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PA Escalates Illegal Activity in Jerusalem Palestinian Council

Meeting Violates Accords


Communicated by the Israel Government Press Office
Jerusalem, May 27, 1998



The Agreement

Under the terms of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority (PA) is prohibited from operating in Jerusalem.

The Interim Agreement ("Oslo 2"), which was signed on September 28, 1995, sets limits on the PA's jurisdiction, stating that it does not include "issues that will be negotiated in the permanent status negotiations: Jerusalem, settlements, specified military locations, Palestinian refugees, borders, foreign relations and Israelis" (Article XVII (1a)). Thus, the PA is barred from exercising any authority or conducting any activity in Jerusalem.

In the Note for the Record which accompanied the Hebron Protocol of January 15, 1997, the PA reaffirmed that, "Exercise of Palestinian governmental activity, and location of Palestinian governmental offices, will be as specified in the Interim Agreement."



The Violations

PA activity in Jerusalem is a flagrant violation of the Oslo Accords and the Note for the Record of the Hebron Protocol. It reflects the PA's concerted efforts to subvert Israel's sovereignty in the city. To comply with the accords, the PA must cease all its activity in Jerusalem.

The latest Palestinian violation took place on May 26, 1998, when approximately 40 members of the PA's Legislative Council (PLC), including six PA "Ministers", gathered in the Old City of Jerusalem to protest Jewish construction. Abu Alaa, speaker of the PLC, declared it to be an "historic event" and announced that it was the first official PLC meeting convened in Jerusalem. Israeli police dispersed the meeting.

Other illegal PA activities in Jerusalem include the following:

The "Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs" headed by Faisal Husseini operates out of the Orient House under the cover of the "Arab Studies Society." Husseini participates in cabinet meetings of the Palestinian Authority with full ministerial status.

Sheikh Ikrama Sabri, the official Mufti (senior religious cleric) of the PA, operates out of an office on the Temple Mount. Appointed by Arafat nearly three years ago, Sabri assumed his post by ousting the Jordanian appointee. His weekly prayer sermons regularly contain vitriolic incitement against Israel and the United States.

The Palestinian security forces operate in Jerusalem, engaging in threats, intimidation and interrogation of city residents. Forces stationed outside the city also conduct operations in Jerusalem. PA security agents serve as bodyguards for Palestinian officials and institutions in the city, and they are active on the Temple Mount. In February 1998, the PA attempted to set up a security company in the city to be used as cover for the operations of its security forces.

In March 1998, 16 surveyors working on behalf of the Israeli Ministry of Transportation were detained in Jerusalem by the PA and taken to Ramallah and Abu Dis for interrogation.

In February 1998, the PA Ministry of Youth and Sports attempted to convene four conferences in Jerusalem.

In December 1997, the PA attempted to conduct a population census in eastern Jerusalem.