EU shelves East Jerusalem report over fear of alienating Israel
www.guardian.co.uk ^ | Tuesday December 13, 2005 | Nicholas Watt
 

EU shelves East Jerusalem report over fear of alienating Israel

Nicholas Watt in Brussels Tuesday December 13, 2005 The Guardian

A controversial report that accuses Israel of rushing to annexe Arab areas of East Jerusalem was shelved by European foreign ministers in Brussels yesterday out of sensitivity to Israel. Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy chief, persuaded ministers to drop the report when he warned that Europe's influence over Israel would be severely undermined if it were to be published.

The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, whose diplomats in East Jerusalem drafted the report as part of Britain's EU presidency, announced the climbdown at a meeting of EU foreign ministers. "The political landscape has altered within Israel - there is a general election in a few months time," he said of Ariel Sharon's decision to form a new political party ahead of elections on March 28. "So we thought it was appropriate not to endorse or to publish the document, but instead to continue to make representations about our concerns in the normal way."

Mr Straw acted after Israel reacted angrily to the report, which was obtained by the Guardian last month. It accused Mr Sharon's government of undermining any chance of peace by trying to put the future of Arab East Jerusalem beyond negotiation. The report said: "Israeli activities in Jerusalem are in violation of both its road map [peace plan] obligations and international law."
 

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