摘要
This paper explores the status of Jerusalem as viewed by Edward Said in his political works particularly in his article ＂The Current Status of Jerusalem＂ written in 1995 and published posthumously in 2011 in Jerusalem Quarterly, the only Arab journal that focuses exclusively on the city of Jerusalem＇s history, political status, and future. In his article, Said raises various issues regarding Jerusalem and the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. The article depicts Israel＇s policy of Judaizing Jerusalem and its attempts to make Jerusalem its eternal capital. Said tries to expose the Israeli meretricious strategies regarding Jerusalem which begin by projecting an image of what it wants the world to believe and then translating that false image into reality. Said also underscores the fact that both Palestinians and the pan-Arab nation have failed to counteract the Israeli policy of selling to the world the notion of Jerusalem belonging exclusively to Israel, a failure that has enabled Israel to tighten its grip on the Holy City and to curb the Palestinians＇, the Arabs＇ and the Muslims＇ attempts to counterattack on the level of media information. In Said＇s view, the only hope for the future is a decent and fair coexistence between the two peoples based upon equality and self-determination. For him, the separation between the Palestinians and the Israelis since 1948 has not led to successful outcomes; a one state---rather than a binational-state solution is, therefore, the more possible way of resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict.
