Jerusalem is one the most contested and discussed cities in the world. It is a city of religion but it is also a central part of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Every stone, every road, every tree is part of someone’s identity construction. Land use planning is therefore a very delicate policy area. This article is devoted to understanding how land use planning interplays with identity politics. The article also explores the role and coping strategies of planners in various roles in relation to identity politics. The conclusions are based on 63 semi-structured interviews. The article shows that there are clear bureaucratic problems with the land use planning decision-making system that could lead to planning policies based on the interest of only one group. The coping strategies and roles of the planners could be divided into two groups, those who are more active, such as the entrepreneur or the advocate, or those who are more reactive, such as the expert or the bureaucrat. The diversity of roles is related to the lively private planning sector alongside the public. This leads to a lack of transparency in how the system works and how to influence planning policy. The study shows that it is quite difficult for a planner who wants to work equally with all groups in the Jerusalem society. In the current political atmosphere, such a stand often leads to being stigmatized in different forms. Territory is a crucial ingredient in the conflict over Jerusalem and land use planning policies have the potential of bringing hope but also to destroy any chances of coexistence.