RAMALLAH: The Palestinian Authority (PA) would be willing to relinquish Palestinian rights over the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound only if its sovereignty is transferred to the Jeddah-based Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) as part of a final-status agreement, sources said yesterday. The OIC is a signatory to the Arab peace initiative.
The Israeli daily Haaretz quoted the Palestinian sources as saying the PA was studying a proposed agreement that would provide the Palestinians with backing from all Muslim states on a historic compromise with Israel.
According to the proposal, the Al-Buraq Wall and the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City would be under Israeli sovereignty, while the Muslim, Christian and Armenian quarters would be transferred to Palestinian sovereignty.
Israel objects to Palestinian sovereignty over the Armenian Quarter. There are also differences over the Al-Buraq Wall; the PA says that Israeli sovereignty applies only to a part of the wall.
But at a ceremony marking the occupation and annexation of Arab East Jerusalem in the 1967 War, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday vowed that Jerusalem would remain Israel’s capital forever and “will never be divided.”
Palestinian officials immediately called it a setback to US President Barack Obama’s efforts to restart peace negotiations.
