Jerusalem celebrations snubbed by many countries

Gala celebrations will mark the 40th anniversary of the moment many Israelis see as their most glorious – the dramatic unification of Jerusalem under their control in the 1967 Middle East war.

However, the guest list keeps getting shorter, because the world doesn’t recognise Israel’s claim to the whole city.

The anniversary celebrations, scheduled for tomorrow and Wednesday, are underlining the controversy surrounding Israel’s hold on the fractious city it calls its eternal, undivided capital.

Because of the dispute over Jerusalem – one of the most explosive aspects of the Israel-Palestinian conflict – foreign countries don’t maintain embassies in the city, even though it’s the seat of Israel’s government, pointedly preferring the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv.

Yesterday, as the government geared up for the celebrations, the European Union announced its representatives would not attend. EU countries believe the city “should serve as a capital for two states,” a spokesman said.

The European snub was followed by US ambassador Richard Jones. Altogether, only about 20 of the 100 ambassadors invited to the official event at Israel’s parliament will attend, according to Knesset spokesman Giora Pordes.

“We are disappointed and unhappy that some countries have decided not to take part. United Jerusalem is the capital of Israel,” said Mark Regev, spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

Mustafa Barghouti, the Palestinian information minister, praised those refusing to attend, saying the celebrations “are in violation of international law”.

In June 1967, Israeli paratroopers fought their way into the Old City and advanced to the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, which had been under Jordanian control and off-limits to Jews for 19 years. For Israelis, the event has attained mythic status, signifying Israel’s lightning six-day victory over the armies of Egypt, Jordan and Syria and the extension of its control over the ancient city at the heart of the Jewish faith.

After the war, Israel annexed Jerusalem’s Arab neighbourhoods and outlying villages.

The elation of that first moment has since given way to ethnic and religious tensions and to the day-to-day minefield of governing one of the world’s most complicated cities.

Today, Jews are two-thirds of the city’s population, and Arabs make up the rest. Jerusalem’s Arabs have long charged that Israel discriminates against them in urban planning, building new Jewish neighbourhoods in east Jerusalem to cement its control while neglecting basic services in Arab areas.