The Old City and the Historic Basin: Issues of Concern and Recent Developments

Jerusalem’s Old City and its adjacent areas, also referred to as the “Holy Basin” or “Historic Basin”, stand at the center of a bitter struggle between two national narratives (Israeli and Palestinian) and three religious narratives (Jewish, Muslim, and Christian). While this struggle is not new, recent developments threaten to upset the delicate status quo that has long existed between the narratives.  Together, these developments are reducing the conflict to its volatile core -- the battle over the physical embodiments of each side’s narrative.