What Does LGBT Inclusion Look Like?

by with No Comment FeaturedGen Z

Just a few weeks ago the popular TV show, RuPaul’s Drag Race, hit an all-time high in ratings with its latest season 10 finale. As a member of the LGBT community, it is absolutely amazing to see a show all about drag queens performing so well in mainstream media.

Shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race are so important to have in our society today. When a show is centered entirely on an LGBT experience, it gives LGBT youth something to look up to. They can see people like them being portrayed routinely on TV, which has not been a common trend in the past. Not to mention the inclusive nature of the show, in which RuPaul accepts queens of all kinds and encourages them to be unique in order to succeed in the competition.

Representation is so important, especially for children because it helps reassure them of their identity as well as showing them what they can do. For me it is always exciting to see LGBT representation in the media because every instance of it means we’re one step closer to normalizing LGBT culture and communities in our society. 

This most recent season (10) of RuPaul’s Drag Race was particularly exciting for me to watch because the winner actually grew up in my hometown. It was so inspiring to see someone who came from the same place, not only win such a huge competition, but also to be celebrated for his identity and his sexuality. 

This is why representation is so important. To see someone who comes from the same place as you rise to do great things, especially as a member of the LGBT community, is absolutely inspiring. It also gives LGBT youth a positive role model to look up to and shows them that they can be successful in embracing who they truly are.

Representation in media is also helpful because it gives people who may not know or understand the LGBT community an inside look at what it’s really like, and it’s one step closer to normalizing diversity and inclusion in our society. When straight people see LGBT people on TV or in movies, they gain a different perspective, which allows many of them to warm up to the idea of LGBT people. 

With the recent wave of queer representation in mainstream media, shows such as RuPaul’s Drag Race and Queer Eye, as well as movies such as Love, Simon and Call Me By Your Name, more and more straight people are getting an inside look at what being LGBT truly means and have become more accepting because of it. I hope LGBT representation continues to grow in mainstream media until it’s completely normalized in our society. 

Turning Blind Eye to Corruption in Criminal Justice System

by with No Comment FeaturedGen Z

“Corrupt cop” seems less like an oxymoron and more like the average American law enforcement officer nowadays. Despite 2018 being the year of exposés of sexual predators in Hollywood, music production, and government, it is unlikely for normal people who hold positions of authority to have their unethical behavior exposed, let alone be fired. Sexual offenders are being exposed and condemned left and right, but criminal justice offenders are being given empty warnings and paychecks.

In the criminal justice system, spotlight cases like those of Meek Mill help shine a light on the injustices that can occur when the traditional power structure hasn’t been or isn’t able to be challenged. Meek was arrested by Philadelphia police officer Reginald Graham in 2007 who then testified against him during trial in 2008 convicting the rapper of drug charges. Despite Meek’s arrest and conviction, the credibility of Graham was questioned during the case as he is a resident on a District Attorney’s Office list of “police officers with clouded credibility.” Not only was Graham’s credibility questioned; but two officers, Walker and Gibson, who were operating under Graham at the time of the arrest, were arrested in 2014 for federal corruption charges and in 2015 for robbing a suspect, respectively. 

Whether or not this clouded credibility affected Meek’s arrest leading to his conviction is unclear, but the fact that the District Attorney keeps a list of corrupt cops is insulting to the freedom and fairness that Philadelphians and Americans across the country deserve. Why do we allow incompetent evil people to run our country by their own accord with no repercussions or push back? Acknowledging the unethical behavior of an officer who carries a gun designed to kill anyone who doesn’t comply and can decide the fate of citizen’s lives is shocking. 

Even more shocking, there are hundreds of cases like these that occur under the radar of the media. Infamous tales of those like Chicago cop Ronald Watts have been widely known in small communities where everyone is familiar with the injustice of the criminal justice system as well as the person who brings the injustice. Notwithstanding the common knowledge of corruption in this community in Chicago, it took until 2018 when Watts had already retired for 32 of his convictions to be thrown out. Although this seems like a well-deserved victory for those working on the Exoneration Project, there is still a need for the examination of approximately 500 convictions Watts made from 2004-2012 alone.

Similar to fairy tales and folklore there are always warnings of the bad men to stay away from, but you never hear about betrayal by someone who is supposed to protect and help grow the community they are a part of. Many Americans are fighting back and not letting this be the story that future generations will grow up listening to. There are many opportunities to right the wrongs done in this world by injustice, and it can start with holding people in positions of power accountable for their actions.

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References:

Gonnerman, Jennifer. (2018). How One Woman’s Fight to Save Her Family Helped Lead to a Mass Exoneration. The New Yorker, May 28, 2018 issue.

Mitchell, Max. (2018). Stakes Rise for Meek Mill as Post-Conviction Hearing Is Set to Open. The Legal Intelligencer, June 15, 2018. 

The Veiled Epidemic of Suicide

by with 5 Comments CultureFeaturedGen Z

On Tuesday, June 5th at approximately 10:10am Kate Spade, a world-renowned fashion designer known for her timeless creations, was found dead in her New York home. Spade’s death was ruled a suicide by both the coroner and law enforcement. Many are speculating as to why Spade decided to take her own life. The discussion gravitated towards both her bipolar disorder and her recent separation from her husband. Others reserved themselves to sending love and prayers to her family and friends in wake of this tragedy.

Not three days after Spade’s untimely death, Anthony Bourdain, a beloved television personality, author and chef, passed under very similar circumstances. There is a phenomenon that exists, dating back to the 16th century, from Johann Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther known as “copycat suicide.” Copycat suicide refers to the replication of a suicide that has been publicized in mass, resulting in what is called a “suicide contagion.” After Goethe’s novel became a success there were reports of young men dressing as Werther and using the same weapon used in the novel as well. These patterns show themselves true as this epidemic grows.

Suicide remains a difficult and complicated topic to discuss let alone recognize or prevent. According to American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US. While it is obvious that the suicide epidemic only continues to amplify with time there is hope in education and activism. Organizations like the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offer a multitude of services for individuals dealing with suicidal ideation. Additionally, there is statistical information on suicide and educational resources on the warning signs and preventative care in regard to suicide.

It is difficult to pinpoint why death by suicide has been steadily rising since the 90’s. Nell Greenfieldboyce, a science correspondent for NPR reports, “Suicide rates have increased in nearly every state over the past two decades, and half of the states have seen suicide rates go up more than 30 percent.” With this exponential rise in deaths by suicide, the research done thus far reflects interesting and unexpected conclusions. One of the most striking being the fact that over half of the people who died by suicide did not have a diagnosed mental illness and that over half of the deaths are attributed to firearms.

The research and methods on how to minimize suicide and suicidal ideation are coming to fruition. Now it is time to implement the facts in our approach to fighting the suicide epidemic which affects the world at large and continues to take lives in mass. The stigma attached to suicide leads to romanticizing and sensationalizing death by suicide and tends to shift blame and burden to the victim. On top of that, suicide is much too often conflated with mental illness.

The data published by the CDC named stressors like physical, economic, and relationship problems as some of the highest contributors to suicide deaths. The CDC also noted housing stability, outreach to high-risk groups such as the mentally and physically ill, military veterans, and people struggling with substance misuse as well as teaching coping skills from a young age as possible ways to combat death by suicide. All in all, this fatal issue will only be exacerbated by exploitation and regret until humankind, as a collective, can talk candidly and apply not only scientific but empathetic solutions to these complex societal plagues.

If you or someone you know is considering attempting suicide or struggling with suicidal thoughts please contact emergency services or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1(800)-273-8255.

Iran: What Comes Next?

by with One Comment FeaturedGen ZGlobalInternational

On May 8, President Donald Trump took perhaps the most consequential foreign policy action of his presidency thus far and announced that the United States would be withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), more commonly known as the Iran Nuclear Deal. Despite the fact that Iran has verifiably been compliant with the terms of the agreement, President Trump has repeatedly characterized it as a “bad deal” and the promise to withdraw the United States from it was a central pillar of his campaign. Although it fulfills the President’s campaign promise, American withdrawal from the JCPOA is comprising international security, regional stability, and the United States’ role in the international arena.  

European allies including France and Germany had spent the past several months working to convince the administration to stay a part of the deal and have made their displeasure with this development clear, indicating that they will do what they can to save the deal without the United States. This is no small task and many European diplomats have admitted that it would be exceedingly difficult. The EU does have the option of imposing retaliatory sanctions to shield European businesses or having the European Central Bank invest directly in Iran, although given the strength and pervasiveness of the American financial system it is unlikely that this would be enough to maintain the deal’s benefits for Iran. Regardless a signal has been sent to our European partners that they cannot rely on the United States to display the international leadership they once did.

If and when it becomes clear that Iran will not achieve the economic benefits that the deal promised it is highly probable that they will resume their nuclear program. Hardliners within Iran will take this opportunity to make the case that diplomacy is futile and future agreements will become increasingly difficult. At the same time, the country’s more moderate President, Hassan Rouhani, will likely see his influence weakened. As the Iranian economy, which has already been suffering from unrelated US sanctions, continues to get worse, it is average Iranian citizens who will bear the brunt of the sanctions. This could lead to a degree of social unrest, although any protests are likely to get cracked down upon early and hard.

If Iran does reinstate its nuclear program it will be much harder to once again put together the international sanctions regime that brought Iran to the negotiating table to begin with. Sanctions against the Iranian regime were effective when the international community worked as a united front. Unilateral US sanctions are likely to have a substantially smaller impact on the regime’s actions. Many of the most effective US sanctions, known as “secondary sanctions” or sanctions, levied not on the Iranian regime directly but on parties doing business with Iran. The reimposition of these sanctions is likely to have the greatest impact as they will act as a significant deterrent to European businesses who were quick to begin doing business in the country after the sanctions were lifted. It will also impact American firms, such as Boeing which had a large deal in place to supply airplane parts to Iran’s civil airline.  

What will most likely happen?

The US sanctions will be enough to prevent Iran from getting the benefits of the nuclear deal, thereby causing the deal to fall apart, but not enough to curb its activities in the region.

Refusing to stick to the accords doesn’t just increase the likelihood that Iran will end up with a nuclear weapon in the near term, it also sets a bad precedent and undermines faith in the United States with regards to future international negotiations. This is especially pertinent considering the upcoming summit with North Korea. The deal that is reportedly being offered to Kim Jong-Un, economic relief in exchange for the cessation of the country’s nuclear program, is similar to the one that the Trump administration is now reneging on with Iran. If the US has proven itself unable to stick to a deal once agreed upon with Iran, why would the North Koreans expect to be treated any differently?

Regardless of what one thinks of the administration’s withdrawal from the deal, it happened. The question now is what’s next?

At the end of his speech announcing the American withdrawal, President Trump expressed a willingness to renegotiate the deal. There is however little indication of what the administration would hope to gain by doing so. In fact, the administration seems to have no clear strategy on the issue. The vague normative statements, half-truths, and political chest-thumping that have characterized the President’s comments on the issue are not enough. If regional and international security is to be maintained, it is essential that the administration has a clear strategy for how to handle Iran in both the near and long-term. 

The Framing of TUAlerts

by with No Comment EducationFeaturedGen Z

Over the course of the 2017-2018 school year, Temple University has experienced it’s fair share of tragedy. Add to that the general unease on university campuses world wide with the rise in gun violence and the stress on safety has never been more prevalent. On more than one occasion the topic of Temple Universities alert system was addressed in the classroom and at my place of work. I was surprised to hear multitudes of my peers reporting instances of bomb threats and evacuations on Temple’s campus that I had never heard about. Why was this information not being reported through the Temple University Alert system? Then a coworker of mine, who is also a Temple Student, brought up the fact that Temple tends to pick and choose what they believe to be important information, as far as student safety goes.

When I first came to Temple, almost four years ago, I remember hearing that there was a sort of “cutoff” where you left what I would call the “safe zone” and entered a “danger zone”. After years of living here I realized that this divide was yet another somewhat masked form of racism and classism exacerbated by the massive gentrification Temple reeked on North Philadelphia thus far. Interestingly enough when I went through the most recent TUAlerts I have received very few of the incidents reported happened on campus. On the contrary there are issues heavily reported just outside the bounds of campus.

Of course it is important to keep students aware of potential dangers around campus. However, it is manipulative and counter productive to pick and choose what is dangerous and what is not. A bomb threat on campus has the same potential danger (if not more so) than an armed robbery or shooting off campus. Not to mention that a slew of the incidents that Temple reports have nothing to do with Temple students. Temple is sneakily framing the greater Philadelphia areas it has not yet built on as the problem so to speak while any place Temple owned is safe and sound. The withholding of information in this case is what gives us incite into how Temple markets itself in conjunction to it’s North Philly neighbors.

The Murder of Stephon Clark, Gun Control, and Law Enforcement

by with No Comment CultureFeaturedGen Z

The murder of Stephon Clark, an unarmed young man of only 22, in the privacy of his grandparents’s backyard is yet another example of how black people are and continue to be criminalized and unfairly profiled by police. The Sacramento police department were quick to suspend these officers but not without pay. Clark’s family sent for a private autopsy that concluded Clark was shot multiple times in his back and passed within 3-10 minutes after being wounded. The ambulance arrived after he was lying there for 6 minutes. The police had apparently mistaken his cellphone for a weapon. Clark is one of many young lives lost to gun violence this year alone.

In the wake of protests about gun control the issues of police brutality and racism are often diminished or even dismissed. We tend to view police as noble protectors but Tanisha Anderson, Alberta Spruill, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Rekia Boyd and so many other black lives have been taken at the hands of police. Many of these officers never face a trial. Philip Stinson, an associate professor of criminal justice at Bowling Green State University reports, “Between 2005 and April 2017, 80 officers had been arrested on murder or manslaughter charges for on-duty shootings. During that 12-year span, 35% were convicted, while the rest were pending or not convicted”. These statistics make it obvious that the police are treated differently than the average citizen in regard to the law.

I think that it is about time we take a closer look at law enforcement, how they are trained and the way they are treated under the law. They deserve to be put to trial like any other person who has been charged with homicide. Not only that but it is pertinent that these officers are being trained to protect people, not murder them. There are inherent stigmas and prejudices that make marginalized groups far more likely to be killed by law enforcement. The police should be aware of this knowledge long before they are handed a lethal weapon and taught to kill if faced with a perceived threat. With gun control becoming an increasingly salient topic in our society, I think we are far past the need for gun control within law enforcement institutions. There are other ways to handle a situation that do not involve firing 20 rounds at one person.

The police are fiercely protected in our society, but at the end of the day their job is to serve and protect us.  How many more people will die before law enforcement takes responsibility for this neglect and carnage? The murder of Stephon Clark cannot be forgotten. Now is the time for radical reform, not excuses.

Response: Nice Guys Finish Last

by with 10 Comments CultureFeaturedGen Z
[Article: Nice Guys Finish Last]

The real issue that I have with this article is the author’s insistence on enforcing gender binaries, Darwinism, and using anecdotal experiences with women to support his argument on why “Nice Guys Finish Last.” The author provides very little evidence to back his theory on why “Nice Guys Finish Last” in general. The author continually exploits the women in his life as weak and confused beings that are intrinsically drawn to men or masculinity, and by not choosing others, are therefore examples of how “Nice Guys Finish Last.”

Another, even more problematic aspect of this article is that the author assumes that the sexual relationships these women partook in were consensual, when he has no right to speak on their behalf. He flip-flops between blaming women for their own sexual objectification or assault by way of Darwinism, but then preaches support and love for these same women. He admits…

“I’m not victim blaming, I’m not excusing any men for their behavior, and I’m not taking an inch away from the #MeToo movement that is so sorely needed to advance our species forward. BUT I am asking that for every father that must educate his son on how to properly treat another woman (or man), there must also be a mother who teaches her daughter how to properly treat or react to another man (or woman) such that the wrong behavior is not accepted or tolerated.”

This quote is a transparent example of his lack of understanding of these complex issues, his trans exclusionary rhetoric, and his belief that there are only two genders, woman or man. At the end of his article, he is asking women and “mothers” to be more proactive in endorsing “better men.” In essence, this strikes me as utterly hypocritical. This particular man is claiming that because he is a “nice” heterosexual, cisgendered man that he should be rewarded for treating women with respect. Overall, I believe that his argument is incredibly flawed and feels defensive. If this man truly cared about the women in his life, he would take responsibility and lift up these women’s voices instead of asking them to fix the oppressive systems that they did not construct.

I think at the end of the day his own misogynistic ideology, lack of responsibility for his own actions, and complete lack of understanding for what the #MeToo movement serves to address, makes his understanding of women and what embodies respect, subpar.

Iran Wracked by Waves of Protests

by with No Comment FeaturedGen ZInternationalNews

Since December 28th tens of thousands of protesters have gathered all around Iran. The protests first began in the Northeastern city of Mashhad and constitute the largest outbreak of civil unrest in the country since the disputed 2009 presidential election and the wave of “Green Revolution” protests it caused. More than 20 people have died in the protests, which are still ongoing.

The demonstrations were initially sparked by concerns over the state of the country’s economy and the high prices of staple goods. After the lifting of sanctions under the nuclear deal, there was an expectation among Iranians that the economy would recover from its period of stunted growth, an outcome that has been slow to materialize. Youth unemploymenthas reached 40% and, not coincidentally, young people make up a large portion of the protesters. With all of these factors putting the country’s population on edge, the straw that broke the camel’s back and brought Iranians into the streets came in the form of a leaked draft budget which increased spending to the military and the clerical establishment while cutting subsidies for the poor.

Over the following week the protests developed from being focused on the state of the economy to being an open rebellion against the country’s repressive theocratic regime, with protesters chanting slogans such as “death to the dictator.” The country’s activist foreign policy has also become increasingly unpopular as many of its citizens struggle to make ends meet domestically. Iran has spent billions supporting proxies and allies in the region, such as the Syrian government, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and to a lesser extent the Houthis in Yemen.

The Iranian government has accused the protesters of being sponsored by foreign governments to create social unrest in the country and has cracked down pretty heavily on the protesters, using tear gas, water cannons, and other means in an effort to forcibly disperse them. According to human rights groups thousands of protesters have been rounded up and detained. Those arrested could potentially face brutal prison conditions or the death penalty, in a recent declaration made by the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Court. The regime has throttled internet access and blocked social media and messaging apps that had been used by the protesters to organize. As a result, the information coming out of the country began to slow leading to rumors of the protests dying out, but these turned out to be untrue. The government was also able to mobilize pro-government counter protests.

As of right now it is still too early to determine what will come of these protests. Some analysts are predicting the end of the regime while others expect the protests to fizzle out and amount to nothing. The protests seem to have no well-defined leadership, so it is unclear who, if anyone, would be able to lead a regime change. President Rouhani’s position has definitely been weakened and it is likely that the country’s security apparatus, especially the Revolutionary Guards will have seen their influence expanded asa result of their role in dealing with the protests.

Meanwhile, the US government has expressed support for the Iranian protesters. The Trump administration, which has already been openly hostile towards Iran and the Iranian government, has suggested the possibility of more sanctions depending on Iran’s reaction to the protest. The President has tweeted several times in support of the protests including tweeting that Iranians are finally “getting wise”. The United States requested an emergency session of the United Nation’s Security Council on the subject of Iran. The session was held on Friday and US Ambassador Nikki Haley took the opportunity to put Iran “on notice” that the US would not tolerate any human rights abuses. Other countries such as France and Russia voiced their dismay that the US was bringing what they viewed as an internal Iranian affair to the Security Council.

President Rouhani responded by saying that Donald Trump had no right to criticize Iran after calling them terrorists and preventing Iranians from entering the United States. Iranians don’t really care for President Trump and it’s unlikely that his tweets will have any effect on the protests. American sanctions as well as the United State’s wavering position on the nuclear deal are at least partially responsible for the economic stagnation that spurred the protests.

Is Tillerson Next?

by with One Comment FeaturedGen ZPolitics

Rex might be on the way out. On October 9, 2017, we published an article detailing his troubles with the State Department. Since then, rumors of his feud with Donald Trump have continued. Our initial article below might include some of the reasons for what seems to be his inevitable departure.

[Rex Tillerson’s War Against the State Department]

Rex Tillerson has had a less-than-illustrious tenure as Secretary of State so far. Perhaps it’s because he seems to be more focused on reorganizing the department than on, you know, diplomacy. His striking lack of success has lead many to call for his resignation and for him to be called the “most ineffectual secretary of state since 1898,” by respected Foreign Policy columnist Max Boot. 

The Trump administration has made it exceedingly clear that it does not consider diplomacy a priority. According to some metrics compiled by the New York Times, under Tillerson’s leadership, the department has had its lowest profile in nearly half a century. Democracy promotion has been erased from the State Department’s mission statement and the Trump Administration has made every effort to cut key foreign aid programs. 

Part of the reason the department has been so ineffective is because the administration has failed to fill an inexcusable amount of key positions. Only one Assistant Secretary of State has been confirmed and the vast majority do not even have nominees. (Here’s a list compiled by The Washington Post of unfilled positions.) To put this in perspective the United States is currently facing a nuclear standoff in North Korea without an Undersecretary (or Assistant Secretary for that matter) for Arms control. While the federal government’s hiring freeze has been rescinded it remains in effect at the State Department. Until recently, state department officials were not allowed to serve on the National Security Council omitting an essential perspective from national security decisions. 

Tillerson’s mismanagement of the State Department has caused many senior diplomats to leave, further weakening State’s ability to conduct diplomacy. At the same time, Tillerson has suspended the prestigious fellowship programs that allow bright young minds to enter the department. Some of these fellows have their salaries paid by outside institutions, so Tillerson is essentially rejecting free labor. On top of all these other issues, there is growing evidence that the Secretary of State is on the outs with his boss. According to several sources, Donald Trump has become increasingly frustrated with Secretary Tillerson.

Just like pretty much everybody else in the government, lawmakers on Capitol Hill also seem to be fed up with the Secretary. The Senate Appropriations Committee passed a bill that completely upended the administration’s plans to make significant cuts to foreign aid and diplomacy initiatives – providing $11 billion more than requested. Not only did they allocate more funds than Tillerson wanted, they also included management amendments in the bill that severely limit the Secretary’s ability to reorganize the department. For example, the bill limits the size of the Policy Planning Staff – something that Tillerson had been expanding and that career State Department officials felt was undermining their ability to influence policy.

Now to be sure not everything Secretary Tillerson does is awful. His willingness to distance himself from Donald Trump’s remarks on Charlottesville is admirable and some of his reorganization initiatives do make a lot of sense. But the State Department still needs to serve its primary function – namely advancing US diplomatic interests – something it has not been able to do effectively under Rex Tillerson’s leadership. The decline of America’s diplomatic arm can only lead to an increased reliance on hard (military) power. A Senate report sums up this issue pretty nicely: “The lessons learned since September 11, 2001, include the reality that defense alone does not provide for American strength and resolve abroad. Battlefield technology and firepower cannot replace diplomacy and development.” 

This article was originally published on 9 October 2017.

Al-Aqsa Crisis… Israeli Palestinian Fighting Continues

by with No Comment FeaturedGen ZGlobalInternational

On July 14th the Israeli government made the decision to shut down Al Aqsa Mosque, the 3rd holiest site in Islam, after a clash that left three Palestinians and two Israeli officers dead. For the first time in nearly 50 years, the Friday prayers were canceled. The Israeli government then proceeded to install security cameras and metal detectors at the mosque before reopening it. Palestinians rejected these measures as violations of their rights and of the status quo, and refused to pray in the mosque, opting to pray in the streets instead.

Amid continued protests, the Israeli government continued to add restrictions – preventing men under the age of 50 from entering the compound. Palestinians organized demonstrations in “a day of anger” and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas froze contact with his Israeli counterparts. The Israelis were worried about an escalating security situation and elected to install new security cameras to replace the metal detectors – a measure also rejected by the Palestinians as a move that expanded Israeli control over the holy site.

As of July 27th, Israel removed all the security measures and Palestinians planned to resume prayer in the mosque. The conflict seemed to have temporarily subsided – until minutes after worshippers returned to the mosque Israeli police wounded dozens with stun grenades and rubber bullets. The official Israeli reports states that they were attacked with stones but Amnesty International reports that Israeli actions were unprovoked. Palestinian Muslims have now returned to the mosque and services have resumed as usual but tensions are still simmering.

To Palestinians, this is about much more than just metal detectors and security cameras. This is a system that devalues Palestinians and enforces a systemic repression of a people who have been denied even the fundamental right to have a state. They are fighting to retain a status quo that disadvantages them to begin with because they fear what would happen to them if the status quo was done away with entirely. The Palestinians already face a lack of sovereignty and they see this as a further undermining of their identities. In case you think all this status quos talk is ridiculous, consider this fact: there is a ladder in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem that has not been moved in centuries because to move it would be to undermine the status quo, and that would cause a conflict between the different churches that reside there.

It’s not as if the response was strange or unexpected by the Israelis. It’s a known fact that any interference with Al Aqsa inflames tensions and escalates the conflict. The second intifada (the second Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation) was in part spurred by Ariel Sharon’s visit to the compound after the failure of peace negotiations and is called the Al-Aqsa intifada for that very reason. Jerusalem has always been and continues to be the line in the sand that cannot be crossed without inciting a violent reaction on both sides.

One important takeaway: Palestinian leadership had very little to do with the mass mobilization of the last two weeks. In fact, Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority struggled to make themselves relevant regarding this tense situation. This is in part because the Palestinian citizens of East Jerusalem are relatively isolated from the Palestinian Authority, separated by an Israeli checkpoint from the West Bank. This may, however, also be a sign of Mahmoud Abbas’s shrinking support, and the resulting weakness of the Palestinian Authority, with two-thirds of Palestinians calling for the octogenarian leader to resign. Abbas’s decision to cut off ties with Israeli government pending resolution of the conflict seemed reactionary and an attempt to satisfy his quickly shrinking base.

Long term, this further underscores the importance and the tensions surrounding Jerusalem and final status negotiations. Both sides claim the city as their capital, although the majority of the international community officially recognizes neither. The Palestinian capital, East Jerusalem, is under Israeli occupation and effectively cut off from the Palestinian Authority, and the Israeli government will not allow them to fund projects within the city. If there is to be any hope of a final settlement to the conflict, Jerusalem must be addressed and the status of its religious institutions, holy to the worlds three Abrahamic faiths, must be taken into account.