Statement by Ambassador Gad Yaacobi Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations

on Development in Jerusalem

Security Council
United Nations

12 May 1995
New York

Mr. President,

At the outset, I would like to congratulate you on your assumption of the Presidency of the Security Council for the month of May. We are certain that your wealth of experience will be of great assistance as you guide the affairs of this Council. I would also like to congratulate your predecessor, H.E. Mr. Karel Kovanda, for his skilled conduct of the Council's affairs.

Mr. President,

Permit me to say, that even though I disagree with much of what has been said here, I would first like to set the record straight, on the basis of the facts. Unfortunately, the issue has been taken out of context and out of proportion.

The recent decision to expropriate not to confiscate land for construction in Jerusalem, is based on our long-standing policy: To ensure that development in Jerusalem keep pace with the changes that are a natural feature of any living city.

Construction and development for all residents have always been regular features of Jerusalem life, and will continue to be in the future. We do not accept the proposition that the natural and continued development of Jerusalem, or any other city, can or should be arrested. It is inconceivable that the people of Jerusalem Jews and Arabs alike should be deprived of sufficient schools, roads, housing, workplaces, et cetera.

Several weeks ago, the Israel Lands Authority published its intention to expropriate 53 hectares of barren land in the Jerusalem municipal area. This is for the purpose of development, including housing for Arab residents. In addition, appeals proceedings regarding 185 hectares in the Jerusalem area, expropriated two years ago, were recently completed.

We are speaking of barren land land that is not being used for housing, or agriculture, or any other purpose. Of the 238 hectares total, the majority 63% are under Jewish ownership. 27.3% are under Arab ownership, and 9.7% are lands, to which ownership has not been registered.

Specifically, the breakdown is as follows:

In the Har Homa area, 185 hectares are at issue: 139 hectares under Jewish ownership, 41 hectares under Arab ownership and 5 hectares, to which ownership has not been registered.

With regard to the other areas which are the Ramot and the Malha-Bet Zaffaffa areas the Lands Authority has only published its intention to expropriate. The owners have twenty days to present objections to the Authority. Should the objections be overruled, the owners have the right to appeal to the Supreme Court. If the expropriation is upheld, the owners will be compensated by the State.

In the Ramot area, 33.5 hectares are at issue: 9 hectares under Jewish ownership, 23 hectares under Arab ownership and 1.5 hectares, to which ownership has not been registered.

In the Malha-Bet Zaffaffa area, 20 hectares are at issue: 2.5 hectares under Jewish ownership, 1 hectare under Arab ownership and 16.5 hectares, to which ownership has not been registered. The land to be expropriated has been designated also for the construction of 400 housing units for Arab residents.

The needs of a growing, dynamic city will continue to guide us in the future, as well.

Mr. President,

In light of statements made earlier in this chamber, I wish to make some brief remarks on the meaning of Jerusalem to us.

Unfortunately, we heard some very deceiving statements regarding the history of Jerusalem, our country and UN resolutions, including the General Assembly resolution adopted on November 29, 1947. In that resolution, the United Nations decided on the establishment of two states in Mandatory Palestine: the State of Israel and an Arab State. The Jews accepted this resolution. The Arabs rejected it, and launched a war to violate it.

No one is more sensitive to the meaning of Jerusalem than the Jewish people. Ever since King David established it as our capital 3000 years ago, Jerusalem has been the essence of our nationhood. Jerusalem was never the capital of any other people. The Caliphs ruled it for centuries. But they never made it their capital. So too, the Mamelukes and the Ottomans.

When the sites of many of today's great capitals were only fields of passage for nomads, Jerusalem was our capital already. Even then, it was the object of pilgrimage for our people three times a year. Our kings ruled from her palaces. Our priests served God in her Temple. Our prophets preached justice in her streets. Even then, before many of the nations on this earth were born, Jerusalem was the national, political, cultural, religious and spiritual center of the Jewish people.

The continuous Jewish presence in the city began 3000 years ago and lasted, unbroken, to this very day. Even under foreign domination and persecution, we maintained a significant and vital presence in Jerusalem. Thus, since the second half of the 19th Century, Jews have constituted the majority of the city's inhabitants.

For Jews living in exile for 2,000 years, the centrality of Jerusalem sustained us as a people, and gave us the hope to carry on through the darkest days. The words "Next year in Jerusalem" were always on the lips, and in the hearts of Jews. The words of the psalmist best explain this devotion. "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth." This is the prayer of every child born to the Jewish people in every age, in every place: In New York, Moscow, Buenos Aires, London, Paris, Rome, Prague, Rabat, Cairo... and Jerusalem. We are sensitive to the importance of Jerusalem to Christians and Moslems. And we are proud that since 1967, Jerusalem is open to pilgrims and worshippers of all religions, and each faith freely administers its own holy sites.

Mr. President,

The centrality of Jerusalem in the soul of the Jewish people is the essence of our nationhood. We have expressed it in many ways. Our psalmists praised it in songs of ascent, and mourned its destruction in songs of lamentation. One hundred years ago, the Jewish people found inspiration in a new song, but with an ancient theme.

"As long as, deep in the heart,
The soul of a Jew yearns,
And towards the East,
An eye looks to Zion,
Then our hope is not yet lost.
The hope of two thousand years:
To be a free people in our land,
The land of Zion and Jerusalem."

This old-new song is the national anthem of the State of Israel, "Hatikva," "The Hope."

Speaking in Washington last Sunday, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin said, "The policy of all the Governments of Israel was and is: Jerusalem is united under Israel's sovereignty, the capital of Israel and the heart of the Jewish people forever." And he has emphasized on repeated occasions, "We have always promised and ensured freedom of worship for all religions and free access to all holy places."

Mr. President,

There is no contradiction between this policy and bilateral agreements Israel has signed, including the Declaration of Principles with the PLO, and we are committed to this agreement.

In the DOP, Israel and the PLO agreed that issues relating to the permanent status will be negotiated by the parties themselves in a later stage. Moreover, there is no contradiction between the peace process and continued development in Jerusalem for the benefit of all its residents both Jewish and Arab; And if one looks at the Declaration of Principles, one will find no reference no reference to any prohibition of development activity in Jerusalem.

If the leadership of the PLO feels otherwise, then the matter should be appropriately addressed in the framework of our bilateral negotiations. Indeed, Israel and the PLO agreed that differences and disputes arising out of the application or interpretation of the agreements, should be settled between the parties themselves according to an agreed process. This is detailed in Article Fifteen of the DOP, as well as in Article Seventeen of the Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area.

Accordingly, we believe that any attempt to address this issue outside the agreed-upon framework stands in contradiction to the letter and spirit of the agreements signed by Israel and the PLO, and to the principles of the peace process. We, therefore, call upon the members of the Security Council not to take any action on this matter.

Mr. President,

Continued progress towards peace should be the main concern of all parties. We all must travel the road to peace with determination. Let all give it the highest priority. Especially because the road is so difficult and the obstacles are so many.

The Middle East has come a long way in the past years. The agreements between Israel and the PLO; the implementation of the first stage, despite the continuous terrorism waged by the enemies of peace; the Israel-Jordan peace treaty; the establishment of working relations between Israel and other countries of the Middle East and North Africa; the basis for regional economic cooperation that has been laid by the Casablanca Conference and the multilateral negotiations.

Now, we have to continue building on this foundation, to do our utmost so that a comprehensive peace be achieved. This is our conviction, our commitment, our hope.

Thank you, Mr. President.