Two Jewish organizations have sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warning that they intend to take legal action against him if the status of Jerusalem is discussed at upcoming negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. Olmert recently commented that all of Israel's friends recognize the 1948 armistice lines as defacto-borders, and that it was inevitable that Israel would have to relinquish its hold on the eastern half of the city in exchange for peace with the Arab nations. It was reported that the Israeli Prime Minister also discussed the division of Jerusalem with King Abdullah II of Jordan, during a surprise visit to the Hashemite Kingdom last week. 

Quote: "Reportedly, during the meeting which was aimed at coordinating positions ahead of a visit by US President George W. Bush slated for next week, Abdullah told Olmert that the latter had to stand up to commitments he made in the past, and begin making public statements regarding the division of Jerusalem.

And it seems that is exactly what Olmert has been doing. But according to Israeli law, the city of Jerusalem is the "eternal and undivided capital" of the Jewish people. So when Vice Premier Haim Ramon announces that Israel will cede Arab areas of Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority, and Olmert questions why Arab communities were considered part of the holy city in the first place, they are violating Israeli law.

Quote: "The first clause of the law in question, passed in 1980 under Prime Minister Menachem Begin and President Yitzchak Navon, states, "Jerusalem, whole and united, is the capital of Israel." Clause 5 stipulates the precise area of Jerusalem, while Clause 6 states, "No authorities relating to the area of Jerusalem and that is in the legal purview of the State of Israel or the Municipality of Jerusalem shall be transferred to any foreign political or governmental element, whether permanently or for a set period." Clause 7 states that Clauses and 5 and 6 may not be changed except if another Basic Law is accepted by the majority of the Knesset. 

And a lawyer working on behalf of the organizations Victims of Arab Terror and Twenty-Four Shifts intend to remind the Prime Minister of that fact. The only way for Olmert to legally negotiate the status of Jerusalem is to repeal those laws, and he can only do that with the backing of the Knesset. If Olmert fails to respond to the letter, the two organizations are prepared to file for a court order to prevent him from dividing the city. And all this is happening as Israel prepares for the arrival of the President of the United States of America on a three day visit to the country this week. The Israeli government has announced it has created a special committee to oversee the negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, and the division of Jerusalem is one of the issues that will be discussed. The Israeli government intends to begin formal negotiations following President Bush's visit to the country, which runs from the 9th to the 11th of January.

Quote: "Negotiations over the core issues - refugees, Jerusalem and borders - will begin after U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to the region this week, while the remaining issues will be discussed in other committees. The agreement being finalized between Livni and Qureia changes the format of negotiations over the core issues which, until talks stopped in 2001, were discussed in three different committees. A senior political source said yesterday that the special committee will allow the two sides to engage in a real dialogue. "This way it will be possible to carry out negotiations without pressure - neither political nor through leaks - and we will be able to make more progress," the source added. 

It's interesting that this impasse over the status of Jerusalem has cropped up. For the Scriptures seem to indicate that some sort of agreement will be formulated 3.5 years prior to the division of Jerusalem. Clearly the Arab nations, and especially the Palestinian terrorist organizations, are not going to settle for anything less than full control over Gaza, Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem. And that's just to begin with. But something (or someone) will happen which will enable a peace agreement to be signed without Arab control over east Jerusalem. Could this be the Basic Law which prevents the division of the holy city until then? Or could it be the arrival of the Antichrist who convinces the Arab nations to play his game until the time is ripe? In any case prophecy is being fulfilled just as the Bible predicted. Following the division of the city, the Lord Jesus Christ will return to earth with His saints for the final battle over Jerusalem. Do you belong to Jesus Christ? Will you be with the Lord on that day? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation today.

Zechariah 14:1-3
Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

Source Jerusalem Post, Arutz 7, Haaretz