EU to Call for Divided Jerusalem

European Union foreign ministers will call for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with East Jerusalem serving as the capital of Palestine, when they meet in Brussels next week. A Swedish draft of the resolution obtained by Haaretz implies that the EU would recognize a Palestinian declaration of statehood. It urges both sides to cease “provocative action,” and calls on Israel to “cease all discriminatory treatment of Palestinians in East Jerusalem.”

The document has gone over like a ton of bricks in Israel, with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni today saying the statement “harms the European Union’s ability to take part as a significant mediator” in the peace process. Israel is also plying the EU behind the scenes, but diplomats close to the EU deliberations say the statement is almost guaranteed to be released. (More European Union stories.)