This talk will focus on the relationship between urban on-the-ground changes in Jerusalem and efforts at national peacemaking. A number of urban dynamics over the past two decades are consistent with Israel's goals of strengthening political control, while other changes add great complexity and even contradict Israeli national goals.  Operationalization of national political goals in multidimensional and fluid urban systems is not straightforward, but rather prone to disruptions and unintended consequences. National peace-building occurs not just in the diplomatic area, but is a political-spatial iterative process of top-down and bottom-up hybridity