Separate and Unequal: The Inside Story of Israeli Rule in East Jerusalem - Softcover

Cheshin, Amir S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0674005538 ISBN 13: 9780674005532

Publisher: Harvard University Press, 2001

Synopsis

This vivid behind-the-scenes account of Israeli rule in Jerusalem details for the first time the Jewish state's attempt to lay claim to all of Jerusalem, even when that meant implementing harsh policies toward the city's Arab population.

The authors, Jerusalemites from the spheres of politics, journalism, and the military, have themselves been players in the drama that has unfolded in east Jerusalem in recent years and appears now to be at a climax. They have also had access to a wide range of official documents that reveal the making and implementation of Israeli policy toward Jerusalem. Their book discloses the details of Israel's discriminatory policies toward Jerusalem Arabs and shows how Israeli leaders mishandled everything from security and housing to schools and sanitation services, to the detriment of not only the Palestinian residents but also Israel's own agenda. Separate and Unequal is a history of lost opportunities to unite the peoples of Jerusalem.

A central focus of the book is Teddy Kollek, the city's outspoken mayor for nearly three decades, whose failures have gone largely unreported until now. But Kollek is only one character in a cast that includes prime ministers, generals, terrorists, European and American leaders, Arab shopkeepers, Israeli policemen, and Palestinian schoolchildren. The story the authors tell is as dramatic and poignant as the mosaic of religious and ethnic groups that call Jerusalem home. And coming at a time of renewed crisis, it offers a startling perspective on past mistakes that can point the way toward more equitable treatment of all Jerusalemites.

About this title

About the Author

Amir S. Cheshin, a retired Israeli army colonel, was Senior Adviser on Arab Community Affairs and Assistant to former Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek.

Bill Hutman was a journalist with the Jerusalem Post.

Avi Melamed was Deputy Adviser on Arab Affairs to Mayor Teddy Kollek and Adviser on Arab Affairs to Kollek's successor, Ehud Olmert.

Review

“Given their high-level access to key municipal and Israeli decision-makers, the authors succeed in exposing the horrific lengths to which the Israeli government went to prevent the re-division of Jerusalem and preserve its status as the united and external capital of Israel...Separate and Unequal does provide a healthy dose of realism from which to assess the latest round of Arab-Israeli peace negotiations, the so-called final-status talks and the 'Jerusalem question' in particular.”―Peter McKenna, Washington Post Book World

“With access to all the papers of the former mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Kollek, the authors--Amir Cheshin and Avi Melamed, two former aides to Kollek, together with Bill Hutman, a journalist for the English-language Jerusalem Post--tell a heart-breaking story of squandered opportunities.”―Anne Applebaum, Daily Telegraph

“One of the most important books on the Israeli rule in the territories in general and in Jerusalem in particular.”―Tom Swgev, Ha'aretz

“Amir Cheshin, Bill Hutman and Avi Melamed argue that Israel has suffered from 'failure after failure, missed opportunity after missed opportunity' in governing Jerusalem. If only the Arab population had been fairly treated, given limited autonomy under a system of neighborhood councils or simply conceived of as a permanent partner, then, they argue, Israel would have control of a peaceful, united city.”―Publishers Weekly

“Cheshin and Melamed, onetime aides to former Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek, and Hutman, formerly of the Jerusalem Post, offer a scathing expose of persistent Israeli discriminatory practices against Jerusalem Arabs...The point is well made that Israel could do more for at least those East Jerusalem Arabs who don't openly oppose the state, and there is much here that informs the debate on Israel's ground zero.”―Kirkus Reviews

“[Cheshin, Hutman, and Melamed] present an unusually frank and courageous account of relations between Jews and Palestinian Arab citizens in Israel's capital. As the title states, the two communities are separated, and their treatment is decidedly unequal in nearly all aspects of communal affairs--housing, education, health and sanitation facilities, availability of water and electricity. The authors conclude that 'Israel has treated the Palestinians of Jerusalem terribly...forced many of them from their homes and stripped them of their land...while lying to them and deceiving them and the world about its honorable intentions.'”―D. Peretz, Choice

“A well and very fluently written text, armed with some subtle irony from the authors. It is an accurate description of the social and political 'realities' of the Jewish-Arab relations in this troubled city, a good description of the Israeli policies and practices, and a convincing coverage of the Arab/Palestinian responses and 'resistance' to the Israeli policies and presence. It is a personal account, a good and a sharp 'story' told by talented participant observers. [An] important book.”―Baruch Kimmerling, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

“A very disturbing first hand account of why the Jewish administration of Jerusalem under mayors Kollek and Olmert constitutes an insult to 'Jerusalem,' the symbol of the highest Jewish values and humanity's hopes.”―Yaron Ezrahi

“The authors are clearly familiar with their subject... They bring a refreshingly different perspective to the issue of Jerusalem... Separate and Unequal makes an original and important contribution to our knowledge of how things actually worked in Jerusalem. It is a gold mine of detailed information, full of revealing anecdotes, based on the authors’ own knowledge on the archives and documents to which they have had access... They are to be commended for the depth and empathy they bring to the description of events. In particular, they have filled out and corrected the portrait of Teddy Kollek, the long-time mayor of Jerusalem, by exposing the degree to which Kollek, for all his good intentions and impressive personality, lacked the power or the will to do what he thought should be done. It is also to their credit that they have written in a clear and readable style.”―Mark A. Heller, Tel-Aviv University

“A knowledgeable and sometimes riveting behind-the-scenes account that should be read by all who care about Jerusalem, and about Israeli–Palestinian affairs more generally. This sad chronicle of Israel’s treatment of Jerusalem’s Arab inhabitants, presented by analysts with deep personal involvement in the events they describe, stands in stark contrast to the glowing picture that Israeli spokesmen often present to naive Western audiences. Cheshin, Hutman, and Melamed tell a story that is consistently unblinking, frequently fascinating, most often depressing, but always important.”―Mark Tessler, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

About this edition

• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0674005538
• ISBN 13: 9780674005532
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288