Report on Israeli Settlement in the Occupied Territories

Who is the world leader who in the past year has met most often with U.S. president Bill Clinton, leader of the world's greatest power?

These are momentous days in the history of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The July summit at Camp David and the battles that have been raging in its aftermath have opened a new chapter not only in the process begun after the 1991 Gulf War, but also in the long history of antagonism between Israel and the Arabs.

Jerusalemites have long existed in a series of parallel universes, living lives next to but apart from each other. The main divide in modern times has always been the one separating Arabs from Jews.

The following remarks are excerpted from an article that appeared in The Washington Post, November 26, 2000.

In July, as Israeli, Palestinian, and U.S. leaders sought an agreed upon framework for the next stage in Israeli-Palestinian relations, Iran successfully tested its Shihab 3 intermediate range ballistic missile. This test was followed in September by Syria's test launch of an advanced Scud missile.

Jerusalem today has many defenders from many countries and many religions. It seems that everyone not only has an opinion about the city but also rights that must be recognized and accommodated before there can be a sustainable peace.