Israel Matzav

Video: Israel's right to build in Jerusalem

Dore Gold spoke at a workshop at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, on December 29, 2009, on the topic of Israeli construction in Jerusalem. Through his analysis of the history of Jerusalem, Gold argues that Israel has full legal and historical rights to build in all parts of Jerusalem.

Dore Gold addressed the ZOA Young Leaders group a few days ago on the timely topic of Israeli construction in Jerusalem. Gold explains how Israel has full legal and historical rights to build in all parts of Jerusalem:

The Obama administration responded disapprovingly to Israel's decision to build housing in the eastern parts of Jerusalem.The whole notion that Jerusalem is occupied territory and that Israel has to therefore handle it in some kind of special way is also a very difficult argument to accept.

Israel, in a war of self-defense, captured the eastern parts of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War. Previously, the Jordanians had annexed east Jerusalem, but only Pakistan had recognized Jordanian sovereignty in Jerusalem. It became a springboard for attacking Israel, and Israel recovered it in a war of self-defense. Can you say that Israel is occupying someone else's territory? Whom did it belong to? Jordan?
Israel has a claim to Jerusalem which is stronger than any other claimant. An international legal expert, Steven Schwebel, who was later Legal Adviser to the U.S. Department of State and President of the International Court of Justice at The Hague, asserted back in 1970 that of all the claimants to Jerusalem, Israel had the strongest claim. If Israel's claim is the strongest claim, then it becomes difficult to understand how Israel could be criticized for building in Jerusalem for both its Jewish and Arab residents.

Let's go to the videotape.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:55 PM