[Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News] The PLO still insists on the Jewish Quarter and the Kotel being in "Palestine"

The PLO Negotiations Affairs Department put out a document last August detailing their specific demands on Jerusalem.

The introduction is filled with inaccuracies:

The June 4, 1967 border (the green line) is the internationally recognized border between the occupied State of Palestine and the State of Israel. This line separates the territory occupied by Israel during and since the June 1967 War, an occupation that has been condemned by the international community time and again, through resolutions such as UN Security Council Resolutions 242, 338 that taken in the Nakba of 1948 and the ICJ advisory opinion in 2004 on the illegality of the Wall and Settlements.

The 1967 borders of Palestine include the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The Jordan Valley, the Latrun area, the northern shores of the Dead Sea and Palestine's capital, East Jerusalem -are all an integral part of the 1967 border.

This boundary was established through the signing of armistice agreements between Egypt and Jordan on the one hand, and Israel, on the other, following the Nakba in 1948, and the subsequent creation of the State of Israel on 78% of historic Palestine.

In 1988, the PLO declared the independence of the State of Palestine on the basis of UNGA 181 and UNSC 242, two states, living side by side on the 1967 border, or the "Green Line". The Palestinian acceptance of the 1967 border, which includes East Jerusalem, is a painful compromise: It is the acceptance of the State of Palestine over only 22% of historic Palestine.

...Jerusalem has always been and remains the political, administrative and spiritual heart of Palestine. Occupied East Jerusalem is the natural socio-economic and political center for the future Palestinian state given its historical significance, wealth in religious and cultural heritage sites, its commercial vitality, and its geographic centrality connecting the northern and southern parts of the occupied State of Palestine.

The Green Line was never a "border." UN 242 and 338 do not condemn Israel, and the word "condemn" is not found in the ICJ opinion, either.The boundaries of British Mandate Palestine have nothing to do with "historic Palestine" - but parts of Jordan and Lebanon are within historic Palestine. And Jerusalem was never the political, administrative or spiritual heart of any Arab or Islamic entity, except perhaps as the Sanjak of Jerusalem district under Ottoman rule for several decades, roughly equivalent to a county seat.

Within the document we see the details of how the PLO insists Jerusalem look after a "peace agreement:"

Palestine's vision for Jerusalem is rooted in deep historical, political, cultural, social, religious and economic ties to Jerusalem that span centuries. Pursuant to our vision, East Jerusalem, as defined by the pre-1967 municipal boundaries, shall be the capital of Palestine and West Jerusalem the capital of Israel, with each state enjoying full sovereignty over its respective part of the city. East Jerusalem's connections to the remainder of the occupied Palestinian territory should be fully restored and the city should be fully integrated into the territory of the State of Palestine.

Each city should have its own municipality taking responsibility for and managing municipal and daily affairs. The open city concept, however, is an essential element to ensure the prosperity and centrality of the city. In the spirit of peaceful coexistence and cooperation, a joint development council, composed of an equal number of representatives from both sides should be established by the parties to oversee cooperation between Israel and Palestine in both parts of Jerusalem, including with respect to planning and zoning, water, waste water and the environment, roads and industrial zones. A central objective of such cooperation should be to minimize practical impediments to the free movement and access of people, vehicles, services and goods arising from the existence of an international boundary running through the city. Notwithstanding this cooperation, each state shall enjoy full sovereignty over
its respective part of Jerusalem.

So this is what Abbas means when he says Jerusalem would be an "open city" - it means that Jews must depend on Arab largesse to walk to the Western Wall. I wouldn't be surprised if "Palestine" would destroy the plaza in front of the Kotel to rebuild the slum of Arabs from Morocco ("Palestinians") that was there before 1967.

We already know that the PLO says that no Jews can live in "Palestine" so the Jewish Quarter would have to be ethnically cleansed, not to mention dozens of Jewish neighborhoods.

The chances of Jews being allowed to visit the Temple Mount would become exactly zero. The chances that Jews could visit the Kotel would slowly drop to zero within a couple of years - for "security" reasons. The best that Jews could hope for would be the way they can visit the Tomb of Joseph in Nablus today - once or twice a month in heavily armored buses in the middle of the night.

The document does not admit any concessions that the PLO supposedly made in negotiations in 2000, 2001 or 2007. It does not hint at compromise.

Here's the document:

  PLO's official position on Jerusalem

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Posted By Elder of Ziyon to Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News at 1/23/2014 08:00:00 AM