The Status of Jerusalem: Rowena’s Oral Statement

The Head of NCF Iraq, Rowena Jones, has delivered an oral intervention to the United Nations Human Rights Council’s 52nd Session, Item 2. She addressed the Status of Jerusalem in the context of the Middle East Peace Process.

Transcript

The Next Century Foundation is deeply concerned by the continued dispute between the State of Israel and the State of Palestine regarding the Status of Jerusalem. As one of the most contentious issues between them, it not only leaves hundreds of Palestinian residents in Jerusalem in a constant state of uncertainty, but also acts as a stumbling block to the Middle East Peace Process.

We implore Israel, Palestine and the international community to resolve this issue, as it may serve to rebuild mutual trust as a prelude to wider negotiations on the Middle East Peace Process and bring an end to this suffering.

However, most current resolution proposals maintained by the Security Council and some member states, such as dividing the city of Jerusalem in to West and East, or upholding a corpus separatum, are no longer tenable.

Instead, we suggest the city of Jerusalem be a shared capital of both Israel and Palestine and this be recognised by the international community. This would include both parties to agree on the principle of shared, equal, de jure sovereignty over the whole of Jerusalem. Practical arrangements would be approached via direct and bilateral discussions as a secondary issue.

This solution would respect the legitimate claims of both sides, address mutual security concerns, and engage both Israel and Palestine in issue-specific permanent status negotiations.