July 13, 2000. Copyright 2000. Graphic News. All rights reserved.

PLANS FOR JERUSALEM

LONDON, July 13, Graphic News: IF A peace agreement is reached at Camp David, President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat must hammer out an accord on four thorny issues: borders and land for peace, the future of more than four million Palestinian refugees, the spread of settlements which are homes to 170,000 Israelis and -- the sharpest thorn of all -- Jerusalem.

To add a little spice to the negotiations, they are being conducted under the shadow of ArafatÕs vowed intention to declare a Palestinian state by September 13 with or without a deal.

While a face-saving fudge is possible on the first three issues, a meeting of minds over Jerusalem appears less possible and is pinned on a joint Israeli-Palestinian scheme known as the Beilin-Abu Mazen plan.

Israel occupied and annexed Arab East Jerusalem in 1967 and claims the city as its indivisible, eternal capital. The Palestinians want Arab East Jerusalem as their capital and will accept nothing less.

The plan on the table at Camp David, devised by IsraelÕs justice minister Yossi Beilin and the Palestinian Liberation OrganizationÕs secretary general, Mahmoud Abbas (alias Abu Mazen) proposes giving the 310,000 Palestinians of East Jerusalem municipal powers over some districts which would remain under Israeli sovereignty.

In addition, the suburbs of Abu Dis and Eizariyeh, just outside the municipal boundary would be handed over to full Palestinian control. These would become the Palestinian capital, to be known as al-Quds --the Arabic name for Jerusalem, meaning the Holy City -- enabling their flag to fly over a parliament building in Abu Dis, one and a half miles from the Dome on the Rock.

The Palestinians would have sovereignty over Muslim holy places in JerusalemÕs walled Old City, which embraces some of the holiest shrines to Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

The three blocs of around 80 Jewish settlements on the West Bank around Jerusalem would become Israeli territory in exchange for land close to the Israeli-Gaza border.

The Beilin-Abu Mazen scheme is popular among Israeli left wingers but is hugely unpopular among the right and Palestinians, who reject the idea of Abu Dis being made their capital. Arafat has said he believes he would be assassinated if he compromised on East Jerusalem.

Palestinian radical groups who refused ArafatÕs call to join his delegation called on Palestinians to brace for failure.

Ismail Abu Shanab, a senior leader of the radical group Hamas, said: ÒHamas believes the core issues could only be resolved through pursuing Jihad (holy struggle) and not through futile negotiations.Ó

Whatever the outcome of the U.S.-sponsored negotiations both Barak and Arafat are committed to putting any Jerusalem accord to a referendum on their return from Camp David.

On his visit to Jerusalem last March, Pope John Paul himself acknowledged a Òsense of transcendence and divine election that we perceive in her stones and monuments...Ó

He said that if religious communities found harmony, ÒJerusalem will truly be a City of Peace for all peoples.Ó
/ENDS
Sources: Reuters, Associated Press, UPI