel’s capital and the Trump peace plan pave the way forward.

The recent State Comptroller’s report on Jerusalem shows continuing Jewish emigration from the city. Israel must act swiftly to reverse this trend.

Why haven’t more embassies moved to Jerusalem?
Dr. Emmanuel Navon: Most countries have too many interests in the Arab and Muslim world to make a move that is seen as hostile in those countries, and the benefits are too small.

Even an interim Israeli government can build in Jerusalem, counter the intrusions of foreign agents, and invest in all sectors of Israel’s national capital.

Advice for Moshe Leon, the incoming Mayor of Jerusalem: Exercise maximum sovereignty and maximal fairness, while seeking to strengthen the unity of Jerusalem; implement Government Decision 3790 to invest NIS 2.1 billion in Arab residents of eastern Jerusalem; advance plans for Jewish and Arab building beyond the 1967 lines in one package; and make higher education and high-quality employment for eastern Jerusalem residents a priority.

Why New US Embassy Isn't Entirely in Israel.
Dr. Yagil Henkin: I cannot see “any significance” to the specific area where the embassy is located.

Israelis Mark Jerusalem Day Amid New Political Reality.
Dr. Emmanuel Navon: Move of the US embassy to Jerusalem marks a turning point in the city’s history. "It will be remembered as a major event.”

America set to inaugurate embassy in Jerusalem.
Prof. Efraim Inbar: The move introduces a dose of realism into the international discourse on Jerusalem.

Capital punishment? Nearly half of Jerusalem's residents aren't citizens.
Prof. Efraim Inbar: Giving citizenship to Arab east Jerusalemites is not only fair but also good for Israel on the strategic level.

How Palestinian votes in municipal elections may change the face of Jerusalem.
Dr. David Koren: Perhaps some Palestinians believe voting will bear more fruit than sticking with the Palestinian Authority. Prof. Efraim Inbar: If Arabs vote in greater numbers, the most pressing challenge will be to bring Zionists to the city to ensure its character.
JNS, 20.3.2018

Investment in eastern Jerusalem is the core of sovereign political action that will keep Jerusalem whole and make it prosperous for all.

U.S. Embassy Relocation Possible within a Year, Experts Say. Dr. Emmanuel Navon: If Trump and Pence want to get things going they have to be very hands-on about it. The Media Line, 21.1.2018

Guatemala Breaks The Mold, But Jerusalem Firewall Intact For Now. Comment by Dr. Emmanuel Navon, The Media Line, 25.12.2017

Trump está entre o pragmatismo e a imprudência em Jerusalém. Comment by Prof. Efraim Inbar.

Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital is the right thing to do. Comment by Prof. Efraim Inbar and Dr. Emmanuel Navon

Trump Calls Jerusalem Plan Step Toward Peace, but It Puts Mideast on Edge. Comment by Prof. Efraim Inbar

The Arab League’s Chairman, Ahmed Abul Gheit, has warned President Trump that recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital would do a disservice to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process as well as ignite violence in the Middle-East. Given the absence of a peace process and given the abundance of violence in the Middle-East, Mr. Aboul-Gheit’s warning does not even pass the laughing test.

Cutting Arab neighborhoods in the east and north out of Jerusalem’s municipal jurisdiction is a bad idea; a slippery slope towards a full-scale political division of the city.

Zeev Elkin vs. Nir Barkat at the inaugural conference of JISS. Should Kafr Akab and Shuafat be cut out of the Jerusalem municipality or not?

The struggle for sovereignty in Jerusalem has transitioned from the "Jerusalem of Above" – in the sense of the political summits of Oslo and Annapolis – to the "Jerusalem of Below," in the sense of daily life in the city. Governance and sovereign rule in eastern Jerusalem requires a quantum leap in the level of services provided by Israel, alongside effective community policing efforts.

Israel’s control of Jerusalem provides strategic depth for the coastal plain; vitally links the coast to the Jordan River as Israel’s eastern security border; and ensures the city’s vibrancy. Maintaining a united Jerusalem is a national mission of existential significance.