Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., May 24, 2009 Sivan 1, 5769 | | Israel Time: 02:01 (EST+7)   Back to Homepage web haaretz.com Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Focus U.S.A. Travel Week's End Anglo File

PM: I told Obama Jerusalem will never be divided By Nadav Shragai, Ora Coren and Mazal Mualem Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Thursday that all of Jerusalem would always remain under Israeli sovereignty, in comments likely to spark consternation among Palestinians who hope to make the city the capital of a future state. "United Jerusalem is Israel's capital. Jerusalem was always ours and will always be ours. It will never again be partitioned and divided," Netanyahu said at a state ceremony to mark Jerusalem Day. Advertisement Netanyahu said he had made the same declaration during his visit to Washington this week, where he met with U.S. President Barack Obama and discussed the peace process and Iran's nuclear program. Jerusalem Day celebrates the conquest of the city during the 1967 Six-Day War, before which Jordan controlled East Jerusalem, while Israel had the western section. Shortly after the war, Israel annexed East Jerusalem. "Only under Israeli sovereignty will united Jerusalem ensure the freedom of religion and freedom of access for the three religions to the holy places," Netanyahu added. The ceremony took place at Ammunition Hill in East Jerusalem, the site of one of the bloodiest battles in the city in the 1967 war, and now part of a Jewish neighborhood. "Jerusalem was a city whose main streets were lined with shelters from sniper fire," Netanyahu said, referring to the period when the city was divided between Israel and Jordan. "A city whose residents could not move freely from place to place. All that changed forever in 1967." "The new U.S. administration informs us with intolerably ease that we have to give up Jerusalem," the Likud politician said. "With all due respect, the U.S. president sees the American interest and does not know that Jerusalem is not a territorial issue, but a much deeper one - 'the hope of two thousand years/the land of Zion and Jerusalem,'" he said, quoting the national anthem. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce that he did not consider Jewish settlements in the West Bank to be an obstacle to peace talks. "Let's put prejudice aside. Who decided that the settlements in Judea and Samaria are an obstacle to peace?" he asked. "Was there peace [before the Six-Day War]? It was the same: terror, tension. Those who seek to present the conflict as being territorial are making a mistake; if you make the wrong diagnosis then you'll find the wrong medicine." The foreign minister also commented on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with Obama, complementing him for how he handled an "uneasy" task. "On the strategic level we have a complete understanding [with the U.S.]: stopping Iran, dismantling or preventing it from getting non-conventional weapons, stopping the plan that endangers the entire world and identifying Iran as a central source of instability in the Middle East regardless of the nuclear issue," Lieberman said. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Iran presidential vote Ahmadinejad slams rivals for wanting 'detente' with the West. Demographic threat Study finds one in four Israelis would consider leaving country if Iran gets nukes.

Read & React Yossi Melman: Obama quashed Israel military option against Iran Responses: 174 '1 in 4 Israelis would consider leaving country if Iran gets nukes' Responses: 158 U.S. military: Nuke-armed Iran would be 'calamitous' Responses: 51 'Israeli assassination of Nasrallah would set region ablaze' Responses: 90 More Headlines 23:57 Report: Hezbollah may be behind Hariri murder 20:18 'Israel won't yield to U.S. demands, won't halt settlement construction' 13:19 Assad: Israel is the major obstacle to peace 22:18 Palestinians rescued after five days trapped in collapsed tunnel 21:54 Arab League: No 57-state solution to Mideast conflict 23:11 Iran blocks Facebook due to presidential campaigning 18:30 The Israeli diplomatic lexicon - What they really mean 20:58 WATCH: Daily news round-up from Israel 23:25 Will Adam Lambert be the next front man for Queen? 13:12 Politicos, religious leaders show solidarity with New York synagogue 11:19 Report: Lebanon arrests three Israeli spies 19:07 Iran: No nuclear talks with West until after elections 12:41 'Netanyahu could name Druze MK next ambassador to Egypt' Previous Editions Select Day 22 may 21 may 20 may 19 may 18 may 17 may 15 may 14 may 13 may 12 may 11 may 10 may

Special Offers Advertisement hotel Jerusalem David Citadel Hotel, come stay at the finest of Jerusalem hotels. ISRAEL ARMY SURPLUS STORE IDF insignia,Uniforms, Paladium Boots Watches, Israel Army T-shirts & Collectibles Dead Sea Skin Care Quality cosmetics from the Dead Sea. Coupon code HAARETZ for 12% off! Camp Kimama Israel 2009 The best place for your children this summer Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on online reservations Jewish Singles Personal Ads Find the love of your life on JDate.com Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Site rules |

| Israel 2009 election results | Makom: Engaging on Israel

| Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved