Word: israelism
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...disputed fate of Jerusalem has long epitomized the stalemate in the Middle East peace process, and over the past two weeks it has been at the center of rare diplomatic brawl between Israel and the U.S. But even as the Obama Administration and the Israeli government square off over demands that Israel refrain from announcing new construction projects in occupied East Jerusalem, the tussle as Israel extends its grip and Palestinians push back is a flashpoint. "The tinder is dry in Jerusalem," says one Western diplomat. "Israeli moves on the ground have been a source of tension, and Palestinian side...
...Jerusalem is just one of a number of difficult "final status" issues to be negotiated in pursuit of a two-state solution - others include where to draw the borders; the fate of settlers and of Palestinian refugees who fled their homes in Israel in 1948 and were barred from returning; security; and water rights. But the fate of the Holy City is easily the most emotive, and perhaps also the most intractable point of conflict. And the very process of trying to restart final-status talks has once again put Jerusalem at ground zero in the conflict. (See pictures...
...standoff between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Obama Administration concerns whether Israel can build in those parts of the city it captured in the war of 1967 - the Jewish state's claims to East Jerusalem are not internationally recognized, and building there is considered settlement activity by the U.S. and the rest of the international community. In order to restart peace talks, the Obama Administration has demanded that Israel freeze all settlement construction, in line with its obligation to do so under President Bush's 2002 peace road map. Netanyahu demurred, offering instead a temporary slowdown in West Bank...
...settlements and exclusively Jewish religious theme parks and archaeological sites around the historic core of the walled Old City in East Jerusalem, which would both solidify Israeli control and Jewish historical claims to the holiest parts of the city, as well as permanently change its demographic balance in Israel's favor. Though those plans to extend Israel's grip on the city are slated to be finished by 2020, the policies, infrastructure and bureaucratic momentum are already in place to such an extent that if the Obama Administration fails to restrain the Israeli government now, there may never be another...
...Netanyahu insists that Israel is ready to resume direct negotiations, and blames Palestinian demands for a complete settlement freeze for creating an impasse. But his stance on Jerusalem may have simply reinforced the Palestinian leadership's argument that no deal can be done with the current Israeli government. (Of course, the Israelis might counter that the current Palestinian leadership with which it is being asked to negotiate has questionable political authority over its own people.) Still, the Obama Administration appears inclined to force Netanyahu to make a choice between pursuing a peace process whose contours "everybody knows" - to borrow...