At Camp David, the city's past was, once again, deemed more important than its future. The Camp David talks opened, in truth, with little chance of success, given the range of hot-button issues to be resolved, issues that even after 100 years of conflict too many are willing to die for. In reality, Jerusalem is already a divided city.
Parts are Jewish, parts are Arab.
Few Israelis dare venture into the Palestinian sectors out of fear of assault. Few Palestinians venture into the Jewish neighborhoods except to work as day laborers who must leave come sundown or be subject to police harassment. Here's how it works. An outsider, say a young American backpacker, arrives in the city and is overwhelmed by the palpable intensity of its religious and political energy. It is a common loss of perspective.