European Union to consider recognizing East Jerusalem as Palestinian capital

JERUSALEM (WJC)–The foreign ministers of the European Union are expected to endorse a document prepared by the Swedish EU presidency which calls for East Jerusalem to become the capital of a future Palestinian state, the newspaper ‘Haaretz’ reports.

A draft document implies that the EU would recognize a unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood, the paper writes. Israel’s Foreign Ministry is reportedly concerned that the call for East Jerusalem to be the capital of an independent Palestinian state is not coupled with a call to recognize West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

“The move being led by Stockholm damages the European Union’s ability to take part and be a significant element in the mediation efforts between Israel and the Palestinians,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Yossi Levy. He said that after the significant steps that Israel had taken to enable to renew negotiations with the Palestinians, “the Europeans should be pressuring the Palestinians to return to the negotiation table. These types of moves being led by Sweden bring about the opposite result.”

On the backdrop of the stalemate in the peace process, the Palestinian Authority has been working more intensely to have an independent state unilaterally declared. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said two weeks ago that the Palestinian leadership planned to gain international support before appealing to the UN Security Council for recognition of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The United States and European Union, however, expressed their objection to this move, claiming it was premature. “I don’t think we are there yet,” Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said several days after the offer was made.
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Preceding provided by World Jewish Congress