The Old City of Jerusalem is perhaps the most contentious issue in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and will certainly be a corner stone in any future solution of it.

Its sovereignty, administration and control are questions of great dispute, and its holy sites resonate powerfully in the hearts and minds of Muslims, Jews and Christians around the world.

This study follows the Old City Initiative’s working assumptions, proposing a single governance approach for the Old City for achieving a peaceful and sustainable agreement between Israelis and Palestinians in the city of Jerusalem. The initiative proposes to establish an interim special regime that meets the needs of stakeholders within the framework of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, with Yerushalayim and Al-Quds as their capitals. Its core components include the appointment of an administrator with executive powers; formation of a governing council composed of Israelis, Palestinians, and possibly foreign representatives chosen by the two parties; Establishment of an Old City police force composed of internationals, Israelis and Palestinians.

This study investigates the question of movement into and out of the Old City, aiming to propose an efficient yet secure and spatially respectful scheme of operation and design of facilities. Such a plan must be able to naturally blend with the local context, with minimal disruption to the flow of goods and peoples, whether they be Old City residents, Israelis or Palestinians, pilgrims or tourists. To this end, and in order to maintain the current appearance of the gates, this work proposes to locate the required facilities in vacant areas within the “green belt” surrounding the Old City, in order to free the gates from entering and exiting security processes. The concept is demonstrated to detail through the case study of Jaffa Gate.

To address the specific challenges facing Jaffa gate, the study has provided a plan, design and operational layout, both for entering and exit terminals, addressing pedestrian and limited vehicle crossing through them. It also has referred to dealing with special events, and proposed a site for a temporal expansion of the facilities.

Read the entire entry for this project here.