True colours

In a TV interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on April 13, the Israeli mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat, said that East Jerusalem will never be the capital of the projected Palestinian state.

Barkat was unequivocal about Israel’s intention to keep Jerusalem united, saying that any division of the holy city would make it dysfunctional.

The official then smoothly “suggested” that the Palestinians could make Ramallah their capital, but that they can always worship and visit East Jerusalem as tourists, and even invited the Palestinians to open an embassy in Jerusalem.

Very gracious of the mayor to offer the Palestinians to become “tourists” in their own country.

With this kind of talk, one wonders why the Palestinians are even bothering to enter into any kind of talks with Israel, sponsored by US Secretary of State John Kerry or suchlike.

This Israeli position is not a gimmick to be used for bargaining purposes. It is the sad reality.

The entire city of Jerusalem is in the grip and under the control of Israel, a position that is simply not negotiable from Israel’s perspective.

The mayor must have spoken for the entire Israeli establishment; he must have had the green light from the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to say what he said on TV.

If Israel is not bluffing, and truly, one believes it is not, and this stance is indeed its last word on the future of Jerusalem, then any talk is simply a waste of time.

The Palestinians need to draw the necessary conclusion and act accordingly.

Not only is Israel telling the Palestinians to forget about Jerusalem, it is also, through its occupation and control of the holy city, adopting a provocative position vis-à-vis Jordan, especially since it goes against the terms of the 1994 peace treaty the Kingdom signed with Israel, which stipulates that Jordan has custodianship over the holy sites in East Jerusalem, something that entails basic elements of sovereign rights.

One marvels at the nerve Israeli officials have to make all sorts of statements in foreign media. But then, seeing the inaction of the international community in the face of Israel’s repeated transgression of law, one should not be surprised.