Romney hails Jerusalem as Israeli capital

White House hopeful Mitt Romney has hailed Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in an apparent endorsement of a position held by the Jewish state but never accepted by the international community.

"It is a deeply moving experience to be in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel," the Republican challenger said at the outset of a speech in the Holy City on Sunday when he laid out his positions on key foreign policy issues facing Israel.

The status of Jerusalem is one of the most contentious issues of the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel, which occupied the largely Arab eastern sector during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it, claims both halves of the city to be its "eternal and undivided capital".

But the Palestinians want the eastern sector as the capital of their promised state and fiercely oppose any Israeli attempt to extend sovereignty there.

Most of the international community, including the United States, does not formally recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital due to the ongoing conflict with the Palestinians, insisting the issue can be resolved only through final status negotiations.

All foreign embassies are located in Tel Aviv with consular representation in Jerusalem.

In 1995, the United States Congress passed a law calling for the relocation of the US embassy from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. The law has never been implemented, however, due to pressure from presidents Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama.

Almost four years ago, in August 2008 - some three months before the US presidential election - Obama, then a Democratic hopeful, made a similar statement about Jerusalem.

"Jerusalem will be the capital of Israel. I have said that before and I will say that again," Obama said on a tour of the southern Israeli town of Sderot, making clear that the status of the city was "a final status issue".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Romney for his remarks, later telling him: "I want to thank you for those very strong words of support and friendship for Israel and for Jerusalem that we heard today.

"Jerusalem today is marking the destruction of the city thousands of years ago. As you see it's been rebuilt by the Jewish people, open to all the three great faiths, vibrant, bustling," he said, shortly after the end of Tisha B'Av, when Jews traditionally fast to mourn the destruction of the two Jewish Temples.

"And as you said, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, and Jerusalem will always be the capital of Israel," he said in remarks communicated by his office.

A senior Palestinian official said Romney's endorsement of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was "harmful" to US interests in the Middle East.

"Romney's declarations are harmful to American interests in our region, and they harm peace, security and stability," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP.

"Even if this statement is within the US election campaign, it is unacceptable and we completely reject it. The US election campaign should never be at the expense of the Palestinians," he said.

"Romney is rewarding occupation, settlement and extremism in the region with such declarations."

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8507511 July 30 2012