The Ban on the PA in Jerusalem

By Published On: June 6, 2007

When a Palestinian conference was banned from Jerusalem yesterday, who’s to blame? The AP’s Sarah El Deeb originally had it that oppressive Israeli policies are at fault:

The [Palestinian conference] was banned since it was backed by the Palestinian Authority, which Israeli law prohibits from operating in east Jerusalem, police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said.

CAMERA pointed out to the AP that bilateral peace accords prohibit Palestinian Authority activity in Jerusalem. The Declaration of Principles and the Interim Agreement stipulate that the Palestinian Council shall have no authority in Jerusalem during the interim period. Moreover, the Note for the Record attached to the Hebron Protocol restated that all Palestinian Council offices and activity remain in areas under Palestinian jurisdiction — in other words, outside of Jerusalem.

The result? A (slightly) improved updated story:

The gathering was banned since it was backed by the Palestinian Authority, police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby. The authority is barred from operating in east Jerusalem, which Israel annexed in 1967 soon after capturing it.

It seems that because the ban can’t be blamed on Israeli law, there’s no point mentioning the real reason. After all, why draw attention to the fact that Palestinians are violating the accords they signed?

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