Knesset Speaker says Jerusalem is not negotiable

The Speaker of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, has said that the status of Jerusalem is “not negotiable”. Speaking about settlement construction in Jerusalem, Reuven Rivlin asserted that Israel would not give up control over occupied East Jerusalem under any peace agreement with the Palestinians.

Rivlin, who is a prominent member of the Likud Party, also told Israel Radio that all of the so-called E1 areas are non-negotiable: “Israel is not going to yield to a reality where its opponents believe that building around Jerusalem, Israel’s capital [sic], is a main obstacle to peace.”

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On Monday, the Regional Committee for Construction and Planning in Jerusalem approved the construction of 1,500 units for Jewish settlers in Ramat Shlomo in occupied Jerusalem. Sources inside Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated that the project is still at the planning, not implementation, stage.