Sir, - In response to the letter by Mr David Sowby (April 8th), I would like to outline the following:
In 1967, East Jerusalem camel under Israeli military occupation, and under the legal regulation of the IV Geneva Convention and other applicable provisions of the laws of war.
The United Nations responded to moves by Israel to change the status of Jerusalem with a series of resolutions demanding the rescinding of all such measures and affirming the status of East Jerusalem as occupied territory. Thee European Union in successive declarations, including last December's Dublin Summit, stated that Jewish settlements are illegal and contravene international law and that the EU does not recognise Israel's sovereignty over East Jerusalem.
Most of the land of East Jerusalem expropriated by Israel since 1967 was privately owned by Palestinians. However 48,500 housing units were built, which raised the Jewish population from 0 to 173,000. Therefore East Jerusalem now has a Jewish majority.
At the same time Israel refused to grant Palestinians planning permission to build houses and forced many of them to live beyond the boundaries of the city. Now some 120,000 Palestinians from Jerusalem may lose their identity cards as a result of the ethnic cleansing policy conducted by the Israeli government.
Further, the Israeli authorities demolished thousands of Palestinian homes with the excuse that they built without permission. For example, last September Israelis demolished the handicapped children's centre, the Allaqlaq Tower Society Building.
The decision of the Israeli government to build a new Jewish settlement in Jabul Chnaim (Har Homa) to house 32,000 - Jews only - is further consolidating the Israeli domination of the city and will close the ring of Jewish settlements around the city. It will separate completely East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, and divide the north of the West Bank from the south.
As a result, the Palestinian areas will become bantustans whose economy, security and relations with the outside world would be permanently controlled by Israel, preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
There are two peoples in Jerusalem and three faiths, therefore Jerusalem should be one open city with two capitals, one for the Israelis and one for the Palestinians, like Rome and the Vatican.
Let us all work for peace and Justice. - Yours, etc
PLO Representative to Ireland,
PO Box IEQ,
London WIA IEQ.