Shamir Bars Participation of Palestinians From Jerusalem in Peace Negotiations

Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir today ruled out the participation of Palestinians from Jerusalem in peace negotiations, saying it would jeopardize Israel’s claim to the holy city.

“It’s clear that whoever lives in East Jerusalem will not be able to participate in these negotiations,” Shamir said.

Shamir also expressed anger at suggestions, apparently from U.S. officials, that Israel should not settle Soviet immigrants in the predominantly Arab sector of Jerusalem.

“We are very upset by some statements about the immigration of Soviet Jewish people saying that they not be permitted to live in East Jerusalem,” he said.

Shamir’s hard-line remarks in an interview with the Associated Press raised questions about the prospects of success for U.S. efforts to start a Palestinian-Israeli dialogue.

Such efforts are at a critical juncture with Shamir because he is under pressure from the rival Labor Party to make a decision by March 7 on whether to accept U.S. proposals for starting talks. He is also facing a major revolt by hawks in his Likud Bloc who oppose the negotiations.

Shamir claimed that he has support from “80% or more” of his party. He vowed to resolve the issue and to provide the Israeli Cabinet with his final position “in a few days or weeks.”

Reclining in an easy chair in his office here, the 74-year-old Israeli leader listed Jerusalem as the main stumbling block in bringing Israeli and Palestinian teams to the table in Cairo.

“Jerusalem is a key question without any doubt. We will not permit any attempt to undermine our position that Jerusalem, all of Jerusalem, will be the united capital of the state of Israel. Jerusalem will not be a subject for negotiations with the Arabs,” he said.

Israel annexed the east part of Jerusalem after capturing the predominantly Arab sector from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East War. The United States and most Western countries do not recognize Israel’s claim to East Jerusalem.

Shamir rejected the position of Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek of the liberal Labor Party that participation of East Jerusalem Arabs is a technical problem that does not call into question Israel’s claim to all of Jerusalem as its capital.

“It is naive to say that any participation of inhabitants of East Jerusalem will not have an impact on the status of Jerusalem,” Shamir said. “We will see to it that the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not take part in this election.”