| Summary/Abstract |
The disturbances that have raged in East Jerusalem in recent years and which sporadically continue to this day are unlikely to surprise anyone following the situation in the city or anyone who is attentive to the voices emanating from it. These disturbances are proof that Jerusalem is a non-city. Without a common foundation for all of its citizens which binds the different communities in West and East Jerusalem together, and without a joint vision for the city, Jerusalem cannot be a normal city; therefore, the only way to define it is as a non-city. Political scientist Jerome Bruner says that there are three things that are necessary to create a functioning social system: 1) shared meanings; 2) shared concepts; and 3) shared modalities. All three conditions are necessary to ensure communication — which, in turn, enables the reconciliation of misunderstandings and different interpretations connected to everyday life.1 None of those three conditions exist today in Jerusalem.
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