Brussels, June 1st, 2011 – ”The Jewish people are in Jerusalem, not as settlers or invaders, but as of right. These rights are clearly spelt out in International Law and should be respected by the international community."
These were the conclusions of Dr. Jacques Gauthier, an international human rights lawyer from Toronto, who has spent 25 years conducting research into the conflicting claims to Jerusalem under international law. On Wednesday, on Jerusalem Day, he spoke in the European Parliament in Brussels.
- ”For anyone who is interested in justice, these are issues which we have to study carefully,” he said. ”The rights vested in the Jewish people stand on very solid legal ground and are valid to this day.”
Gauthier chose to make a distinction between Jerusalem and the so-called disputed territories.
- ”Jerusalem is not a settlement but the historical capital of Israel. If Jerusalem were to be divided along the armistice demarcation lines of 1967, it would place the Old City under Palestinian rule. This would contradict the legal commitments made to the Jewish people in the San Remo Resolution of 1920, the Mandate for Palestine in 1922, as well as Article 80 in the United Nations Charter." Based on these legal commitments, he also defended the right for Jewish settlements to exist in any area covered by the original Mandate for Palestine, including a possible future Palestinian state. The current leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, in contrast, has stated that ”no Jews would be permitted to live in a Palestinian state.”
Gauthier’s speech was delivered at a symposium marking Jerusalem Day and was attended by members of the European Parliament and others interested in the subject. MEP Timothy Kirkhope, who hosted the event, expressed his appreciation of the in-depth research which was presented at the symposium.
The event was co-hosted by the European Coalition for Israel. In his intervention ECI director Tomas Sandell reminded the audience that we are called to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. - ”This means praying and working for a just and lasting peace. Dividing Jerusalem will not lead to peace but will only further fuel the conflict. A lasting peace needs to be based on historical facts and international law and not on unilateral declarations or international pressure,” he said.
The symposium presented a solid legal argument for keeping Jerusalem united under Jewish sovereignty, but open to people of all faiths to pray at their holy sites. History seems to prove that only Jewish sovereignty over Jerusalem can guarantee such freedom for people, irrespective of religious affiliations.
Source: European Coalition for Israel
Txs to Marjo for sending us this great article.
Photo Jerusalem-view © by us, March 2010.
