"They are loyal to the Palestinian Authority institutions, and only some 10,000 residents of 300,000 have chosen to accept an Israeli nationality." We don't have to tolerate it. Kick their asses to Ramallah; all of them. And -- for heaven's sake -- cut them off. No more access to Israeli social services. No more free medical care. They cannot have their cake and eat it, too. Let them be opportunistic leeches on someone else's back, for a change.

A united Jerusalem will be populated by many Jews very very fast, be sure fo that!

typical of leftists who spout off without facts.

attacks will drive the Jewish population to flee the divided city.

First there is no place as east Jerusalem or west Jerusalem there is only one Jerusalem the capitol of the Jewish nation state of Israel.This is a liberal attempt to make it look like there is 2 Jerusalems.Secondly just because population changes does not mean you give arabs your land.As for as the statistics hasidic Jews have many children.

First, not 40% but 35-36% of Jerusalem is Arab. Second, the annual growth rate of Arabs is not 3.5% and for Jews is not 1,5% In fact Jews have higher birth rate than Arabs in last 5-6 years and Jewish woman gave more birth than an Arab woman, ( The fertility rate among Jews is 4.19, compared to the national rate of 2.90 among Jewish women. This rate is higher than the fertility rate among Arab women in Jerusalem: 3.88. )Off course there is a problem of Jewish emigration from Jerusalem, but this is secondary question. What is important is that political aims should not be achieved with lies and with falsification of numbers as in this case.

It is obvious that the minds of our youth are being corrupted by many defeatist leftists in our schools and universities. Many more must be exposed, like the recent well publicized example. The fact the author worked with Barak on his destructive piece plan tells us all we need to know. Countless U.S. and Israeli studies prove the "Arab population bomb" is a hoax. There are many ways of redressing population problems in Jerusalem. The idea of ceding Jerusalem is obscene. This whole article is obscene.

This is sad but true it is already divided. I was in the old city last week. Like being in a different country we have lost east Jerusalem already

Qur'an 5:20-21 says: "And [remember] when Moses said to his people: 'O my people, call in remembrance the favour of God unto you, when he produced prophets among you, made you kings, and gave to you what He had not given to any other among the peoples. O my people, enter the Holy Land which God has assigned unto you, and turn not back ignominiously, for then will ye be overthrown, to your own ruin." Qur'an 17:104 says: "And thereafter We [Allah] said to the Children of Israel: 'Dwell securely in the Promised Land. And when the last warning will come to pass, we will gather you together in a mingled crowd".

Unless the Arabs are forced to live in peace, they won't. Making east Jerusalem part of 'Palestine' will only allow the sociopathic PA to demand greater authority over the entire Temple Mount. You think rock throwing teenagers are a problem now? Just wait until the Mt is firmly 'Palestinian' land- the attacks will become a hundred times worse. If the Arabs want east Jerusalem, they can have it, but the Temple Mount and everything on it, next to it, and under it, will belong to Israel, under Israeli control. Time to tell Abbas and ilk that making the border is the only task to be done; Jerusalem can be split but the Temple mount will fall on the Israeli side, and any Arab 'refugees' will only return to the west bank. The world's anti-Semitic proponents are trying to screw Israel via supporting PA demands- and it's time to announce that it won't work. Israel won multiple wars brought on by Arab dreams of another Caliphate. It's time the world told the Muslims that their dreams of conquest are outdated and obsolete, and that the west will put a stop to them wherever they occur. Israel should tell Mr. Kerry to go home and have Bibi and Abbas sit down and draw the border. Everything else is secondary. This wouldn't be a problem for rational people. But Abbas isn't rational- he's drunk on jihad-flavored Cool-Aid. He was weaned on Arafat's legacy of hate and deceit. Abbas truly believes his decades-long plan to eradicate Israel piece by piece is working, and is workable. The first thing to be done is for Israel to poll the Arabs of the west bank and ask them if they would prefer to live in Israel or in some new 'Palestine' run by the PA and Hamas. That single result will put everything in its place. If the majority want to live in Israel, Israel takes back Judea and Samaria and make them full citizens in every way. If they really want to live in another Jew-free Arab state, under sharia law, then draw the border and shut the door, as they have turned their back on civilized life.

If Israel devides Jerusalem..she will lose it and maybe Israel itself...the Arabs will never rest until Israel is gone...move the Arabs out..all the way out...to Jordan..or Tim buc too..that is the only way...don't listen to the self hating defeatist poet Jews...

and we'll see the hammer of G-D's fist like never before.

If you want to learn more about the impossibility of dividing Jerusalem, both physically and politically, you should read Yaacov Lozowick’s excellent series: Don’t Divide Jerusalem. It contains links to several very enlightening posts of his own, videos, maps and diagrams, all of which are worth a thorough read. In particular, since it’s relevant to this post, read Lozowick’s Har Homa post, and have a good look at his pictures. It is highly instructive. And next time you read about “East” Jerusalem and “West”, remember that these terms are inaccurate and politically loaded.

Jerusalem is 2/3 Jewish, and the Hareidi population is growing MUCH faster than the Arab population. More than that: When the Arabs were offered citizenship, they overwhelmingly rejected it. Only a few thousand even vote today. So chicken little will just have to find a different crisis.

The author tells we should totally undermine our legitimacy for a possible scenario. That has been heard over and over but never seems to materialize. Yet splitting Jerusalem we would have lost all moral rights to this land as well as to peoplehood. We are an historic people. Which the world has learnt morality and truthfulness (to name a couple.) Yet how will the professor explain to the world that we belong in pre 1967 when we have given up our capital , Hebron and all the cities that the bibles say our forefathers purchased. Professor explain to us ,which nation in the entire world would ever split its capital. I know I am not a professor. But the answer is ZERO! Why should the Jewish people be the first. On a flimsy notion that we won't be a majority. There are only 2 guarantees in life . Death and taxes and Palestinian Demographics is not one of them.

Don't be foolish. If Israel cedes *ANY* portion of Jerusalem the will lose it all. Can't you see the pattern? "Oh, the line was not drawn properly. This is a sacred spot where Mo's horse pooped. It must be included".

When I am in Jerusalem , I see a city that is predominantly Jewish. The growth rate of 1.5% must be a mistake. Even if the hiloni population has zero children, the haredim (30% of the population) with an average of 6 children give already a growth rate of 2%

In 1967, the experts told us that within 20 years, the Arabs will be in majority in the land and in Jerusalem. Well, 45 years on and these experts are still wrong.

If a Palestinian majority is in the works, then it looks like we'll lose Jerusalem whether we divide it or not! Drive the Palestinians out now while we have the advantage.

I still do not understand. Why is it when someone has his cake, he cannot eat it too? What good is the cake beneath my wanting eyes, without being allowed to eat it?

Unlike the case in the 1970s when I lived in Jerusalem, the city today has a majority non-Zionist population of the ultra-Orthodox and the Arabs. (Amirav fails to distinguish between the non-Zionist and the fringe anti-Zionist haredim.) And Jerusalem ten years ago was already, with Bnai Brak, the poorest city in Israel. Beyond that we see things very differently. First, there's no example anywhere of a single city simultaneously serving as the capital of two countries, and certainly not two countries that don't trust each other. Second, recent history shows that the PA cannot be trusted to guarantee the safety of or access to Jewish holy sites. But I suspect Amirav doesn't care about such things. Third, were much of Jerusalem slated to fall under Palestinian control, one would see a minor flood of Arabs then seeking Israeli nationality. They don't seek it now because they can retain the advantages of a tie to Israel without appearing to betray the Palestinian cause. But if division is in the works, all that will change. The bigger issue is what happens when much of Jerusalem leaves the Israeli security envelope. And into the gaps will move those who see the Jews in retreat and the cause of Islam triumph. That could well, as Dore Gold predicted, unleash a tsunami of terror against which Israel will be shackled from responding without "violating Palestinian sovereignty" or worse. Jerusalem could well prove unlivable for Jews - worse than 2000-2002. At that point I suspect even Amirav will flee to Tel Aviv, looking to blame Israel for the debacle.

Very good if somewhat obvious article. Depressing but not surprising to read the comments, devoid of any sense of reality. As usual, most comments come from the US, from people with no clue about Israel and with no care for Israel. Everybody who knows Jerusalem know we must divide the city, or face a rather imminent Arab take over. And no, Sarah, the answer is NOT to ethnically cleanse Arabs as you propose. Curiously, that's your solution to every problem... Fortunately, Israel is a democracy and does not engage in ethnic cleansing. That being the case, the option is indeed between a divided Jerusalem or an increasingly Arab Jerusalem. Because let's face it - a large number of 'normal' Jews are already leaving it.

Hog Wash! Why not give up Tel Aviv?