Embassy of the United States of America
Tel Aviv, Israel
January 28, 2005
Corinne Whitlatch
J. Daryl Byler
Churches for Middle East Peace
110 Maryland Avenue NE, #311
Washington, D.C. 20002
Dear Ms. Whitlatch and Mr. Byler,
Thank you for your
thoughtful letter of January 25. The U.S. Government shares your concern
over the reported land seizures in E. Jerusalem. At this point we are
working very hard to understand precisely the elements of the Absentee
Property Law of 1950 and how the Israeli government intends to implement
it, if at all. We also continue to urge Israel to refrain from any
unilateral step that changes the status quo in Jerusalem. Mutual
agreement and direct negotiations between the parties are required for
final status issues, including the status of Jerusalem.
Similarly, our position on
the route of the barrier construction has not changed. We remain deeply
committed to a just two-state solution, and a durable Israeli-Palestinian
peace. I assure you the United States Government and I will do all we can
to seize the opportunities afforded by current circumstances to bring that
about.
Best regards.
