BICOM

A report by European Union delegates in Jerusalem and Ramallah is calling for the reinstatement of the Palestine Liberation Organisation presence in East Jerusalem and for the advancement of Palestinian Authority policies in the city. The report, which was obtained by Haaretz, Ynetnews, the Guardian and the Independent, also recommends information sharing on violent settlers in East Jerusalem, in order to assess whether they should be allowed to enter EU member states.

The report is currently being sent to foreign ministries in various capitals for discussion at the Political and Security Committee of the European Union in Brussels, and takes the same stance as one written in 2011 by EU delegates to Brussels, which dealt for the first time with Area C of the West Bank.

The report holds that Israel, in a series of steps, is working to annex East Jerusalem and that Israeli policies in the city are “increasingly undermining the feasibility of Jerusalem as the future capital of two states.” The report suggests EU delegates refrain from meeting Israeli officials in their East Jerusalem offices. In addition, the report recommends that EU member states prevent or discourage financial transactions to institutions supporting settlement construction in East Jerusalem.

In unrelated news, according to a Maariv report this morning, senior representatives of European states have conveyed a message to Israel saying it should accept PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ request and free security prisoners, so as not to cause the Palestinians to quit exploratory talks currently being held in Amman. This refers to 123 Fatah prisoners who were arrested prior to the Oslo Accords, many of whom were convicted for acts of terrorism.

Abbas is in Germany today to meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel, and later in the week will meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow.