Introducing our latest weapon: Better services and reasonable rents.
This July 30, 2009 photo shows Israelis sitting in a coffee shop as Arab women walk past in the French hill neighborhood of northern Jerusalem. A small but growing number of Arabs is moving into Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem. Most come for the better services and reasonable rents, but they represent a potentially volatile twist in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute over the holy city. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
I’d almost have given credit to the AP for running with this photo and mentioning some of the benefits to the Arabs of a Jewish presence in Jerusalem (another benefit: many Arabs make their living building these communities) . But old habits die hard, and they just couldn’t help putting a negative spin on it.
Why should these neighborhoods “represent a potentially volatile twist”? If everyone is benefiting, then they should be encouraged, not singled out as the biggest obstacle to peace.
