Israel 'prepared to cede parts of Jerusalem in deal'

Published on Wednesday 1 September 2010 16:29

Israel is ready to cede parts of Jerusalem to the Palestinians in the framework of a peace deal, Defence Minister Ehud Barak has said ahead of the start of talks.

Partition in Jerusalem - at the heart of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict - would include a "special regime" for managing the city's holiest sites, Mr Barak said.

His disclosure suggests the Netanyahu government was willing to yield on Jerusalem, including its walled Old City where al-Aqsa, Islam's third-holiest shrine, abuts the Western Wall, the vestige of Judaism's two ancient temples and today a Jewish prayer plaza.

"West Jerusalem and 12 Jewish neighborhoods will be ours. The Arab neighbourhoods in which close to a quarter million Palestinians live will be theirs," said Mr Barak.

He added: "There will be a special regime along with agreed arrangements in the Old City, the Mount of Olives and the City of David."

Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a state they hope to set up in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.