Ramallah: The Palestinians said they achieved a small but important victory after the EU foreign ministers' statement rejected Israel's control over occupied Jerusalem and said Jerusalem needed to become the capital of Israel and a future Palestinian state.
Israel also won after strong lobbying to change the wording of the original Swedish proposal, which had bluntly called for the recognition of occupied East Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian state.
The EU statement reflected the divisions among the EU states over Europe's political role in ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It was also a reflection of the Palestinians' growing influence within the international community.
Israel lobbied intensively within the 27-member EU block and succeeded in softening the language.
However, the statement was still adopted with language that angered Israel, reflecting the divisions in the EU over key, sensitive final status issues which include occupied Jerusalem and Jewish colonies.
Rejection of occupation
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Wednesday that Sweden failed in a bid to bring about a harsher EU statement.
"We think that common sense won out, and it was clear that between the draft, which was floated by the Swedes, and the final document there is no connection whatsoever," Lieberman told Israel Radio.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said the EU statement reaffirming the rejection of the occupation and annexation of Jerusalem and citing clear terms of reference for the peace process was a "victory for international legitimacy and international law".
"The European Union will not recognise any changes to the pre-1967 borders including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties," the EU statement said.
Israel is not the only player, Fayyad said. The initial proposal was softened due to intense Israeli lobbying and divisions among the EU ministers. Germany, Spain, Italy and France played a key role in softening the text of the EU statement.
The fate of occupied Jerusalem was the main issue that led to the failure of the Camp David summit in July 2000 and is a highly sensitive issue with Israel insisting that Jerusalem is its eternal, united capital and the Palestinians saying occupied East Jerusalem is the capital of their future state.
Fayyad said the EU position was "an important step on the path for the international community's upholding of its direct responsibilities to end Israeli occupation over all Palestinian Territories captured since 1967, including East Jerusalem, and enabling the Palestinian people to achieve self-determination and creating their sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital."
Palestinian analyst Abdul Majid Sweilem said the EU statement had clearly supported Fayyad's plan which calls for the declaration of a Palestinian state in two years and which prepares for this declaration through the building of the state's infrastructure.
Wafa Amr is a journalist based in Ramallah
