EU wants Israel to reopen Arafat's Orient House

Building was synonymous with Palestinian rule in E. Jerusalem
Dec. 1, 2008

Ha'aretz reports that Israeli officials are concerned over European Union plans for an Israeli-Palestinian deal in 2009, which includes reopening Palestinian institutions in Jerusalem, including Orient House, which formerly served as the Palestinian Authority's headquarters in the city.

The Israeli newspaper obtained a copy of the document calling on the international community to closely monitor implementation of the first stage of the road map peace plan, which requires the usual: Israel must freeze settlement construction and remove West Bank roadblocks, and the PA must fight terror. But here's where it goes a step further:

"A key part of building the Palestinian state involves resolving the status of Jerusalem, as the future capital of two states," it declares. Therefore, "the EU will work actively towards the re-opening of the Palestinian institutions, including the Orient House."

The Orient House is symbolic of Palestinian claims to East Jerusalem. It was closed in August 2001 following a deadly terror attack on Jerusalem's Sbarro pizzeria.