Israel Matzav

Who's afraid of a 'Palestinian' reichlet?

Who's afraid of a 'Palestinian' reichlet? Apparently, the 'Palestinians' are.

Samih Bashir, a Palestinian lawyer, plans to move early next year to a large house with two living rooms, three bathrooms and a big backyard where his four children can play. It is in a Jerusalem neighborhood called French Hill -- a part of the city that Israel says will never become part of a Palestinian state. Bashir worries that his current neighborhood, Beit Hanina, would end up under Palestinian control if the two sides ever reach a peace deal.

In some ways, the move is a psychological one. There is no legal difference between Beit Hanina and French Hill. Both are parts of East Jerusalem that Israel occupied during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and unilaterally annexed soon after, a status not recognized by the international community. But French Hill is a predominantly Jewish neighborhood, and Beit Hanina is overwhelmingly Arab.

"They're talking about giving this area back to the Palestinians, and then we would be stuck here," Bashir, who holds Israeli citizenship, said of Beit Hanina. "My wife works in the Jerusalem municipality as a social worker. How would she get to her job if this area becomes Palestinian?"

As it happens, Beit Hanina and French Hill are right next to each other.

I wonder what would happen if they took a survey of the 'Palestinians' who live in Judea and Samaria and see if they want (to live in) a 'Palestinian' state reichlet run by Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen. Anyone want to take a guess at what would happen?

Many of the 250,000 Palestinians who are residents of East Jerusalem, but who are not Israeli citizens, are equally concerned about losing access to Israeli services such as medical care and social security if their neighborhoods became part of a Palestinian state. A growing number are moving into predominantly Jewish neighborhoods such as French Hill or Pisgat Zeev -- areas that Palestinian officials consider to be illegal Israeli settlements.

Jamal Natshe, a Palestinian real estate agent, said thousands of families from East Jerusalem, the West Bank and even Jordan have moved into mostly Jewish areas in the past two years. He said their main concern is the 25-foot-high concrete wall that Israeli authorities have built to separate the parts of the city under their control from Palestinian areas.

Maybe these people recognize what a good deal they have right now. Too bad the rest of the world doesn't. Instead, they keep pursuing the empty, 'irreversible' dream of a 'Palestinian' reichlet. Maybe it's time for the rest of the world to wake up and smell the coffee?

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:59 AM