The Train that Divides Jerusalem

Jerusalem's new light rail was intended to unite the city but is instead deepening divisions.
The train facilitates easier travel for Jews into Palestinian suburbs, increasing Jewish presence.
The train has become a target for violence.
Adam Wushaat, a British Jew, rides the train to explore the city's divisions.

The Jerusalem light rail starts at Mount Herzl.
The \$1,000,000,000 line serves a city of approximately 800,000 people, 60% of whom are Jewish.
The rail line aims to offer high-end public transport for all residents and visitors, regardless of religion.
The first line, the red line, is nine miles long, primarily in Jewish West Jerusalem.
Plans exist to build three additional lines in the next decade.

Damascus Gate is the entrance to the old city, a place marked by religious rivalry.
The area houses holy sites for Muslims, including the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, all under Muslim control.
The location is also home to Judaism's holiest site, where the Jewish temple was destroyed two thousand years ago; only the Western Wall remains.
The New Temple Movement seeks to rebuild the temple on what they call Temple Mount, despite the presence of Muslim holy places.
Rifka Shimon believes the train will make it easier for pilgrims to visit Temple Mount.
Competing Claims
While Jews are allowed to visit, they are officially not allowed to pray on the Temple Mount.
Growing hostility is fueled by competing claims of Jews and Muslims to the holy site, escalating into violence.
Attacks and responses, such as police entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque, have heightened tensions.
Some believe that if they are confident in their actions, God will help them, also warning the Muslim world not to oppose them -- otherwise they may suffer.
The Israeli government maintains there are no plans to allow Jews to pray there.

Israel declared independence in 1948 and captured eastern areas in 1967.
Palestinians in East Jerusalem are angry at being under Israeli control; the train is seen as exacerbating their grievances.
Palestinians feel the train serves Israelis instead of them.
Walid Abu Qadir discusses the seizure of his land to build the train station; since 1967, Israel has seized approximately 6,000 acres of land in East Jerusalem.
Abu Qadir feels he cannot build a house for his son or expand his own home on his remaining land.

The train has reduced the unease Jews once felt about visiting Palestinian suburbs, increasing Jewish presence.
Before the train, approximately 10,000-20,000 Jews visited the neighborhood per month. Now, the same number visits in a single day.
Aria King is a property developer who buys land in Palestinian neighborhoods to expand Jewish presence.
King aims to create layers of Jewish rings around the Temple Mount, using the courts to evict Palestinians claiming Jews once owned the properties.
Palestinians see the train as an Israeli plan to make their control of the city permanent.

Baha Nabata highlights that the train does not serve Palestinian refugee camps.
El Sal Station is a 20-minute walk from the Shufat Refugee Camp, the largest Palestinian neighborhood.
The camp is separated by a twenty-four-foot barrier, with a single checkpoint for entry and exit.
The camp lacks basic services, leading to issues like children dropping out of school and drug use.
Nabata attributes these problems to the wall, the municipality, the occupation, and Israeli government policies, creating an environment where people cannot thrive.

The Jewish side of the city is green and well-maintained, while the Palestinian side suffers from neglect.
The mayor states that he is doing everything that he can and laments the lack of services in the refugee camp, but claims the municipality cannot solve the problem alone, also adding comments on how there are no Jewish Refugees.
The situation in the refugee camp, enclosed by the barrier, is described as a tinderbox.
Segregation and disparities lead to violence; children in the camp arm themselves.
Attacks on the checkpoint and violent incidents have escalated into murder.

Palestinians have targeted the rail line, resulting in deaths.
The train station near where Mohammed Abu Qadir was abducted became a target for Palestinian anger.
Mohammed Abu Qadir was kidnapped and burned alive by Israelis.
The train was stopped for fifteen days due to the destruction.
An attack on a synagogue in Jewish West Jerusalem resulted in multiple deaths and injuries.
Risa Rothman's husband was severely injured in the synagogue attack.
The attack was seen as a message that no Jew in any synagogue in Israel is safe.

Jerusalem Day is a celebration of Israel's 1967 capture of East Jerusalem.
For Palestinians, it marks the beginning of the occupation.
The march through the Muslim quarter results in heated protests and hateful chanting.
The march concludes at the Western Wall, where some advocate for rebuilding the temple.
The event highlights the divisions and competing claims to the city.

The train travels north through Palestinian neighborhoods to an Israeli settlement.
The settlement is considered illegal by most of the international community.
Some argue that the land is Jewish and not occupied.
The train makes permanent the expansion of Israel, and some Israelis feel constantly threatened by their Arab neighbors.
The settlement is near the deprivation of the Shufat Refugee Camp.
Residents of the settlement have never been over to the refugee camp.

The gulf of distrust between Israelis and Palestinians is widening.
Some Palestinians feel there will never be peace with the Israelis or the municipality.
The journey highlights the broken dreams of those who hoped for a state of refuge, tolerance, and equal rights for all.