--The EU position on Jerusalem as stated by the German presidency in a letter to the Israeli Foreign Ministry is an affirmation of the integrity of the European position on the applicability of international law and UN resolutions.

--According to UN resolution 181, Jerusalem is a Corpus Separatum with special status; hence Israel cannot claim sovereignty over the city.

--Israeli attempts at creating facts in the City to consolidate its illegal annexation of Jerusalem are thus a blatant violation of international law. Such measures include land expropriation, settlement activities (within and around the city), confiscation of Palestinian Jerusalem identity cards, house demolitions, and the ongoing siege and isolation of Jerusalem which rendered it inaccessible to non-Jerusalem Palestinians.

--Thus the Israeli Foreign Ministry's letter to foreign ambassadors instructing them not to arrange visits by their diplomats to the Palestinian Orient House in Jerusalem comes in the context of this policy of creating facts and imposing prejudicial realities on the city and its legal status.

--What adds insult to injury is the Israeli presumption of dictating to sovereign states their policies on such crucial issues, particularly when these "instructions" contravene international law and the long-standing policies of these countries.

--MIFTAH, along with the Palestinian people as a whole, has not only taken note of this courageous, legal, and ethical European position, but wishes to express its respect and gratitude to the EU for standing up to Israeli coercion and upholding the most basic norms of justice and fairness.

--In contrast, the position of the American Congress to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem remains deplorable, to say the least. It is unconscionable that the representatives of the American people and the highest legislative body in the US can adopt a position in violation of international law and long-standing American policy-let alone of Palestinian human, national, territorial, and political rights. (It is worth noting here that the land on which the proposed US embassy in Jerusalem is to be built is Palestinian land which has been confiscated from its rightful owners.)

--By using the budget as a means of meddling in foreign policy and jeopardizing the course of an already endangered peace process, Congress is betraying an attitude of short-sightedness and irresponsibility. While Palestinians cannot deliver votes or campaign funds remotely comparable to those supplied by the pro-Israeli lobby in the US, we have a moral and legal legacy which, in the long run, counts for more than narrow and immediate gains.

--The credibility, influence and interests of the US in the region as a whole have been undermined by such a lack of even-handedness and foresight. We urge both houses of the Congress to reconsider their position and to engage the Palestinians in a candid and honest dialogue in order to acquaint themselves with the issues and with the implications of their decisions.

--If US foreign policy is liberated from the constraints of Israeli priorities and preferential treatment, then American credibility in the Arab world can be restored on the basis of mutual respect as well as mutual benefit.

--The laudable EU position on Jerusalem can be both a model and a precedent. The American legislative body has a lot to learn (and to gain) from following its example.