Israel using tourism to Control Jeru

Ir Amin: Israel using tourism to tighten control of Jerusalem

The Israeli government has been accused of secretly developing parks and tourist attractions in East Jerusalem in an attempt to extend its control of the city.

Under an eight-year plan, a series of nine national parks and tourist trains based on historical sites will be established, most will be under the control of settler groups working with the government.

But Ir Amin, a group working for a shared Jerusalem, has claimed the plan aims to link up areas surrounding the old city to strengthen Israel's claim to Jerusalem as its capital city, according to reports in the Guardian..

The claims come ahead of the visit of Pope Benedict XVI, who arrives in Jerusalem tomorrow for a week-long pilgrimage.

Daniel Seidemann, an Israeli lawyer and founder of Ir Amin, told the paper that the sites would link Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The parks would be built on public and private land and would be fenced in, he said.

"This act will limit the possibility of territorial compromise in Jerusalem to its northern and southern parts only, outside of areas surrounding the Old City.

"This policy fans the flames of the conflict and threatens to change it from a national conflict that can be controlled and solved, into a pointless regional confrontation."

Israel claims Jerusalem as its capital.

Daniel Seidemann, an Israeli lawyer and founder of Ir Amin, told the paper that the sites would link Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The parks would be built on public and private land and would be fenced in, he said.

"This act will limit the possibility of territorial compromise in Jerusalem to its northern and southern parts only, outside of areas surrounding the Old City.

"This policy fans the flames of the conflict and threatens to change it from a national conflict that can be controlled and solved, into a pointless regional confrontation."

Jerusalem is claimed as a capital by both Israelis and Palestinians.

Palestinians, who live in the east, make up a third of the city's population.

ENDS

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