European Union foreign ministers agreed on Tuesday that Jerusalem should be the capital of both Israel and a future Palestinian state, as part of a negotiated settlement, E.U. diplomats said.
The foreign ministers, meeting for a second day of talks in Brussels, adopted a text agreeing that Jerusalem should provide "the future capital of the two states," one diplomat said.
"If there is to be a genuine peace, a way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of two states," the ministers said in a statement.
If there is to be a genuine peace, a way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of two states
The move is bound to anger Israel which has already warned Europe against seeking to foist a solution to the Middle East problem on the parties involved.
However an earlier proposal by the Swedish E.U. presidency, to explicitly support the idea of east Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, was dropped by the foreign ministers.
An Israeli diplomat said afterward that it would be "an improvement" if east Jerusalem were not mentioned in the text.
Won’t recognize changes
In view of the recent incidents, it calls on all parties to refrain from provocative actions. The Council recalls that it has never recognized the annexation of East Jerusalem
The agreed E.U. statement insists that "the European Union will not recognize any changes to the pre-1967 borders" thereby refusing to recognize Israel's right to occupy the area.
The issue had been subject to intense discussion among the European ministers, with some nations wanting to keep the mention of east Jerusalem in the text and others reluctant to be seen as prejudging the result of any eventual Middle East peace deal.
Luxembourg's foreign minister Jean Asselborn was one of the ministers most supportive of the original Swedish proposal.
East Jerusalem is "not part of Israel," he said.
In their statement, the foreign ministers said tackling the city's status was among a host of issues that needed to be addressed if any progress were to be made on resolving Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In particular, they said Israel needed to halt settlement building in the occupied West Bank and end what they called "discriminatory" treatment of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, where Israeli settlements are expanding.
"The Council is deeply concerned about the situation in East Jerusalem," the agreed statement said. "In view of the recent incidents, it calls on all parties to refrain from provocative actions. The Council recalls that it has never recognized the annexation of East Jerusalem."
"It also calls on the Israeli government to cease all discriminatory treatment of Palestinians in East Jerusalem."
Warning of consequences
Any move to divide Jerusalem would undermine our ally Israel, deal a blow to religious freedom, and undercut the cause of peace
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat wrote an open letter to new E.U. foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton warning of the possible consequences of splitting up the city which Israelis view as the indivisible and eternal capital of the Jewish state.
"Throughout the history of the world, there is not one important city that was divided that functioned successfully. They either reunited or ceased to function properly. The lesson is too clear. Jerusalem must stay united," he argued.
The E.U. initiative also raised some hackles in the United States.
E.U. members should join "responsible nations" in opposing any plan to recognize Arab east Jerusalem as capital of a future Palestinian state, a key U.S. lawmaker said.
"Any move to divide Jerusalem would undermine our ally Israel, deal a blow to religious freedom, and undercut the cause of peace," said Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center also criticized the E.U. draft resolution.
"Once again the E.U. is rushing with a laundry list of what's expected from Israel, but when will the European Union finally demand action from the Palestinians?," asked Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Jewish human rights group.
Scores of Palestinians protested in front of the French and Swedish consulates in Jerusalem on Monday to support the E.U. presidency's initiative on east Jerusalem.
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