Kollek, Mayor of Jerusalem, Says City is Indivisible, ‘not Up for Bargaining’

Mayor Teddy Kollek, of Jerusalem, said here today that the whole of Jerusalem was indivisible from Israel and “is not and never will be up for bargaining.” He said that the united city could and should be a bi-ethnic society where Israelis and Arabs live and work together in peace. He cited Montreal as an example of such a society.

Mayor Kollek, who is touring the United States under Hadassah auspices, spoke at a press conference at Hadassah House. He noted that, since the unification of Jerusalem in last June’s Six-Day war, most municipal services have been restored in the Old City. Arab schools are functioning with larger enrollments than in the previous year, and there is complete freedom of movement for Arab citizens.

Mr. Kollek said that unlike the situation in the West Bank where most Arabs fled during the June war, the Arab population in East Jerusalem remained virtually intact. He said the Arabs are cooperating but many are fearful that this become known, should the city again be divided. The Arabs, he said, if they are permanent residents, may vote in municipal elections and participate in civic affairs on an equal basis with Jews. He noted that, for the first time in nearly 20 years, the 4,000 Arab residents of the city’s section formerly known as New Jerusalem, are able to visit mosques in the Old City, something they were not permitted to do when Jordan occupied the Old City.

Mayor Kollek predicted that Jerusalem’s population, which was 180,000 last year, will be increased by immigration from outside and from within Israel. He pointed out that, only when Jerusalem served as the capital of Israel over the past 3,500 years, was it a city of importance. Under foreign rule, he said, it was just another provincial town.