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EU warns Israel over al-Quds policies

08 December 2010 01:45 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The European Union has warned that current Israeli policies would not let the occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem) to be the future capital of a Palestinian state, APA reports citing Press TV.

"If current trends are not stopped as a matter of urgency, the prospect of east Jerusalem as the future capital of a Palestinian state becomes increasingly unlikely and unworkable," said an annual EU report seen by AFP on Tuesday.

"This in turn seriously endangers the chances of sustainable peace on the basis of two states, with Jerusalem as their future capital," the report added.

Beside settlement projects, Israel’s restrictive planning policies and the continuing demolitions and evictions have "serious humanitarian consequences," the EU said.

Such policies cause East al-Quds to be increasingly isolated from the rest of the occupied West Bank, the report warned.

Refusing to extend partial settlement freeze, Israel has approved the construction of more settler units in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East al-Quds.

The settlement issue stalled direct talks between Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu and acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas, which began early September.

Abbas has clarified that he would not return to the US-sponsored negotiations unless Tel Aviv extends its 10-month freeze, which expired late September.

On Monday, Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman insisted that Tel Aviv has no plan to extend the partial moratorium on the settlement activities.

Israel occupied and annexed East al-Quds in 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the international community and the United Nations.

"Jerusalem is not a settlement -- Jerusalem is the capital ofâ€¦ Israel," said Netanyahu’s office, adding that Israel had never stopped settlement construction in the occupied city since the 1967 war.

Palestinians argue that the settlement projects, which contravene UN Security Council Resolutions 446, 452, and 465, are aimed at preventing the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East al-Quds as its capital.