France criticizes Netanyahu for declaring Jerusalem Israel's undivided capital

Saturday May 23, 2009 11:36 by Katherine Orwell - 1 of International Middle East Media Center Editorial Group

France accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday of prejudicing the outcome of the Middle East peace process by declaring that Occupied Jerusalem would forever be Israel's undivided capital.

"Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people, a city reunified so as never again to be divided," Netanyahu said on Thursday in a speech on Jerusalem day, celebrating the illegal annexation of East-Jerusalem in 1967. 

The international community does not recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the city's status is a major obstacle in negotiations with Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state. 

"In France's eyes, Jerusalem should, within the framework of a negotiated peace deal, become the capital of two states," Foreign Ministry spokesman Frederic Desagneaux told reporters in Paris, adding that French President Nicolas Sarkozy had told Israeli lawmakers this in a speech last year. 

"Actions such as the destruction of Palestinian homes or the transformation of Arab districts risk provoking an escalation in violence. They are unacceptable and contrary to international law," Desagneaux continued.

"In broad terms, France condemns the ongoing settlement, including in East Jerusalem. We reiterate the need for a freeze on colonization activities, including those linked to natural population growth," he added.  

The former Israeli government declared that it might consider giving up sovereignty on some Palestinian neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, but Netanyahu has ruled this out and is very much opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state.

Hamas calls Bibi's claim on a Jewish and undivided Jerusalem "arrogant"

Date: 23 / 05 / 2009  Time:  13:47
Gaza - Ma'an -

Jerusalem will remain the capital of Palestine and Palestinians will defend it, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said in response to recent comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu.

The right wing Israeli leader commented Thursday that "United Jerusalem is Israel's capital. Jerusalem was always ours and will always be ours. It will never again be partitioned and divided," which sparked a flurry of reactions.

Hamas called Netanyahu’s statements “arrogant” and said they highlighted his racism and extremism targeting Palestinians.

Israeli media outlets expressed surprise when details of the US call for a peace process including “establishing a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital” emerged Thursday, though for years Palestinian negotiators have been clear that if Jerusalem were not the capital of a Palestinian state the negotiated deal would have no legitimacy.

Hamas: Statements of Netanyahu regarding Jerusalem, part of Israel's aggression

Friday May 22, 2009 11:22 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Yousef Farhat, media spokesperson of Hamas in the Central Gaza Strip, stated that the statements of Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, regarding “the unified Jerusalem” as the eternal capital of Israel, as old news that are part of the ongoing Israeli aggression against Jerusalem and the Al Aqsa mosque.

Farhat added Netanyahu is trying to practice pressure on the Arab leaders to change some of the articles of the Arab Peace Initiative in order to drop the Right of Return and the withdrawal from East Jerusalem.

He said that the Right of Return is a sacred Palestinian right, and that the refugees should be allowed to return to their homeland.

“Hamas will never accept settling the refugees in other countries, they should be allowed to return to their lands”, Farhat said, “This right is sacred; it cannot be given up or abandoned”.  

The Hamas spokesperson stated that the Israeli government is a government of war, and that Netanyahu started threatening to shell Gaza the first day he took office.

He also said that Hamas will never abandon its strategy of resistance, and that all options are open for the Qassam Brigades and all resistance groups, and added that resistance is an internationally guaranteed right for any nation living under occupation, and that the movement would retaliate to any Israeli aggression.

As for the statements of the US President, Barack Obama, regarding a two-state solution and dropping the right of return, Farhat said that Obama is not different than his predecessors, and that he is trying to present himself as the person who owns that magical solution to the Middle East conflict, but is still trying to negate the Right of Return.

Hamas: Statements of Netanyahu and Obama on Jerusalem, RoR old and rejected

[ 22/05/2009 - 11:46 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

The Hamas Movement has described Thursday the statements of Israeli premier Binyamin Netanyahu of considering the occupied city of Jerusalem as the indivisible capital of "Israel" as "old" and rejected by the Palestinians.

"These statements that this criminal [Netanyahu] utters are old statements, and they come in the shadow of a frenzied Israeli campaign against the occupied city of Jerusalem and against the holy Aqsa Mosque", asserted Yousuf Farahat, the spokesman of Hamas Movement in central Gaza Strip, in an interview with the PIC Thursday.

According to Farahat, Netanyahu's reiteration of those old statements aims at pushing the Arabs into accepting to introduce core changes into the Saudi-sponsored Arab initiative, including dropping the right of return of the Palestinian refugees among other essential points in the initiative.

"Hamas absolutely rejects waiving the right of return because it is a sacred Palestinian right, and it will never agree to the idea of resettling the Palestinian refugees in their host countries… this won't happen" underlined Farahat.

Describing Netanyahu's government as a "government of war" that threatened to launch another monstrous war on the Gaza Strip on the first day of its inauguration, the Hamas's spokesman stressed his Movement won't abandon the resistance against the Zionist occupation under any circumstances.

He also pointed out that "All options before the Qassam Brigades (the armed wing of Hamas Movement) and the Palestinian resistance factions are open, and we will keep on resisting as long as the occupation of our country persists". He stressed that Hamas Movement won't forsake its mandate of protecting and defending the Palestinian people.

Reacting to the statements of US President Barack Obama on the two-state solution, and on dropping the right of return, Farahat said: "Obama doesn't differ from his predecessors; yet, he tries to present himself to the Arab world in a bright light, and as if he possesses the magic solution to the Palestinian issue".

Furthermore, Farahat explained that the Palestinian people, wherever they are, didn’t and wouldn’t concede the right of return despite the massacres committed against them at the hands of the Zionist occupation over that past 61 years.

"We will not forget, and we will not compromise the right of return because it is a sacred right that no one in this world can drop", underscored Farahat.

Unacceptable idea: Seconding Farahat remarks, Palestinian lawmaker MP Dr. Atef Odwan of Hamas Movement described the suggestions of Obama of financially compensating the Palestinian refugees for their usurped homeland as "unacceptable" to the Palestinian people.

"This idea [of Obama] isn't acceptable to the Palestinian people, and no Palestinian individual, either from Hamas, Fatah, or any Palestinian faction, would accept such an idea", Odwan pointed out.

In this regard, the Palestinian legislator called on the Palestinian people, wherever they are, to remain adherents to the right of return and not to concede it, adding that the Palestinian parliament puts that sensitive issue on top of its priorities.

"It is about time for the world to support the truth, and to say No to falsehood, and it is about time to the world to give justice to the Palestinian people and to end their suffering", underlined Odwan in an interview with the PIC.

Furthermore, Odwan deprecated the US pledge to finance and develop the Israeli missile system dubbed as "Hetis-3", describing that undertaking as "flagrant bias" to the Zionist entity. Netanyahu won that pledge during his visit to Washington a couple of days ago.

"I believe that such pledge from the USA would serve as a prelude to a possible Israeli air strike against Iran or against any other party", highlighted Odwan.