Britain concerned over demolition of houses in Jerusalem

Apr 9, 2009, 11:57 GMT

Amman - British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Thursday expressed his country's opposition to the demolition of Palestinian houses in Jerusalem, saying the city should be the capital of both Israel and the future Palestinian state.

'We view with real concern the proposed demolitions in East Jerusalem,' Miliband told a press conference he jointly addressed with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh.

'Jerusalem should be the capital of the Palestinians and Israel,' he said.

Miliband was responding to plans by Israel to demolish scores of houses in a Jerusalem suburb that would make about 1,500 Palestinians homeless.

The Israeli authorities alleged that the building of the houses was illegal in East Jerusalem, which Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day war and annexed, saying the city would remain the 'eternal, undivided capital' of the Jewish state.

The United Nations still consider East Jerusalem occupied territory and both Jordan and the Palestinians insist that there would be no peace in the region before Israel quits East Jerusalem, allowing it to become the capital of an independent Palestinian state.

The issue of East Jerusalem, particularly the planned building of more settlements there by the new right-wing Israeli government, is expected to top Miliband's talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II and Prime Minister Nader Dahabi later in the day, officials said.

In addition, talks will also cover ways of reinvigorating peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, they said.

The British foreign secretary arrived in Amman earlier Thursday for his first visit to Jordan.