Jerusalem in the shadow of the disengagement from Gaza

With local and international attention focused on the disengagement from Gaza, the Israeli government is currently implementing policies intended to expand the borders of Greater Jerusalem, to appropriate East Jerusalem, and to create facts on the ground that may well thwart any chance for Palestinians and Israelis to arrive at a political resolution. Ir Amim believes that this policy has far-reaching negative ramifications for the status and stability of Jerusalem, and for the future of relations and negotiations with the Palestinians toward a political settlement. This position paper is written with the purpose to illuminate these intentions and the manner in which they are being carried out, and to warn about their possible consequences.