Who owns Jerusalem? | DW Documentary

ulam jerusalem is a safe city one filled with aspirations in hope people often ignore this aspect they only see the conflict hatred intentions but ever since Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel the fragile status quo of the city has been in the balance what long-term consequences will his controversial decision have will it further deepen the divide between Palestinians and Israelis or could it ultimately bring them closer either there will be like a crazy big war or miracle deal of the century that Trump wants to do well make everyone happy [Music] Hakan is relatively unfazed by the uproar surrounding the u.s. president's decision to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem for Israel it's been clear for a long time that Jerusalem is its real capital from these and status Swiss blanch work came to Israel 10 years ago and became an Israeli citizen five years later he wanted to become more intensely involved with his Jewish religion he studied Hebrew and became a tour guide Shmuel lives close to the government district in the western part of the city after he got married his wife efferent moved here from another part of Israel to be with him this small apartment is full of their wedding photos the two are making plans for their anniversary but no one in Israel can completely escape into private life politics is everywhere here the cons can see the Israeli Parliament building from their kitchen window you can see the Knesset behind me and there's the Supreme Court over there Trump's decision of the decision by the European countries on whether Jerusalem is the capital or not won't make much of a difference all the heads of state have been here to visit the Knesset whether they recognise Jerusalem as the capital or not was a mnemonic in all honesty the majority of Israelis probably see things that way too you can see that from the posters hanging everywhere but that's not the real issue the Palestinians also claim Jerusalem as their main city they feel as humiliated as the Israelis feel vindicated [Music] Jerusalem is divided between Israelis and the West and Palestinians in the east most of the international community views the predominantly Arab eastern part as being under Israeli occupation it includes the old city which is divided into Muslim Christian and Jewish quarters [Music] here on the Temple Mount the Western Wall and the al-aqsa mosque holy sites of Judaism and Islam are crowded side-by-side themselves it's usually pretty harmonious in Jerusalem and that's how it should stay but of course there are tensions here the Temple Mount is a huge religious magnet charged with historical and archaeological meaning and then there's the political aspect things get a bit shaky it can lead to unrest not in the shaft also I think all Palestinians have staged numerous protests following the u.s. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital they see it as a move to cheat them out of their rightful heritage anthropologist Anacleto is from an old Palestinian family with roots in Jerusalem that he traces back to the 14th century he would rather not talk about Donald Trump but about his beloved city which he considers to be the historical home of the Palestinians [Music] Jerusalem without that you can be anywhere in the world it's the centerpiece in Jerusalem it's the holy place for excellence for the Muslims it's the place we have to realize where God connected with Muhammad or Muhammad connected with God on the ground it's one city where all the people were together the same hospitals it's the same cafes as the same restaurants it's the same streets we live together jointly but on a rural level it's a different affair the land has been annexed in Jerusalem the people have been overlooked this is a classical case of historical denial and historical revisionism Kleiber fears that US foreign policy will now make life for Palestinians even more difficult the European Union is concerned about that - perched high above the city on Mount Zion is the Dormition Abbey the Benedictine monastery is located on a piece of land that belongs neither to Israel nor to the Palestinians it was a gift from the German Kaiser in the late 19th century father Nicodemus Schnabel attaches great importance to its neutral status both the EU and Germany take a clear stance on this as does the Holy See a two-state solution is the fairest one for the city that means that the west where Parliament and the Supreme Court are already located is undisputably the capital of Israel and the east and that is the great aspiration is the capital of Palestine the horse's angels and hope to Palestine us [Music] this is all juicy it will be coming close to it so we get the better view the wall is the most visible symbol of division the Israelis have been building it as a protective barrier against suicide bombers since early 2000 the demography of Jerusalem has been tampered with such as to make the Jewish majority and an Arab minority the salient narrative has deployed that this is the homeland for the Jews this is the narrative that Trump played with and he really should not have interfered he legalized he sanctified he gave credibility to this alien narrative in which they overlooked and deny Palestinian rights to be here in father nicodemus view Palestinians and Israelis have equal claims to sovereignty over the Holy Land both nights have understandably deep yearnings Israelis longed for security they say if it had been up to Hitler we would no longer exist and we're surrounded by states that hate us refuse to recognize us and want to annihilate us on the other hand there's the Palestinians no less plausible longing for freedom they say we didn't send anyone to the gas chambers why should we live behind walls and checkpoints why can't we have our own state it's about a people's right to self-determination which is fundamental so the question is how do we reconcile these two often competing yearnings scenes like this one filmed by a security camera at West Jerusalem central bus station are also fueling Israeli demands for more security a Palestinian stabs an Israeli man and runs off such incidents have hit ceremony at ski very hard a native of Hamburg she became an Israeli citizen last November as a Jew she no longer felt comfortable in Germany she had been thinking of emigrating to Israel for a long time and finally decided to do it but if he had long been by faith numbers he naive to think when I first came here I was maybe a bit naive and thought for sure peace would eventually come and that there were lots of great Palestinians who were really open now after this I find it very hard to believe in peace it may be only a few thousand but nine out of ten of them I've spoken to say the Jews should be driven into the sea [Music] as a journalist Sara follows developments in and around Israel closely does she believe that the new American policy regarding Jerusalem will change anything in the long term of 18 Queens I always wonder what a peace dialogue everyone is talking about there are so many people here who don't want to share Jerusalem they don't even want to share Israel they don't view Israel as Israel but say it should be all Palestine so for me personally what Trump did is okay who knows maybe he even kicked off something that was long overdue and he's not crying them a document an animal see I don't care whether you go to a mosque a church or a synagogue but I'm definitely in favor of a Jewish state I strongly believe that Israel is a haven for Jews everywhere because they really need it you see it in the attacks and the demonstrations and the awful things being shouted on the streets of European cities that proves there simply has to be a place for Jews to come to where they can feel safe I'm Tim's economy I don't see this as being at the expense of the Palestinians because I know a lot of Israelis who say we'll share the city we all live well together what I find annoying is that Europeans from far away always think they know the answer they're not here they don't really talk to either Palestinians or Israelis but they always know better how to achieve peace what the Israelis are doing wrong and what they're doing right that's mentally stigma that this may be too much international attention to every twist and turn in the israeli-palestinian conflict to a gouge from where Khan also thinks that foreign media reporting goes a bit overboard very interesting situation we have here today is always examined through a magnifying glass that means every newspaper reports on what's happening in Jerusalem and on television of course Jerusalem is a very big topic but normal people here live their normal lives they go to school they go shopping and religion ethnic origins and political statements don't play that much of a role statesman Santorini Guardiola [Music] but a lot of people in the Palestinian part of the city would disagree the bus terminal in East Jerusalem serves the city's Arab neighborhoods you won't see Jewish Israelis here at all one of the passengers is Mohammed McGraw be a musician does he believe in the peaceful coexistence that SHM well described I like Jerusalem and I hate it at the same time there's it's like on paper it's very diverse and multi culture all kinds of religions and you have people tourists from all over the world all the time but the reality is very separate there's like a fine line between East Jerusalem and West Jerusalem where people from the East erson don't go to West Jerusalem and people from Western don't go Muhammad lives in the Shuafat refugee camp in eastern Jerusalem which is behind the security wall traces of a demonstration against Israeli soldiers the day before can still be seen Israel controls the entrance and exit to the camp while the rest of it is mainly and a United Nations administration Jerusalem is a very violent place for children and it's terrible you know you have kids children singing about killing people about committing suicide for for your homeland I don't see the point I understood that I want to live for my home yeah to build it not to die for it it's a long process it doesn't change does not happen and quickly you don't have to ask anyone here about the USA most Palestinians have lost faith in America as a mediator in the Middle East conflict especially in the wake of Trump's decision but Mohamed McRobbie is certain of one thing he is sick and tired of all the violence too much violence and in ten days three kids from the refugee camp got killed by the soldiers and I had a very very strong depression Mohammed also feels responsible for the death of one of his fans who went out to demonstrate after listening to his angry songs and was killed in a clash with Israeli border guards since then the rapper has adopted a more conciliatory tone he's loved and refugees is the title of one of Muhammad's music videos it even has Hebrew subtitles in an attempt to build bridges to Israelis but he wonders whether the other side has even noticed [Music] right now you have a total separation it's just getting worse ever since they built the wall between Israelis and Palestinians there's no connection you have a whole new generation of young people that have no idea what Jerusalem looks like they lived all of their life in Bethlehem or Jericho or Ramallah they have no no chance to to visit Jerusalem when you're desperate and you have nothing to lose you'll go crazy but if you're like comfortable and going to the beach and having a nice time why bother changed Mohammed is putting the ball in the Israelis Court but is he right on the assumption that Israelis don't want to change anything we asked shmoocon if he has Palestinian friends angles Tyler most of the people I worked with in tourism there are hotel staff and drivers are Muslims living in the eastern part of Jerusalem or in the northern and southern parts of Israel I have very good relations with that talk we talk to each other and have very friendly relationships as far as work goes then it doesn't really matter whether I'm Jewish or Christian or Muslim all toshite opposites you dah-dah-dah-dah muslima been [Music] that's me so we're gonna fall in conflict what makes me so sad about this conflict is that it doesn't have to be this way I have a friend who's Palestinian she's a reporter who lives in her mother but we can't really see a lot of each other it just doesn't work across the border but we are in touch through what's happened by phone we disagree about a lot of things but we still appreciate each other as people and say okay we're both human beings and we don't wish death on each other maybe exchanging views can also help us grow the male come on Amanda and then go down I was toast vaccine but what does tolerance actually mean it doesn't mean that everything the other does and says fits my opinion tolerance means we're different and see things differently but I still accept that and I'm willing to let them live their lives if I can live my life to me not to us if none of my name is William Khan Jerusalem's Palestinians complained that they are mistrusted as a group since the unrest following Trump's decision suspicion has been on the rise again here Israeli border police are searching a young Palestinian apparently he had just been sitting and enjoying the medicine it's very traumatic experience to grow young in Jerusalem you are suspect you are a persona non grata just because you're Arab at any moment subject to being harassed search press for centuries alley clubbers family has owned valuable property at the entrance to the old cities Muslim Quarter [Applause] [Music] he knows almost all the merchants here they are generally also opposed to the Americans recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital but they also live from tourism so they're cautious about openly criticizing foreign countries but Clio is concerned about something else more and more houses in the Arab part of the city are falling into Israeli hands instead of unilaterally supporting Israel he says the US should use its influence to stop these takeovers the real problem in Jerusalem is that sooner or later it will be taken over by their side is they're slowly moving over and their presence there those who choose to live here and not the polite nice people we see in the restaurants and the cafes in resolution it's their fundamentalist collaborators who come here to make problems and the present fear is itself political statements this leads to more confrontations it makes it more difficult for people to continue their normal life [Music] we are I feel one of the last generations that see an Arab city still inhabited by arms it's become more and more impossible for us to survive here so my daughter well who should love to live here but I'm sure it'd be very difficult for her to live me Moya Khan who is accompanying a tour group a few hundred meters away in the Christian quarter of the old city sees things rather differently hi tambien I'll Turkey beam there's a lot of things in our day-to-day lives are actually going well here we are on a street where we see pilgrims going to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and I'm standing here as a Jew next to Muslim merchants over there we must have let the things we constantly hear in the media fool us on the other hand of course there are always political tensions and we've repeatedly felt them over the last 3,000 years Vida dispute [Music] the souvenirs here aren't just being sold to the three religion but also to the different ideologies we have the Israeli army here America don't worry Israel is behind you on the one hand a very clear statement the other hand we also see maps of Palestine showing it occupying the whole of today's Israel and I love Palestine freedom for Palestine so different ideologies all in one place and they aren't just bought by tourists but by locals conversely that means as far as business and tourism is concerned you can sell everything and everything is permissible this is where we see togetherness and mutual opposition in one place over at the schewe fat camp in East Jerusalem musician Mohammad McRobbie is stepping up his efforts to promote togetherness for a long time his songs reflected his deeply felt anger at the Israeli occupation but now he's come to the conclusion that rage alone won't get him anywhere there's zero chance that Israelis will leave and Palestine will be for Palestinians or Palestinians would leave and Israel will be for Israelis they have to share I don't know how but they have to share it they have to figure out how to share it either there will be like a crazy big war or miracle deal of the century that Trump wants to do will make everyone happy you have to deal with the problem to solve it you can't go and like turn your back and stay comfortable and wait for the problem to be solved and talk about the problem to someone who agrees with you no you have to talk to the other part that disagrees with you and find out how to to make it better now he increasingly performs in Israel and collaborates with Israeli musicians who invite him to their concerts there's no point of me telling the Palestinian story to Palestinian people that living the story no I think the right thing is to tell you the Palestinian story to someone who don't know have no idea who lives in his comfort zone on Tel Aviv or West Jerusalem where in Haifa and it's shocking to see the reactions of the people they it touches them [Music] perhaps the way forward lies less in international politics and more in small steps towards reconciliation on the ground and perhaps also through the younger generation in Israel's regular education system Arab and Israeli students are taught in separate classes but in this school Jews and Muslims have lessons together and teaching is in both Arabic and Hebrew there are six schools like this in Israel Noah Yama works at one of them the Mercs reign hand in hand school in Jerusalem what we try to do here is to say that we are different from each other and that's okay we don't ignore those differences we put them on the table and talk about that and that really helps the kids connect because they don't think they have to push away who they are they can be exactly who they are and still be with the people who are different than them Donald Trump's decision has also been discussed with the pupils here Palestinian history teacher Haneen Hussain explains how they did it there are two teachers in the same class I'm the Palestinian one and he is the Israeli one so we bring through them together each narratives equally and sometimes we switch roles between us just to take to let this be a model for our our kids we also learn to understand that we don't have to agree but we do have to listen and when we listen and we disagree then we understand that we have a shared future no matter what hundreds of children are on the waiting lists for the schools and more are already being planned launched 20 years ago by Israeli and Palestinian parents this model seems to work [Music] although Israelis and Palestinians are unlikely to agree on Jerusalem status anytime soon not everything in and around the city is about the conflict nobody knows what impact Trump's move will have in the long run but at the beginning of last Hanukkah the Jewish festival of lights the mood on the Israeli side was optimistic Hanukkah Hanukkah is also about miracles happening from the Israeli point of view I really believe that the Palestinians can be part of this country beautiful thing I don't believe we have any problems with coexistence of course there are certainly radicals on our side who disagree but we are living together and Palestinians and Israelis or Jews are even intermarry and it can work baskets on Allen [Music] Jesus the mufasa me and it's a fascinating spider's web you can't just say the city is Jewish or a Muslim or Christian that's too narrow-minded what this city mainly needs is a sense of wonder where you say wow what a total work of art but it'll take care and tact help turn this city with all its wounds and scars into a true city of peace - come in son - dr. Sweden's [Music]

Channel: DW Documentary

Views: 4,545,402

Rating: 4.5537705 out of 5

Keywords: documentary, Israel, Jerusalem, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Palestinians, Donald Trump, US Embassy, Jerusalem documentary, DW, DW Documentary, Trump, jerusalem, documentaries, dw documentary, peace plan, West Bank, Trump plan, Palestine, palestine, palestinian, israel, deal of the century, USA, America

Id: kUMYT6tozEg

Length: 28min 26sec (1706 seconds)

Published: Mon May 14 2018

Reddit Comments

[u/BonbonausWurst94]

Well good luck mods

[u/RpgTips]

Nobody owns fuck all. Sociopathy is about the size of it...

[u/antifauberalles]

Well the Jews built it and lived there for thousands of years but mohammed dreamed he flew there on a donkey so there's that.

[u/insertnamehere405]

Who owns it ? the ones who control it Yeah the native Americans "owned a lot of america" the Mexicans Owned California and lost it. My Answer is the Israelis because they have control of it further more we are Allied with them and will defend them. Rome also controlled most of the world at one point All land on earth has been conquered over and over again.