A proposal to sign a sister cities agreement between Berlin and Jerusalem was rejected by officials in the German capital, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported Thursday.
Earlier this year, during the events to commemorate 40 years of diplomatic relations between Israel and Germany, officials in Berlin proposed that the German capital and Jerusalem become sister cities. Such an alliance, local parliament members said, would carry a symbolic and historical significance.
| Jerusalem’s holiness unmatched, say officials (Photo: Gabi Menashe) |
'Proposal may be raised again in future'
The proposal has not been withdrawn, sources at Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit's office explained, but merely postponed until Jerusalem's status is finalized in negotiations for a resolution to the regional dispute.
Wowereit, who is considered to be an advocate of Israel, has acted intensively to strengthen ties between Berlin, Israel and the Jewish world since he was elected for office, and has often expressed support for the Jewish state in spite of public opinion in Germany, which tends to support the Palestinian side.
Wowereit, a member of the Social Democratic Party's young leadership and one of Germany's most popular political figures, is set to arrive for an official visit in Jerusalem in the near future.
Officials: Jerusalem not interested in sister cities ties
Sources in the Jerusalem city council downplayed the incident and said they have not even heard about the proposal before Wednesday.
Jerusalem, The unified capital of the Jewish people and the State of Israel has no need for legitimization from others, certainly not from Berlin, the capital of Germany, Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski said in response to the report.
"Because of Jerusalem's uniqueness it has no sister city ties with any other city in the world, although it cooperates with many cities," he said.
Unique holiness
Jersualem city council's spokesman Gidi Shmerling said that the capital is not expected to forge sister city ties with any of its counterparts in the future.
Sources at the foreign ministry estimated that the proposal was a local initiative that was not coordinated with the Israeli embassy in Berlin.
They stressed that Jerusalem has avoided establishing a sister city alliance as a principle, in order to demonstrate that no other city in the world can match Jerusalem's holiness.
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