Negotiating Jerusalem

Explores the beliefs, attitudes, and values of ordinary Palestinians and Israeli Jews asking the question: Is it possible to reach a negotiated resolution to the Jerusalem question?

Explores the beliefs, attitudes, and values of ordinary Palestinians and Israeli Jews asking the question: Is it possible to reach a negotiated resolution to the Jerusalem question?

An in-depth examination of how Jerusalem is seen by both Palestinians and Israeli-Jews, this book is a landmark study of the potential for successfully negotiating the Jerusalem question. It sheds important light on the question "what is Jerusalem?" By showing that the current boundaries are not viewed by either side as sacrosanct, the authors prove that there is room for creative efforts to reach an agreement. Such room may help resolve what is undoubtedly the most difficult issue standing between Israelis and Palestinians.

Jerome M. Segal is a Research Scholar at the Center for International and Security Studies, University of Maryland. Shlomit Levy is a Research Associate at The Guttman Center, Israeli Democracy Institute. Nadar Izzat Sa'id is Director of the Development Studies Program at Bir Zeit University, Palestine. Elihu Katz is Trustee Professor of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and Research Associate at The Guttman Center, Israeli Democracy Institute.

"…this is an impressive and valuable study of Israeli and Palestinian perceptions of Jerusalem." — CHOICE

"A refreshing approach to the complex issue of negotiating a Palestinian-Israeli settlement over the question of Jerusalem. Basing himself on separate studies of Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs done with his coauthors, Segal shows perceptively that there is in fact more overlap between the attitudes of the two sides than is generally believed—and therefore more room for negotiating this issue. This book is neither polemical nor partisan, although it makes a point which is disputed by many. It does so by relying on solid survey research, and by disaggregating a question which is normally treated as a single unit. It should make a lot of waves." — Rashid Khalidi, author of The Origins of Arab Nationalism

"The issue of Jerusalem is of decisive importance for Middle East peace. No polling data with anything like the sophistication present in this book has ever been available on this subject." — Ian S. Lustick, author of Unsettled States, Disputed Lands: Britain and Ireland, France and Algeria, Israel and the West Bank-Gaza