PARIS - France accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Neyanyahu on Friday of prejudicing the outcome of the Middle East peace process by declaring that occupied Jerusalem would forever be Israel's undivided capital."The declaration made by the Israeli prime minister yesterday in Jerusalem prejudices the final status agreement," foreign ministry spokesman Frederic Desagneaux told reporters in Paris.
Desagneaux said the internationally-sponsored "Middle East road map" to peace called on both parties to negotiate an agreement on occupied Jerusalem.
On Thursday, at a ceremony marking Israel's occupation of Palestinian east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War, which Israel waged against its neighbours, Netanyahu said: "Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. It has always been, will remain so forever and will never be divided."
Reacting to the speech, the French spokesman took the opportunity to restate Paris' position on the future status of occupied Jerusalem and to criticise Israel for allowing illegal Jewish settlers to build on occupied land.
"In France's eyes, Jerusalem should, within the framework of a negotiated peace deal, become the capital of two states," he said, adding that 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 said.
"In broad terms, France condemns the ongoing settlement, including in East Jerusalem. We reiterate the need for a freeze on colonisation activities, including those linked to natural population growth," he added.
The previous Israeli government said it might agree to give up sovereignty on some Palestinian neighbourhoods in east Jerusalem, but Netanyahu has ruled this out and has refused to endorse the creation of a Palestinian state.
Israeli forces captured the eastern part of the city in the 1967 Six Day War, which Tel Aviv launched against its neighbours.
Under international law, neither east nor west Jerusalem is considered Israel's capital. Tel Aviv is recognised as Israel's capital, pending a negotiated settlement with the Palestinians.
East Jerusalem is considered by the international community to be illegally occupied by Israel, in contravention of several binding UN Security Council Resolutions.
In these resolutions, the United Nations Security Council has also called for no measures to be taken to change the status of Jerusalem until a final settlement is reached between the sides.
Declaring Jerusalem as Israel's capital is an attempt to change this status, and is thus a violation of these Security Council resolutions.
The Palestinians slammed Netanyahu's remarks as undermining the principle of a two-state solution which has formed the bedrock of the peace process over the past two decades.
"East Jerusalem is occupied Palestinian just like all the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since June 4, 1967," president Mahmud Abbas's spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said.
"Such declarations defy the idea of a two-state solution," he said, urging US President Barack Obama to intervene in order to halt "the Israeli policies and these declarations that destroy all efforts to reach a just and comprehensive peace in our region."
There was never a country named palastine. East Jerusalem was taken in a defensive war and therefore belongs to Israel. The UN has been taken over by muslims and their dhimmis, who cares what they say. International law states that land taken in a defensive war belongs to the victors. That would be the Jews. They were attacked by Egypt, Jordan and Syria, and they kicked the shit out of the arab muslims.
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