Separate and Unequal
Subtitle: The Inside Story of Israeli Rule in East Jerusalem
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Published: May 10, 1999
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 288
ISBN-13: 9780674801363
Subjects: Land rights; Political science & theory; World history: from c 1900 -; Middle East - Israel; History - General History; Contemporary Politics - Middle East; Politics and government; History; Middle East - General; History: World; Israel; Government - Comparative; Social Science / Ethnic Studies; Palestinian Arabs; International Relations - General; Government policy; Jerusalem
First sentence: Why another book about Jerusalem and why now?
Description: 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 for all Jerusalemites.