Netanyahu faces international scrutiny on Jerusalem
In his meeting with the UK’s Prince William, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu avoided the issue of the prince’s refusal to meet with Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat in his municipality office.
In the middle of Prince William’s visit to Israel June 25-28, Channel 2 news reported that Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat asked to meet with the prince in his Jerusalem municipality office. Barkat, a member of the Likud, was informed with royal decorum that the prince would be delighted to meet with him, but not in Jerusalem. Instead, such a meeting could take place in the home of the British ambassador in Ramat Gan during the official reception that was planned in honor of the prince.
The palace announced in advance that the duke of Cambridge’s first official visit to Israel was not a political visit. In statements preparing for the trip, which were released in advance weeks earlier, East Jerusalem was described as “occupied Palestinian territory.” But Barkat, who plans to run for a place on the Likud list in the next Knesset, tried to gain some political benefit from the royal visit. It is safe to assume that he and his staff were wellaware that their request would be denied.
As soon as Barkat learned of the terms of the prince’s visit, a source close to him responded harshly. The source claimed that the mayor had turned down the meeting out of respect for Jerusalem, and not because of the slight to his personal dignity. The source added, “The first official visit by a member of the royal family is both important and appropriate, but Israel has one capital and that is a united Jerusalem.” Much to his disappointment, the sky did not come crash crashing down. The media related to the nonexistent meeting as a minor and rather trivial anecdote in a larger, more dramatic event.
The Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Ze’ev Elkin did almost the same thing, and the results were similar. Having announced that he’s running for mayor of Jerusalem in the Oct. 30 municipal elections, Elkin decided to protest the designations of East Jerusalem as occupied territory in official statements by the palace and launched his own attack against the British. Just like Barkat, Elkin was trying to cement his status as a right-wing nationalist, working to bolster the stature of Israel’s capital against anyone who would try to weaken it.
