Integration, Segregation, and Control

Abstract

The contested city of Jerusalem is no doubt an extreme case of a polarized urban environment. Israel considers Jerusalem unified in political terms, yet Palestinians have rejected the 1967 enforcement of Israeli law, jurisdiction, and administration over East Jerusalem and continue to boycott key Israeli political institutions. Daily reality, in turn, reflects the persistent social, economic, and spatial divisions between the Jewish and Arab communities. Different ethnic identities are clearly marked and there is no space allowed for a mixed Jewish-Arab identity. Indeed, far-reaching patterns of segregation between members of the two communities affect almost all aspects of everyday life. At the same time, daily (mainly economic) interaction and exchange are also common. This is particularly the case in the labor and consumer markets; it relates to certain business transactions, and is most apparent where Jews and Arabs share public services.