Saturday
Jul252009
US to Israel: No Bargain on Jerusalem
Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 6:50
J
The pressure on Israel has gradually increased since the advent of the Obama Administration. Now the position of Washington on the matter of Jerusalem is clear and precise: there will be no bargaining over the future status of the city.
After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that "Jerusalem would never be divided" in May and that "Israel's sovereignty in Jerusalem was not up for debate,” Israel's definitive statement came in Sunday's cabinet meeting. Netanyahu said: "United Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Our sovereignty in it is not subject to appeal, and among other things, this means that Jerusalem residents can buy apartments anywhere in the city. We cannot accept the idea that Jews should not have the right to live and buy anywhere in Jerusalem."
Yesterday, a response came from Washington as Tel Aviv prepared for the E1 Project, the construction of 3,500 housing units in an areabetween Jerusalem and the West Bank settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim. The US administration stated that any change in the status quo in E1 would be "extremely damaging", even "corrosive."
The Obama Administration is rightly worried that such a construction would divide the West Bank into two parts and would strengthen Israel's hegemony in East Jerusalem. This would mean more than damage to US credibility in the region: it could render the two-state solution impossible, even with Washington's dedicated efforts as a broker.
The pressure on Israel has gradually increased since the advent of the Obama Administration. Now the position of Washington on the matter of Jerusalem is clear and precise: there will be no bargaining over the future status of the city.
After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that "Jerusalem would never be divided" in May and that "Israel's sovereignty in Jerusalem was not up for debate,” Israel's definitive statement came in Sunday's cabinet meeting. Netanyahu said: "United Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Our sovereignty in it is not subject to appeal, and among other things, this means that Jerusalem residents can buy apartments anywhere in the city. We cannot accept the idea that Jews should not have the right to live and buy anywhere in Jerusalem."
Yesterday, a response came from Washington as Tel Aviv prepared for the E1 Project, the construction of 3,500 housing units in an areabetween Jerusalem and the West Bank settlement of Ma'aleh Adumim. The US administration stated that any change in the status quo in E1 would be "extremely damaging", even "corrosive."
The Obama Administration is rightly worried that such a construction would divide the West Bank into two parts and would strengthen Israel's hegemony in East Jerusalem. This would mean more than damage to US credibility in the region: it could render the two-state solution impossible, even with Washington's dedicated efforts as a broker.
Reader Comments (1)
re. this post and the piece on aid to Palestine & Israel, I hope Congress doesn't attempt to thwart Obama's stand on the negotiations. The US has never come close to an equitable position. Hearing about the "gentlemen's agreements" with Israel has been disheartening, though not surprising. It's important they are coming to light and that Obama is not letting current policy be bound by the secret arrangements of past admins.