Posted on 12/09/2007 5:41:43 PM PST by Esther Ruth
Ramon: Cede part of Jerusalem to Palestinians
Vice premier defends construction project in contested Jerusalem neighborhood but says Israel should consider handing over the city's Arab areas to the Palestinian Authority so as not to lose crucial US support
Ynet and news agencies Latest Update: 12.10.07, 02:04 / Israel News
Vice Premier Haim Ramon responded on Sunday to criticism of plans to build homes on occupied land in the Jerusalem area by saying parts of the city must be given to the Palestinians to avoid losing US support.
US Slams Project
Rice chides Israel on new home-building plan / Reuters
US secretary of state says Israel's plan to build 300 housing units in east Jerusalem 'doesn't help build confidence' with Palestinians ahead of renewed talks. Livni states West Bank settlements will be evacuated as part of peace deal Full Story
But he also said that Israel would not give up the settlement where the building plan announced last week sparked Palestinian anger and a warning from US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that it risked harming a peace process she helped relaunch last month at the Annapolis conference.
Israel has rejected criticism of a tender for some 300 more homes in the Har Homa on the grounds that the neighborhood is inside Jerusalem's city boundaries and as such does not constitute a settlement.
Ramon said that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's opponents were being unrealistic in hoping for US support for any peace plan that would give the Jewish state all the present Jerusalem municipality, which includes Arab East Jerusalem, as its capital.
''We must come today and say, friends, the Jewish neighborhoods, including Har Homa, will remain under Israeli sovereignty, and the Arab neighborhoods will be the Palestinian capital, which they will call Jerusalem or whatever they want,' Ramon told Israel Radio. ''Then we won't get embroiled, as is happening now, in an uncalled-for and badly timed debate with the United States, at a time when we need its support.''
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki denounced Ramon's statement and its timing: On Wednesday, negotiating teams from both sides are to sit down together for their first formal talks in seven years.
''These statements place obstacles before any serious attempts by Palestinian negotiators on Jerusalem,'' Malki said. ''They aim to create confusion and change the course of negotiations before they begin. They try to pressure Palestinians and the international parties to think of Israeli needs before they begin.''
Israel's Housing Minister, Zeev Boim said on Saturday that it was Israel's right to build in Har Homa - and everywhere else in the expanded boundaries of Jerusalem.
First Published: 12.09.07, 18:33
Ramon’s days are numbered.
If I forget you, oh Jerusalem....
Give ‘em an inch...
Remember how giving up the Gaza has turned out? Not another inch.
And how much land would the Pali’s cede if the roles were reversed?
Needless to say, it’s an awful idea.
How about a radical proposal: Restore the city to the condition it had under Roman, Ottoman and British alike: Give the Muslims the Muslim Quarter of the Old City, the Rum (Orthodox Christians, whether Greek or Palestinian) the Christian Quarter, and the Armenians the Armenian Quarter. New Jersualem and the Jewish Quarter stay part of Israel.
As much as I like Dr Rice, she is WRONG on this. Israel has given up enough, and put up with enough. Palestine needs to learn to how to get along with people. They are so dysfunctional that they can’t live a day independently.
Ditch the barbaric way of life and get to work. Geezus.
The islamic world has one unalterable goal: for Jerusalem to be the exclusive domain for the worship of their moon god,allah,and no other.
Eff is-Slime! They can't take a joke!
When Israel is down to 9 square miles, there will still be dim-witted liberals (sorry to repeat myself) who insist that Israel should give up 1/3 of that territory and then the Pali’s will leave Israel alone.
Then 6 square miles, they’ll leave us alone.
Then 3 square miles, they’ll leave us alone
Then one square mile, they’ll leave us alone
Then 8 square blocks, they’ll leave us alone
Then.....
Olmert is being dangerously naive. The Palestinians will not be happy with only part of Jerusalem. Their whining will never end. Olmert needs to put his foot down and say “enough is enough.” He should make no more concessions until the Palestinians start showing they can act peaceful in the land they already have. (That way, it will be a few decades before Israel will have to make any concessions.)
Of course, if Israel weren’t wearing a 2 billion-dollar gold ring in its nose stamped “Made in U.S.A.” we wouldn’t be having this discussion.
STupid Jews, why not just give away your whole country to the crazies?
KittyKares wrote:
“He should make no more concessions until the Palestinians start showing they can act peaceful in the land they already have.”
ABSOLUTEY. AMEN.
The "Muslim Quarter," "Christian Quarter," "Armenian Quarter" and "Jewish Quarter" were created by the British after the Arab riots of 1936. Before then, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Armenians, all lived throughout the Old City. I once took a tour of the Old City in the 1970's (when it was safe to go into such areas) and the guide pointed out gouges in the doorports of many entranceways were a mezuzah had once been place--to signify that a Jew lived there. We found these marks in all parts of the Old City, not only in the arbitrarily-named "Jewish Quarter."
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