The Politics of Jerusalem Since 1967 (review)

172 SHOFAR Fall 1998 Vol. 17, No.1 Jerusalem to study in a yeshiva" but soon afterwards, a "chance meeting with a Hebrewspeaking English missionary in the spring of 1849 impressed him so that shortly thereafter he decided to convert" (p. 224). His wife (and baby) deserted him, notwithstanding an attempt by the British Consul to prevent her from doing so. Diness eventually upset his protectors at the English mission by remarrying as a Campbellite Baptist. "Diness thus became the first resident of Jerusalem who learned photography on the spot in order to earn a living" (p. 225), and was the second photographer (after Frith) to take stereographic views of Holy Land landscapes before he left for the New World and found his way to Dayton, Ohio, a self-styled clergyman. A related essay is Dan Kyram's "Early Stereoscopic Photography in Palestine." Naseeb Shaheen, writing on early "Photography in Ramallah," provides a much-needed further perspective to Nir's thematic issue. Shaheen's is the only essay providing a glimpse of active involvement with photography as a cultural practice in pre-WW1 Levantine culture(s). David Rubinger's "Reflections ofa Photojournalist" includes mentions (with regret) of "staged well-rehearsed incidents" from the Intifada (p. 233), for the benefit ofthe trade. A portfolio with eleven Jewish Israeli photographers, each contributing one picture, concludes the thematic part ofthe issue, which continues with other papers, e.g., on two American photographers, respectively, nineteenth-century Thomas Eakins, and Frances Benjamin Johnston (l864-1952). Nir's collection is a valuable contribution to the shelf, supplementing with a critical perspective a literature all too often perceived to only consist ofcoffee-table books. Ephraim Nissan CMS, University of Greenwich, London The Politics of Jerusalem Since 1967, by Michael Dumper. New York: Columbia University Press, 1997. 365 pp. $29.50 (c). Without a doubt Jerusalem is one of the thorniest problems that Israeli and Palestinian representatives will have to deal with during the final status negotiations. The incompatibility ofthe respective positions and the tenacity with which those positions are held suggest just how difficult itwill be to resolve this aspect of an agreement. Yet despite the rhetoric, there have been indications that people on both sides are beginning to ask the hard questions. For Israel the problem throughout the negotiations with the Palestinians is that obvious military superiority cannot necessarily be translated into political gains. This implies the necessity of compromise ifa fmal agreement is to be reached, regardless of declarations of non-negotiability. The gap between what is desirable and what is possible remains wide, despite Herzl's exhortation that "ifyou will it, it is not a dream." Book Reviews 173 On the other hand, the Palestinian cause has been plagued for decades by a lack of realism, an unwillingness to face the consequences ofbad choices, and delusions that regardless of what has happened it is possible to return to some status quo ante. Given the level ofemotion connected to the Jerusalem issue, a dispassionate and realistic examination, based on factual material, ought to be a welcome contribution to a debate that is becoming increasingly timely. Regrettably Michael Dumper's study in the Institute for Palestine Studies Series does not fulfill that need. It does contain a considerable amount ofvaluable information about such mundane subjects as housing, public utilities, demography, the representation of religious interests, and economic development. But taken as a whole it accentuates the very wide gulfbetween the Israeli and Palestinian positions. It is not simply a matter of staking out incompatible claims; rather the book makes clear how differently the two sides interpret the facts about history, geography, armed conflict, delivery of municipal services, and demographic trends. Thus Dumper can help readers to understand the Palestinian position but cannot claim to provide an even-handed treatment of the problem that would be beneficial to outsiders who seek guidance on possible solution. The bulk of the work is devoted to detailed analyses of many practical aspects of life in Jerusalem, particularly infrastructure and population matters. He seeks to demonstrate that Palestinians are a reality in the city, that they cannot be absorbed successfully into Israel, and that it follows that some sort of shared...