Yesterday Ali Gharib reported a statement on West Jerusalem last week by Michael Ratner (from a presentation on the Mamilla cemetery):
"What you have to conclude is that they want to take this spot," Ratner said, "then the next spot. It’s clear they want to eradicate any presence of Muslims in Jerusalem."
Ratner was referring to Muslim artifacts, not even living Muslims. Now a few days ago in the New York Times, Isabel Kershner reported on the corruption scandal that still envelops Ehud Olmert long after he left the Jerusalem mayoralty. Emphasis mine:
At the heart of the latest inquiry is a residential project known as Holyland, regarded by many of the city’s residents as an eyesore. Located on a ridge in the predominantly Jewish southwest of Jerusalem, it consists of several multistory apartment buildings and a central tower.
I am curious: Are there any non-Jews in that neighborhood? Gosh you know how quick I am to condemn the Times; is this an example of (un)consciously trying to situate Jerusalem neighborhoods in a familiar American multicultural mental space–a predominantly white section of Philadelphia, say–when the reality is that no such place exists? I’m just asking.
