The Myth of Jerusalem Day

Yesterday was Jerusalem Day. An official Israeli holiday in which people celebrate the reunification of Jerusalem after it was captured by Israel in 1967.

Why is the reunification and unity of Jerusalem a myth:
1. Because there is still a clear delineation between East and West Jerusalem. East Jerusalem is largely Palestinian, and West Jerusalem is largely Israeli. There is little cross over between the two communities, and they even have their own bus systems.
2. Now that Israel controls both sides of Jerusalem, they are responsible for the municipal services for both sides. However, East Jerusalem is largely neglected. There are few parks, no street cleaning, small roads, and lack of schools for youth. If the Israeli government really wanted Jerusalem to be united, they would give equal services to both sides.
3. The plan of the Israeli government for Jerusalem is for it to be a Jewish capital. This has led to many discriminatory laws towards East Jerusalem and the Palestinian population. Many areas of East Jerusalem are set aside as "Green Zones" over large Palestinian neighborhoods, with the plan to evict these people from their houses and create parks in these areas. For this reason, Palestinians cannot build in these areas, and thus cannot provide for their families. If they do build, their homes are often demolished. The government of Israel also allows settlements to be built and inhabited in East Jerusalem. These settlements only allow people who are Jewish to live in them. Often settlers steal land, or even forcibly evict Palestinians from their homes in the middle of the night and move in.

Jerusalem is not a united a city, but still a divided city, which suffers under laws and attitudes of racism and discrimination.