Meridor: Israel backs united Jerusalem

JERUSALEM, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- The Old City's Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall will never be part of an Arab state, Deputy Israeli Prime Minister Dan Meridor said.

"The previous pope (John Paul II) said that Jerusalem is sacred to all religions but was promised to one people. We have no religious claim on Jerusalem; we have a national one. Jerusalem is our capital," Meridor, who also serves as minister of intelligence, was quoted as saying on the German magazine der Speigel's Web site. "The Old City with the Jewish Quarter and the Wailing Wall will never be part of an Arab state. All the major Israeli parties share this conviction," Meridor said.

Israel is facing many challenges it did not create, including a dramatically changing society, the absorption of immigrants and undefined borders that are constantly challenged, Meridor said.

When asked whether he regards the building of new West Bank settlements a major stumbling block in the peace process, Meridor said Israel has not approved the building of any new settlements, the site said.

Iran and its race for nuclear power is a cause for serious concern, said Meridor, who refused to comment on reports Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had made a decision to bomb the Islamic Republic.

Iran, said Meridor, is not only Israel's problem but the entire world's. The international community should concentrate on imposing harsher sanctions on Tehran, he said.