One City Into Two
Israel unveils proposed blueprint for sharing Jerusalem with Palestinians

Jerusalem: Israel's new government is drawing up a blueprint for dividing the holy city of Jerusalem—a once inconceivable notion—giving the Palestinians nearly all the Arab neighborhoods, while holding onto Jewish areas and disputed holy shrines.

Otniel Schneller, an architect of the plan, described it in interviews this week with The Associated Press, giving the clearest picture yet of how Israel plans to separate from the Palestinians, abandoning most of the West Bank.

A plan to divide Jerusalem was first brought up in the 2000 peace talks but failed to materialize. Schneller—a Kadima lawmaker—is reviving that plan with his blueprint. But he cautioned that the ideas are still in the planning stages, require international backing and that there's no clear timetable for carrying them out.

Under the plan, which would be executed unilaterally if efforts to resume peace talks fail, Jerusalem's Old City, its holy shrines and the adjacent neighborhoods, would become a "special region with special understandings but remain under Israeli sovereignty," said Schneller.

Abilene Reporter News 5/12/06