LOCAL-POLITICS AND SPLIT CITIZENSHIP IN JERUSALEM

Local politics in Jerusalem is deeply rooted in the broader ethno-nati onal and political conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Notwith standing the broader political processes, the nature of local politics is also shaped by specific, local contingencies - patterns of segrega tion and interaction, the nature of local government and the local com munities, types of local leaders and the special features of each soci al group. The paper shows that local politics in Jerusalem is inherent ly biased, reflecting the political reality of ethnic power. Following an analysis of these issues the paper suggests a functional approach to the Jerusalem problem, one that is based on the idea of bounded sov ereignty and the pragmatic dispersion of governmental functions and au thority over several political-geographic layers.