patrickcaturday
Active Member
This immediatly brings up the question, if a REFERENDUM was held and the Arabs decided that they wanted to devide the city would and should Israel Honor the referendum . I would like Hoss, Say-it, and MJB to reply, thank you.
Yup but only as part of a negotiated settlement of the conflict.
BTW, you completely ignored the point of my post. Given the constant drivel here about Israel's mistreatment of her Arab minority, why would Mr. Toameh say such things and are they true?
The problem with what you say is that Israel has already as a precondition to negotiations stated that Jerusalem will not be divided.
As an answer to your other question I would say that the highlighted portion below does it justice;
Ask the Arabs of East Jerusalem: Should Jerusalem Be Redivided? :: Gatestone Institute
Ask the Arabs of East Jerusalem: Should Jerusalem Be Redivided?
by Khaled Abu Toameh
"...In addition, the negotiators must concede the possibility of asking the Arab residents of the city about their preferences. There is no reason why more than 200,000 Arabs in Jerusalem should be denied the right to voice their opinion on a matter that has a direct affect on their lives and future.
This can be done through a referendum where the Arab residents would be asked if they would like to live in a divided city under the rule of the Palestinian Authority or Hamas. Most likely, a majority of the Arab residents would say that they prefer the status quo to the other options.
Most Arabs in the city prefer to live under Israeli rule for a number of reasons. First, because as holders of Israeli ID cards they are entitled to many rights and privileges that Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip don't enjoy. They include freedom of movement and social, economic, health and education services that Israeli citizens are entitled to.
Redividing Jerusalem means bringing either the Palestinian Authority of Hamas into the city. The Arab residents of Jerusalem have seen what happened in the West Bank and Gaza Strip over the past 16 years and are not keen to live under a corrupt authority or a radical Islamist entity..."