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Israeli PM: Jerusalem will never be divided

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-05-22 11:45

Israel's President Shimon Peres (C), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Reuven Rivlin, speaker of the Parliament, attend a ceremony marking Jerusalem Day at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem May 21, 2009. [Agencies]

Netanyahu wants talks with Palestinians to focus on shoring up their economy and improving security in the West Bank instead of tackling thorny issues like the status of Jerusalem, the fate of Palestinian refugees and final borders.

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Palestinians reject this approach, saying the renewal of peace negotiations with Israel hinges on Netanyahu publicly endorsing Palestinian statehood and halting settlement activity.

The statement by Netanyahu on Jerusalem was similar to one made by Obama during last year's US presidential campaign.

In a speech to a pro-Israel lobby group last June, Obama said Jerusalem "will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided".

He later said Palestinians and Israelis had to negotiate the status of the city. "We don't want barbed wire running through Jerusalem, similar to the way it was prior to the '67 war," Obama explained.

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