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Comments:  110
Last update - 14:42 04/09/2008
Barak: Arab parts of Jerusalem could become Palestinian capital
By Haaretz Service and Reuters
Tags: Palestinians, Ehud Barak 

Some Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem could become the capital of a future Palestinian state as part of a final peace agreement, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in an interview broadcast on Wednesday.

Barak did not say whether these neighborhoods would include all of Arab East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed in a move not recognized internationally.

Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of the state they hope to establish in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
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"We can find a formula under which certain neighborhoods, heavily-populated Arab neighborhoods, could become, in a peace agreement, part of the Palestinian capital that, of course, will include also the neighboring villages around Jerusalem," Barak told Al-Jazeera television.

U.S.-sponsored peace talks were launched last November by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas with the goal of reaching an agreement in 2008.

But the negotiations have been marred by violence, as well as disputes over settlement building and Olmert's insistence that the fate of Jerusalem be decided later.

"I'm not sure whether the gaps are close enough," Barak said when asked if a deal was possible this year.

The talks have been thrown into further doubt by Olmert's announcement that he would step down as prime minister once his centrist Kadima party elects a new leader later this month.

Israel considers all of Jerusalem, including some surrounding areas in the occupied West Bank, to be its capital.

Israel wants to hold onto several major Jewish settlement blocs. Palestinians say these and other settlements will deny them a viable state.

Olmert and some of his closest advisers have hinted in the past that Israel would consider turning over outlying Palestinian neighborhoods of Jerusalem in a future deal.

As prime minister in 2000, Barak presided over peace talks in Camp David that broke down amid violence. The then-premier first raised the issue of relinquishing Arab parts of East Jerusalem to the Palestinians near the outbreak of the Second Intifada.

"It will be Jerusalem and al-Quds, one next to the other, as two capitals," Barak said in 2000.

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      1.   now that`s generosity! 18:56  |  fsf 03/09/08
      2.   So is there any progress 19:01  |  Dave Duncan 03/09/08
      3.   Good news coming forth from Jerusalem...! 19:02  |  Esther 03/09/08
      4.   This generosity was sponsored by your President, remember? 19:09  |  Israeli citizen 03/09/08
      5.   BOO to Barak, Olmert, and Kadima 19:09  |  Gregor 03/09/08
      6.   Thank you 19:09  |  anonymous 03/09/08
      7.   The Facts on the Ground 19:33  |  Binyamin 03/09/08
      8.   loosing sanity 19:35  |  ecr 03/09/08
      9.   The next step. . . . 19:45  |  MichaelF 03/09/08
      10.   Barak helps to Netaniahy. 19:52  |  Vital 03/09/08
      11.   Would be a great statement, if I would have been born today.... 19:56  |  Swiss (Dino) 03/09/08
      12.   The moment of truth is alway a bitter pill to swollow. 20:01  |  Akram Zekaria 03/09/08
      13.   you`re right, mr. citizen! 20:03  |  fsf 03/09/08
      14.   The only country in the world to give away its Capital to enemy, 20:13  |  Sal 03/09/08
      15.   Jeusalem should not be up for negotiation 20:13  |  Jean Van Daem 03/09/08
      16.   Barak is right / land swaps 20:15  |  DkS 03/09/08
      17.   Barak is right / land swaps 20:15  |  DkS 03/09/08
      18.   FINALLY: Voice of reason 20:17  |  Jerusalem Capital! 03/09/08
      19.   he`s out of his mind... 20:30  |  joey 03/09/08
      20.   This guy loves to give away JEWISH land!!! 20:30  |  Ben Yeppi 03/09/08
      21.   Israel and Palestine 20:45  |  James D. Stilwell 03/09/08
      22.   #7 Facts on the ground 20:52  |  Lou Medel 03/09/08
      23.   Barak on Jerusalem 20:52  |  Brod 03/09/08
      24.   #19 Jewish land? Only Jews lived there? 20:55  |  Lou Medel 03/09/08
      25.   Bye-Bye Barak ; Hit-the-Road Ramon 20:56  |  Wendy 03/09/08
      26.   The Barak trick! 20:58  |  Dutch Dirk 03/09/08
      27.   The Mad Olmert ! 21:00  |  Akram Zekaria 03/09/08
      28.   fsf on shiny weapons 21:16  |  zengeos 03/09/08
      29.   send barak back to army only thing he is good at or must go 21:24  |  ralph 03/09/08
      30.   The Only Division Is To Break Kadima Into Pieces 21:35  |  Joseph.E 03/09/08
      31.   The Only Evacuation Is To Oust Kadima w/ Peres From Parliament 21:37  |  Joseph.E 03/09/08
      32.   Don`t be more stupid than you have to, Barak 21:42  |  x-ray 03/09/08
      33.   Barak Statement Hurt The Asking Price of His Home 21:42  |  Joseph.E 03/09/08
      34.   this is a promise by barak 22:04  |  david 03/09/08
      35.   Al Quds is ours. Get out NOW 22:18  |  Raed Kami 03/09/08
      36.   Jerusalem division = Israel `Fitna` 22:22  |  Joseph.E 03/09/08
      37.   Jerusalem, Judea & Samaria are here to stay. Barak is not. 22:31  |  Chaim 03/09/08
      38.   #3 Esther. You`ve got to be nuts to see this as "good news". 22:34  |  Chaim 03/09/08
      39.   #15, Jean van Daem 22:53  |  Space 03/09/08
      40.   #24 Mr Medel 23:01  |  ballistic 03/09/08
      41.   Abbas` friend Kuntar for mayor of E Jerusalem? 23:14  |  Steve 03/09/08
      42.   Jean Van Daem 23:22  |  Me 03/09/08
      43.   Anything to help US Republican Candidate 23:28  |  isratinian 03/09/08
      44.   barak ensures 100 seats for likud and the right wingers 23:45  |  vhardman 03/09/08
      45.   Jerusalem 23:56  |  RepublicanStones 03/09/08
      46.   Barak bluffing and the leftist and naïves people will believe him 00:01  |  e.m.Jordan is Palest 04/09/08
      47.   Incompetent leadership 00:06  |  Nathaniel 04/09/08
      48.   Barak statement 00:09  |  Darbacan 04/09/08
      49.   Mofaz Asked Livni To Clarify her Position About Jerusalem 00:10  |  Joseph.E 04/09/08
      50.   Give them East Jerusalem... 00:11  |  Richard S 04/09/08
      51.   Strategic points 00:35  |  Schtarker Yid 04/09/08
      52.   Corrupt DM not planning freeing Shalit but surrendering Jerusalem 00:41  |  Absolute Sweden 04/09/08
      53.   Good idea but it won`t be good enough for the Palestinians 00:42  |  Conroy 04/09/08
      54.   Barak wasnt democratocly elected & has no right to give away Jeru 00:54  |  zionist forever 04/09/08
      55.   READ MY LIPS BARAK 00:59  |  indrajaya 04/09/08
      56.   Watch out Gaza! 01:01  |  Maureen Ann 04/09/08
      57.   At the next election two parties will cease 01:03  |  Gee 04/09/08
      58.   Let him first make his home the PALS capital 01:20  |  right on left out 04/09/08
      59.   Nothing New 01:36  |  Observer 04/09/08
      60.   Barack - Give The Arabs Your Own Property If You Want 01:40  |  Billy the Jew 04/09/08
      61.   #3 Esther @TA right, keep the momentum towards peace... 02:28  |  Smadar 04/09/08
      62.   Raed 03:01  |  Thundercloud65 04/09/08
      63.   re 56 maureen admitted to the club 03:13  |  alan the real one 04/09/08
      64.   Barak bluffing and the leftist and naïves people will believe him 03:13  |  e.m.Jordan is Palest 04/09/08
      65.   Jean Van Daem # 15 03:21  |  Philippe 04/09/08
      66.   Conroy on 8 yrs ago 04:15  |  zengeos 04/09/08
      67.   what works in theory doesnt nececarily work in reality 04:37  |  zionist forever 04/09/08
      68.   Translating Barak-speak into plain English 04:49  |  Johnboy 04/09/08
      69.   Raed Kami # 35 04:57  |  Philippe 04/09/08
      70.   #14 Sal, Barak is proposing no such thing 05:05  |  Johnboy