Description
This study examines the conflict between Jordan, Israel and the PLO as well as within the Palestinian camp over the issue of Jerusalem in the period leading up to and following the Oslo agreements. Musallam starts by outlining the difficult circumstances that now surround the issue of Jerusalem, such as continued Israeli settlement construction and the isolation of Jerusalem from the West Bank. Against this background, he details the vicissitudes of the struggle as the Jordanians, Israelis and Palestinians have jockeyed to gain sovereignty and control over the city. One chapter deals with Chairman Arafat’s famous speech in South Africa in which he called for a Jihad for Jerusalem. Another chapter recounts the Israelis’ failure to deliver one of three letters that had been understood as a sine qua non for the PLO to sign the Declaration of Principles. The way in which the Israeli government attacks Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem – including Orient House – is described in detail, as are the tensions that arose between the Palestinians and the Jordanians following the Israeli-Jordanian Washington Declaration and peace treaty. In the last chapter, Musallam gives some practical suggestions about the requirements for reaching a peaceful and fair solution on the issue of Jerusalem.
