On May 5th '94 the Palestinian-Israeli Agreement was signed in Cairo. That same day eight members (four Palestinians and four Israeli) of the Israel-Palestine Centre for Research and Information proposed that any future statutes for Jerusalem could be based on the principles of the 'Brussels model'.
The eight members were invited to study community relations in Belgium and in Brussels. Although it would be impossible to transfer the Brussels model to Jerusalem in all its details, the representatives did learn from their Brussels visit. For example, Jerusalem probably could be governed by two city councils, along the same lines as in Brussels, one for East and one for West Jerusalem. These councils would sit together for matters that concern the city as a whole.
Belgium's foreign minister, Jos Chabert, has now been asked to go to South Africa and to Croatia with the 'Brussels model' as a new export product.
Readers are also referred to the 'Two States, One Holy Land' framework detailed by John Whitbeck (of 150 rue de l'Université, 75007 Paris, tel 010 331 4266 0319; fax 4266 3591) on page 267 of The Book of Visions (Institute for Social Inventions, 1992).
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