Occupied Jerusalem

Prior to commencing a trip to Brussels, Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, said: "the conflict with the Palestinians is a cultural clash and cannot be resolved through regional concessions". He confirmed that Jerusalem would not under any circumstances be part of direct or indirect negotiations, even if it were for the sake of resolving the conflict between the two parties.

Speaking before the arrival of US envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell, Lieberman said: "I hope that he puts pressure on the Palestinians and lets them know that Jerusalem is not up for negotiation."

He also said that he would ask the European countries to convey a conclusive message to the Palestinians that the resumption of negotiations was in the best interest of both sides. He added that the Palestinians needed to know that any achievements made outside the framework of negotiations would harm them more than they harmed the Israelis.