U.S. criticizes Israeli Jerusalem annexation proposal

U.S. State Department spokesman James Rubin criticized yesterday an Israeli proposal to annex some outlying communities into Jerusalem, a move that would shift the demographic balance in Jerusalem toward Jewish citizens.

Rubin said that while it is unclear whether this proposal will be acted on, "We believe it is extremely hard to understand why Israel would even consider taking such a provocative step at this sensitive time in the negotiations."

U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright voiced her dissatisfaction over the Israeli proposal to the Israeli leadership, Map reported. Radio Israel said the concerns were raised by Albright during a telephone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last night.

Israeli daily Haaretz reported that issue will be on the Israeli Cabinet's agenda during its meeting on Sunday.

The status of Jerusalem, claimed both by Palestine and Israel as each state's capital, is one of the topics to be addressed in final status negotiations between the two, according to the Oslo accords.

"The unilateral action that this implies only undermines any sense of trust and confidence between the parties that is so essential to creating an environment for serious negotiations. They also create the impression that Israel has determined the status of key permanent status issues before these negotiations have begun," Rubin said.