Netanyahu: ‘Jerusalem was ours and will remain ours’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday vowed to keep Jerusalem united under Israeli control, the Anadolu Agency reported.

Addressing the Knesset to mark the 49th anniversary of the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem, he said: “Our roots are deeper than any other nation’s, including to the Temple Mount. Jerusalem was ours and will remain ours.”

“Israel does not need to make excuses for its presence in Jerusalem,” he also said. “We remember Jerusalem up until the Six Day War [1967 war], when the city was split, with Israelis excluded from the Old City and its eastern neighbourhoods.”

He added: “We certainly do not want to return to that situation… I believe the Six Day War clarified to our enemies that we are here to stay.”

Netanyahu’s remarks came just two days after he announced his acceptance to start negotiations based on the Arab Peace Initiative, which includes Israeli withdrawal to pre-1967 borders.

Monitors said that these contradicted remarks prove that the Israeli officials do not have positive intentions towards a viable solution with Palestinians.