Israel to keep iron grip on al-Quds
A senior Israeli official says Tel Aviv will not accept East al-Quds (Jerusalem) as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
An aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday described al-Quds as the “undivided capital of Israel,” saying that Tel Aviv will not the city to be divided, AFP reported on Wednesday.
The aide made the remarks after Defense Minister Ehud Barak earlier said that Israel was ready to cede parts of al-Quds to the Palestinians within the framework of a peace deal.
In an interview with Ha’aretz published earlier in the day, Barak suggested dividing the city between Israel and Palestinians and establishing a “special regime” to govern the city’s holy sites.
“West Jerusalem and 12 Jewish neighborhoods that are home to 200,000 residents will be ours. The Arab neighborhoods in which close to a quarter million Palestinians live will be theirs,” Barak said.
The Israeli officials’ remarks came as acting Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are in Washington to resume direct peace talks, which froze after the Israeli attack on Gaza in December 2008.
Palestinians want East al-Quds, which Israel occupied in 1967 and then annexed in 1981, as the capital of their future state. The move is considered illegal under international law.
