Jerusalem Conflict and Peace Plan

Beyond the barren ground of Dead Sea, the centre of the world that connect the Asia, Africa, and Europe is Jerusalem, the shrine of three major religions, and also one of most chaos place in the world. The conflict between the nation, religion always happen in this small city of 657,500.

Jerusalem is the most holy place in the world. There are three religions believe it is to gateway to communicate with their god. To Christianity, Jerusalem was the place Jesus died, the Christianity was originated from Jerusalem. To Muslim, Jerusalem was the place prophet Muhammad communicated with Allah, it is the connection between god and human. To Jews, Jerusalem is their “home”, it also becomes a spiritual sustenance after the Holocaust (Ramat, 1990). Those facts lead all conflict in Jerusalem. The conflict of Jerusalem not as simple as the territorial dispute, as the religion make Jerusalem already became a symbol; who gave up Jerusalem means betray the religion and nation, that why no one wanted to give up Jerusalem. If we look through the history, we can found that all the conflict about Jerusalem all had connection with religion. In 1967, during Six-day war, Israel occupied East Jerusalem, Jews back to their “home” after a hundred of years. After Israel decide excavated the tunnel under the temple mount in 1968, The angry Palestinians almost started the war again. Israel president Rabin was killed by Jewish Radicals in 1995, just after he sign the Oslo Accords. These things were just an epitome of Jerusalem conflict. That why the only reason of Jerusalem problem was the religion.

The conflict in Jerusalem had lasted for thousands of years. Its special position and religion status made Jerusalem became the most dangerous area in the world, but the conflict in this area in modern era started in 1948, UN decided made Jerusalem became an international city, but it was opposed by both Arab country and Israel, after that. Jerusalem, both Jews and Muslim’s holy city was divided into west and east. West Jerusalem were controlled by Israel, and the Arab country Jordan controlled the east Jerusalem and the old city. Both Israel and Jordan wanted to control all of Jerusalem. So that the conflict between Arab country and Israel became sharper and sharper, and this conflict became war in 1967, in the Six-day war, Israel`s Paratroopers captured east Jerusalem, the Israeli parliament declared unified Jerusalem as their capital in 1980. “This stirred international controversy, and many countries withheld recognition of the capital”. In 1988 the PLO declared Palestine became independent state with Jerusalem as the capital (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2009).

Jerusalem problem lead to lots of problems, a thousand of people in both Israel and Arab country were killed in the war and the terrorist attack which PLO and Hamas made, the Palestinian who live in east Jerusalem cannot go back to Palestine and visit their relative, although they just live west bank which is only few kilometer away. Palestinian believe Jerusalem belongs to them. So that they also plan to recapture Jerusalem, although Oslo Accords stipulates that Jerusalem problem will only use negotiation to solve, but no one can guarantee that Palestine not raise another war.

From 1948 to 2019, in 71 years, there were lots of plans to solve this problem, such as in 1948, UN decided Jerusalem became an international city and controlled by UN, but both Arab and Israel refused that. After that, the most common solution was divide Jerusalem into Jews part, Muslim part, and Christian part, but this plan ignored the Jews who lived in Muslim part or Muslim lived in Jews part, and it may lead to more serious problem.

Consider all situations, Jerusalem is indivisible part for both of Israel and Palestine. Both of them do not want to give up Jerusalem. So that, the best way to solve Jerusalem problem is make a federal system like United States, but both of state have highly autonomy, there is a famous system in China that is “one country, two systems”. This system implement perfectly in China; HongKong is a perfect example, although HongKong is part of China, but they still can have their own currency, and their own culture. Same as Israel and Palestine, the brand new country will have completely two different system, they can have their own political system and currency, but they will control by a parliament that is located in their capital, Jerusalem. This parliament will have 50% Israelite and 50% Palestinian, it can maintain both Israel and Palestine can have same right in the parliament. Jerusalem will become the capital of both Israel and Palestine, it will become the political centre of federal, both of Muslim and Jews can entry Jerusalem without limited. This solution also have defect, Israel has stronger military power and larger territory than Palestine. It is hard for Israel to share those things to a weaker country. The Jewish Radicals make the problem even more serious, the president of Israel may become next Rabin. All in all, everything is not as important as peace and stability in Jerusalem, it is worth to have risk.

The world look forward a peaceful Middle East. This plan will maintain the peace and stable in middle east. And also, the brand-new country will become the new home of both Palestine and Jews.

References

• Ramat, Gan. “Jerusalem: life throughout the age of holy city.” Ingeborg Rennert Center for Jerusalem Studies. N.P. Bar-Ilan University, 3 March, 1997: 1-8. 17 March, 2019.
• Compton, Frank E. “Jerusalem.” Compton's by Britannica. Compton's by Britannica. 1994-2009. n.d, 17 March, 2009. 13 March 24, 2019.
• The report of the acting United Nations mediator, document S/1042. American: United Nations Security Council. 18 October, 1948. paragraph 18. Pdf of print.
• Filkins, Dexter. “Shot in the Heart When Yitzhak Rabin was killed, did the prospects for peace perish, too?” the New Yorker. N.P. The New Yorker. October 19, 2015. April 14.
• Indyk, Martin S. “Solving the Jerusalem Problem” Bookings. N.P. Thursday, March 18, 2010. April 14, 2019.
• Damen, Rawan. “THE PRICE OF OSLO” Palestine Remix. N.P. Palestine Remix 2015. April 14, 2019.
• “One Country, Two Systems.” China.org.cn. N.P. China Internet Information Center. June 22-23, 1984. April 14, 2019.