WESTERN WALL CLARIFICATION: UK Says Jews Are Not “Unlawfully Present” In Jerusalem

WESTERN WALL CLARIFICATION: UK Says Jews Are Not “Unlawfully Present” In Jerusalem

The British government has clarified that it does not consider Israelis at the Kosel or in Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter to be unlawfully present, despite adopting an International Court of Justice position regarding Israeli-controlled territory beyond the 1967 lines. The clarification came after Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced a ban on goods from Jewish communities in […]

Despite being past 67' lines: UK says Jews can visit Western Wall

British government says Israelis at the Western Wall and Jewish Quarter are not unlawfully present, clarifying its stance after adopting the ICJ position.

Exclusive: Israeli Jews praying at the Western Wall not unlawful, government tells JC

New legal position set out by Miliband when unveiling trade ban raised troubling questions

UK Clarifies Western Wall, Jewish Quarter Not Covered by Settlement Measures

A Foreign Office spokesperson said Britain does not consider Israeli presence at the Western Wall or in the Jewish Quarter unlawful.

UK Clarifies: Jews Visiting the Kosel Are Not ‘Unlawfully Present’ Despite New Israel Policy

The British government has clarified that it does not consider Israeli Jews who visit the Kosel or are present in the Jewish Quarter of Yerushalayim to be there unlawfully, despite Britain’s adoption of a legal position concerning Israeli-controlled areas beyond the pre-1967 lines. The clarification was issued following questions raised by Britain’s Jewish Chronicle over the possible ramifications of the government’s newly announced policy regarding territories under Israeli control beyond the Green Line. The issue arose after British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced Tuesday that Britain would prohibit goods originating from Jewish communities in Yehudah and Shomron. At the same time, the government accepted the position expressed in an advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice, which characterized Israel’s continued presence in territories captured from Jordan during the 1967 Six-Day War as unlawful. Britain had previously drawn a distinction between Jewish communities in Yehudah and Shomron, which it has long regarded as illegal under international law, and the broader question of Israel’s control of territories captured in 1967. Regarding Yerushalayim, London has maintained that the city’s ultimate status should be resolved through negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Britain’s decision to embrace the ICJ’s position, however, prompted a particularly sensitive question for Jews: Would that position mean that a Jew visiting the Kosel, davening there, or living in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City would now be regarded by Britain as unlawfully present? The British Foreign Office said the answer is no. “The government will always protect religious freedoms – including the rights of Jews to pray at the Western Wall,” a Foreign Office spokesperson told the Jewish Chronicle. “It is not the government’s position that the presence of Israelis in Jerusalem, including the Jewish Quarter or at the Western Wall, is unlawful.” The clarification is significant because both the Kosel and the Jewish Quarter are located beyond the Green Line, even though they are among the most historically and religiously significant Jewish sites in Yerushalayim. In announcing Britain’s new trade measures, Miliband said the government believed that its legal position concerning Israel’s presence in the territories should be reflected in Britain’s economic dealings with those areas as well. Miliband also unveiled what he described as a new framework for sanctions, while indicating that exemptions would be included for matters involving religion. The Kosel and the Jewish Quarter of the Old City returned to Jewish control during the Six-Day War in 1967, when Israel captured eastern Yerushalayim from Jordan. Jews had been barred from accessing the Kosel throughout the 19 years of Jordanian rule. In 1980, Israel formally applied Israeli law to eastern Yerushalayim and regards the entire city as its capital. Many countries, including Britain, do not recognize Israeli sovereignty over eastern portions of the city. Despite that broader diplomatic dispute, Britain is now making clear that its newly adopted position should not be interpreted as declaring Jews who come to the Kosel to daven, or Israelis who are present in the Jewish Quarter, to be there unlawfully. {Matzav.com}