It's a bad idea. Israel believes that its willingness to make territorial concessions is best employed now to extract maximal Palestinian concessions on Jerusalem. The Palestinians believe that their willingness to end the conflict with Israel at Camp David is their best leverage to regain control over East Jerusalem. The symbolism evoked by these sites cannot be overcome by creative ideas of expanding the city's boundaries. This symbolism is, in some ways, bigger than the Palestinian-Israeli conflict because it ultimately mobilizes Jewish and Muslim groups from outside the areas controlled by Arafat and Barak.
Emotions run high on both sides when the issue of Jerusalem sovereignty is raised.
When pollsters asked Palestinians if they agreed to Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem in exchange for Palestinian statehood in the rest of the West Bank and Gaza, an overwhelming majority rejected the Palestinian state if it did not include Jerusalem. In Israel, significant majorities have continually rejected the idea that a Palestinian state would be sovereign over the Old City, and Barak has declared this issue to be one of his red lines. If he were to agree to Palestinian sovereignty over the Old City, the measure would be roundly defeated in Israel. See additional research on the Middle East . In the Arab and Muslim worlds, no issue with Israel mobilizes more people.