RAMALLAH, January 10 (JMCC) - A letter circulated among 25 EU consuls-general in
Jerusalem calls on them to attend and intervene in imminent
house demolitions, evictions or court proceedings if non-violent Palestinians are threatened with arrest, reports the
Independent.
The proposal, sent from the EU's top diplomats to Brussels, uses far stronger language than EU diplomats deploy in public.
[T]he document states: If current trends are not stopped as a matter of urgency, the prospect of East Jerusalem as the future capital of a Palestinian state becomes increasingly unlikely and unworkable. This, in turn, seriously endangers the chances of a sustainable peace on the basis of two states, with Jerusalem as their future capital.
The document says that the cumulative effect of Israeli policy towards East Jerusalem Palestinians – including settlement building, demolitions and evictions, but also restrictive zoning and planning, ongoing demolitions and evictions, an inequitable education policy, difficult access to health care, the inadequate provision of resources and investment continue to negatively affect Palestinian life.
It adds: The wider political consequences of the above measures are of great concern. Over the past few years the changes to the city have run counter to the peace process. Attempts to exclusively emphasise the Jewish identity of the city threaten its religious diversity and radicalise the conflict, with potential regional and global repercussions.
Read the article at the Independent...