Last night’s 60 Minutes story on Silwan and the “City of David,” marks the dawning recognition that the two-state solution is no longer possible. Lesley Stahl’s opening was a subtle introduction to the idea that the supposed solutions of the past, no longer fit today’s reality:
The challenge is how to divide [Jerusalem] between the two sides. Back in 2000, then-President Clinton came up with some parameters for how to do it: areas populated mostly by Jews would remain Israeli; those populated mostly by Arabs would become the new Palestinian capital. That meant that for the most part East Jerusalem would go to the Arabs.
Well, it’s not so simple anymore. In the decade that has elapsed, more and more Israeli settlers have moved east into the Arab-populated areas. One place where it has gotten especially complicated – and volatile – is the Arab neighborhood of Silwan.
There will be a lot more to say about the story (both positive and negative), but it’s clear the overall message of the story was that Israel is “digging in” to prevent a Palestinian state. Even if you believe that it’s possible to move the settlers out of the occupied territory, the piece made it abundantly clear that there is absolutely no political will in Israel to do so. It’s eye-opening to watch Jerusalem mayor Nir Barakat lose his cool over the most gentle questioning from Stahl. His political power, combined with the messianic vision of El’Ad (conveniently funded from the US), is reshaping the map of Israel/Palestine and no one with the power to do so is standing in the way. Stahl’s piece doesn’t look to hold those in power accountable, but rather lay bare the absurdity of what’s happening on the ground while the “peace process” continues its journey into irrelevance.
If anything the story doesn’t really convey the daily life in Silwan, under constant Israeli encroachment and control. Luckily there are still activists on the ground to get that story out. This video was just posted yesterday, maybe around the same time the 60 Minutes piece aired, and it shows Israeli police seizing a rooftop in Silwan from which to control the area, a daily occurrence in the village.
