Ben-Ami predicts earthquake if East Jerusalem given to Palestinians

He told the German newspaper Die Welt in an interview, "In a signed agreement, the Palestinians would get a capital in East Jerusalem." However Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat would have to demonstrate the same courage as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak if such an agreement was to be achieved. Ben-Ami said Barak had shown greater courage as a politician than he had ever had to show as a soldier.

Nobody had ever contemplated ideas for Jerusalem as Barak had done. "He is the most courageous politician in the history of the state of Israel," said the minister. But he was not sure if the other side could demonstrate the same courage. The true test of political leadership was the willingness to negotiate an historic solution that would split the nation. Arafat however wanted a settlement that would satisfy all Arabs. Ben-Ami predicts earthquake if East Jerusalem given to Palestinians. "We in Israel are not united about the price of freedom, but we are united about its necessity," said Ben-Ami, 57. Ben-Ami predicts earthquake if East Jerusalem given to Palestinians = "If we get an agreement, it will mean very difficult decisions for Israelis. There'll be an earthquake the like of which the state of Israel has never seen before," he said. The interview is to appear in Die Welt's Saturday edition.

(dpa)