Jerusalem - shines in the nightSunday, 28 March 2010
The Obama Administration is shocked and insulted. Hilary Clinton lectures Israel's Prime Minister for a full forty minutes. The world is in lock down. Israel is taking the heat. President Obama sends Israel's Prime Minister home with an ultimatum. Over what? Over Israel's right to build in its capital - Jerusalem.
And why has this crisis been allowed to develop? Because the world has drifted into an appeasement to the Arab argument that the Palestinians can have Jerusalem as their capital.
This condition, apparently, must be surrended now by Israel who will get nothing in return from the Palestinians except their agreement to indirect talks, maybe.
If Israel does not agree to make this gesture they face taking the wrap for the failure of Middle East peace talks. America, who can't impose sanctions against Iran for their nuclear bomb program,is already threatening Israel.
Countries who have individually and collectively refused to acknowledge Israel as the capital of the Jewish states are falling over themselves to accept Palestinian claims on Jerusalem as their future capital.
What rights do the Palestinians have on Jerusalem?
Because Abdullah of Jordan once built a mosque there hardly counts as a cornerstone of Palestinian heritage.
The Palestinian Authority may claim that, because the Arabs of East Jerusalem want to be part of a future Palestinian state justifies their claim to have this place as their capital city.
Has anyone asked these inhabitants, whose status is hanging in limbo due to iternational indecision, what they would prefer? Well yes, they have. Recent surveys prove that, given a choice between being Palestinian or Israeli citizens, the majority will grab an Israeli identity.
The fact has been conveniently ignored or dismissed by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas but also by most of the diplomatic world.
Let's look at the diplomatic world in their ignorance of certain relevant facts.
This is the circle of power brokers who deny Israel's heritage and legal rights to Jerusalem as its capital yet accept Palestinian claims to this place.
None of them have knocked on the door of Nir Baraket. Baraket is the current mayor of Jerusalem. He is ready and willing to open the files to these policy and opinion makers and show them that Israel has every right to develop housing, commerical, and industrial projects on legally owned land within the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem.
Israel conquered no land from Palestinians. Therefore the Palestinian claims to drive Israel back to 1967 borders has no relevance in direct claims between the two entities.
The Palestinians are claiming Jerusalem as their capital in order to gain internationally binding rights to the city only as a precondition to enter into indirect talks, and not as part of any final and binding peace agreement. In other words, the world demands that Israel surrender significant real estate and get nothing in return.
Would you agree to such a deal? I think not.
So, is there an alternative for a Palestinian capital? Well, there is a solution that is staring us in the face that has not been suggested. Salim Fayad, The Palestinian Prime Minister, tells everybody that he and the Palestinian Authority are nation building in advance of declaring a virtual Palestinian state some time next year.
If Israel tells him to forget about Jerusalem he will still declare Jerusalem as his capital while operating out of Ramallah. Ramallah is where the administrative headquarters of the Palestinian Authority is based. It is a modern city containing the growing Palestinian institutions. It is where all the world come to pay official visits to the Palestinian leaders. It is also the revered burial place of Yasser Arafat. It is part of their modern history, given to them by Israel as part of the Oslo Accord that brought the P.L.O. from Tunis to Ramallah. Some consider this a major mistake but we must learn to live with the consequences.
Facts on the ground point to Ramallah as being the natural and obvious location for any future Palestinian capital.
At Passover, Jews worldwide recite the ancient prayer, echoing to us from past centuries when the Jewish capital was destroyed, of a return to Zion. 'Next Year in a Rebuilt Jerusalem'
Jews, and Israel, retain its values and heritage that cannot be denied or replaced by anyone attempting to usurp the cornerstone of our nation's capital.
Not even under Arab, American, or international pressure or sanction.
And why has this crisis been allowed to develop? Because the world has drifted into an appeasement to the Arab argument that the Palestinians can have Jerusalem as their capital.
This condition, apparently, must be surrended now by Israel who will get nothing in return from the Palestinians except their agreement to indirect talks, maybe.
If Israel does not agree to make this gesture they face taking the wrap for the failure of Middle East peace talks. America, who can't impose sanctions against Iran for their nuclear bomb program,is already threatening Israel.
Countries who have individually and collectively refused to acknowledge Israel as the capital of the Jewish states are falling over themselves to accept Palestinian claims on Jerusalem as their future capital.
What rights do the Palestinians have on Jerusalem?
Because Abdullah of Jordan once built a mosque there hardly counts as a cornerstone of Palestinian heritage.
The Palestinian Authority may claim that, because the Arabs of East Jerusalem want to be part of a future Palestinian state justifies their claim to have this place as their capital city.
Has anyone asked these inhabitants, whose status is hanging in limbo due to iternational indecision, what they would prefer? Well yes, they have. Recent surveys prove that, given a choice between being Palestinian or Israeli citizens, the majority will grab an Israeli identity.
The fact has been conveniently ignored or dismissed by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas but also by most of the diplomatic world.
Let's look at the diplomatic world in their ignorance of certain relevant facts.
This is the circle of power brokers who deny Israel's heritage and legal rights to Jerusalem as its capital yet accept Palestinian claims to this place.
None of them have knocked on the door of Nir Baraket. Baraket is the current mayor of Jerusalem. He is ready and willing to open the files to these policy and opinion makers and show them that Israel has every right to develop housing, commerical, and industrial projects on legally owned land within the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem.
Israel conquered no land from Palestinians. Therefore the Palestinian claims to drive Israel back to 1967 borders has no relevance in direct claims between the two entities.
The Palestinians are claiming Jerusalem as their capital in order to gain internationally binding rights to the city only as a precondition to enter into indirect talks, and not as part of any final and binding peace agreement. In other words, the world demands that Israel surrender significant real estate and get nothing in return.
Would you agree to such a deal? I think not.
So, is there an alternative for a Palestinian capital? Well, there is a solution that is staring us in the face that has not been suggested. Salim Fayad, The Palestinian Prime Minister, tells everybody that he and the Palestinian Authority are nation building in advance of declaring a virtual Palestinian state some time next year.
If Israel tells him to forget about Jerusalem he will still declare Jerusalem as his capital while operating out of Ramallah. Ramallah is where the administrative headquarters of the Palestinian Authority is based. It is a modern city containing the growing Palestinian institutions. It is where all the world come to pay official visits to the Palestinian leaders. It is also the revered burial place of Yasser Arafat. It is part of their modern history, given to them by Israel as part of the Oslo Accord that brought the P.L.O. from Tunis to Ramallah. Some consider this a major mistake but we must learn to live with the consequences.
Facts on the ground point to Ramallah as being the natural and obvious location for any future Palestinian capital.
At Passover, Jews worldwide recite the ancient prayer, echoing to us from past centuries when the Jewish capital was destroyed, of a return to Zion. 'Next Year in a Rebuilt Jerusalem'
Jews, and Israel, retain its values and heritage that cannot be denied or replaced by anyone attempting to usurp the cornerstone of our nation's capital.
Not even under Arab, American, or international pressure or sanction.
- Barry Shaw
- Netanya, Israel
