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Peace Process

Washington, PLO begin dividing Jerusalem

Netanyahu slams capitulation to US pressure on capital


By Ryan Jones
January 09, 2006

Israel's firm position regarding Jerusalem notwithstanding, it appears American pressure will win the day and ?Palestinian? parliamentary candidates will campaign for votes among the thousands of Arab residents of the Jewish state's capital.

For months the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was adamant candidates for the Palestinian Legislative Council would not be permitted to campaign in Jerusalem, and that the Arab residents of the city would have to mail in their ballots on January 25, if they were allowed to vote at all.

But all that started to change on Monday, when Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra confirmed the government had decided to allow candidates from unarmed ?Palestinian? parties to campaign in the city.

Media analyst Dr. Aaron Lerner asked Ezra's spokesman, Yehuda Maman, if the ban on ?parties that still bear weapons? would include Mahmoud Abbas' ruling Fatah faction, which is known to command two of the largest armed terror groups ? the Tanzim and the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades.

Maman responded that while Israel would not permit groups such as Hamas to campaign in Jerusalem, there would be no restrictions on Fatah candidates.

When Ezra was again interviewed on Israel Radio later in the day, he altered the criteria for allowing parties to campaign in Jerusalem to their acceptance of the Road Map peace plan. The groups' ongoing efforts to mass murder Jewish men, women and children were deemed irrelevant to the issue.

Earlier Monday, Palestinian Authority Information Minister Nabil Sha'ath told the Associated Press that American pressure had not only enabled PLC candidates to campaign in Jerusalem, but that Washington had, irrespective of Israeli wishes, assured the city's Arabs they could cast their ballots unhindered come January 25.

?I have already been informed by the American government (of) their assurances that the Israelis will ... allow campaigning and elections for the legislative council to be held in Jerusalem as well as any other place, on the modalities that were used in 1996,? Shaath said. ?We have not received anything yet from the Israelis to confirm that, but we will go on this assurance.?

Likud leader and prime ministerial candidate Binyamin Netanyahu slammed Ezra and Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for apparently capitulating to American pressure on the issue, insisting it would further assist the Palestinian Arabs in their quest to divide the ancient Jewish capital.

Shinui MK Eliezer Sandberg echoed Netanyahu's criticism, telling Arutz 7 that the decision represents ?the first sign that Olmert intends to divide Jerusalem.?

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