EU stresses the Arab identity of Jerusalem

The European Union has rejected claims raised by Israel that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and falls under the Israeli supremacy.

Israel Radio said on Thursday that the German ambassador in Tel Aviv, Theodor Wallau, conveyed an official message in the name of the EU to the Israeli Foreign Ministry saying that "Jerusalem is not the capital of Israel and does not fall under Israeli sovereignty. It is within territories occupied by Israel in 1967."

The EU message also stressed the right of all EU ambassadors to meet with the representatives of the Palestinian authority in any place including the occupied city of Jerusalem.

The message of the EU, however, came in reply to the request made by the secretary of the Israeli Foreign Ministry Eytan Bentsur to foreign ambassadors especially to those of the EU not to meet the PA representatives in the Palestinian "Beit al-Sharq" in Israel.

In his request, Bentsur claimed that such meetings in Jerusalem are considered an intervention in the Israeli elections and in contradiction with Oslo and Wye plantation agreements signed with the Palestinians.

However, the German ambassador in his capacity as the current holder of the EU presidency said that the EU views Jerusalem as a "separate entity" based on UN resolutions. He said that there were no plans to comply with the Israeli requests not to meet with the Palestinians in Jerusalem.

Wallau stood by his comments and maintained they were part of the EU policy.