Daniel Seidemann Guest Blogging on the Future of Jerusalem

Opinio Juris is pleased to welcome Daniel Seidemann as a guest blogger this week to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the future of Jerusalem. Daniel is the founder and legal advisor for Ir Amim, a non-profit, non-partisan association dedicated to an equitable, stable and sustainable Jerusalem. Ir Amim (“City of Nations” or “City of Peoples”) was founded in order to actively engage in those issues impacting on Israeli-Palestinian relations in Jerusalem and on the political future of the city. Ir Amim seeks to render Jerusalem a more viable and equitable city, while generating and promoting a more politically sustainable future. Bearing in mind the symbolic and actual status of Jerusalem as a city of two peoples and three religions, as well as the city’s pivotal role in reaching a political agreement, Ir Amim aspires to a stable Jerusalem, equitably shared by the two peoples; a city that ensures the dignity and welfare of all its residents and that safeguards their holy places, as well as their historical and cultural heritages.

Seidemann has been a practicing attorney in Jerusalem and since 1994 he has participated in Track II talks on the future of Jerusalem between Israelis and Palestinians. In 2000-2001, Seidemann served in an informal advisory capacity to the final status negotiations; serving as a member of a committee of experts commissioned by the Prime Minister Barak’s office to generate sustainable arrangements geared to implement the emerging political understandings with the Palestinians.

I had the privilege to hear Daniel speak when I was teaching in Israel this summer and after hearing him speak I immediately invited him to join us as a guest blogger. My impression is that Daniel Seidemann speaks as one who cares first and foremost about a stable and peaceful Jerusalem, recognizing that both Israelis and Palestinians have legitimate needs and expectations that must be reconciled if Jerusalem is to become a stable and peaceful city.

We welcome Daniel for a week of thought-provoking and provocative discussion about the future of Jerusalem.