In light of President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, I wanted to do an episode related to Jerusalem. This episode dives into the politics and history of Jerusalem, with a special focus on East Jerusalem. East Jerusalem is the Palestinian part of Jerusalem. It was formally annexed by Israel in 1980, which was illegal according to international law. Over 300,000 Palestinians live in East Jerusalem and their treatment by Israel is the key to understanding “the deal with Jerusalem.”
My guest for this discussion is Yahav Zohar, who is an Israeli tour guide. He gives alternative tours, which are political and cultural, and focus on the history and current realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He is an expert on Jerusalem. We discuss his thoughts on Trump’s announcement, which might surprise you. Yahav briefly explains the recent history of Jerusalem. He articulates the difficult and unequal treatment Palestinians of East Jerusalem endure. We have a fascinating discussion about the separation barrier and how it affects East Jerusalem and how it helps Israeli security. At the end, we speculate a bit about Trump’s reasons for acknowledging Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The episode is packed full of important stuff.
1 Comment
Vivian Campbell
December 19, 2017 at 10:32 pmThanks, Josh! This forum was very informative and educational.
I had the pleasure of taking the Israel/Palestine Tour in May 2016 with your parents, Marlin and Sally Vis! What a fantastic opportunity to get a first-hand look. Unfortunately, I was disturbed by what I saw in Hebron and how they treat the Palestinians–looks like apartheid to me. Trying to education and get a better understanding of the hopes of seeing a peaceful solution to all this. Again, thanks for sharing!