Jerusalem, December 7, 2009

The Honorable Baroness Ashton of Upholland
European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs

Dear Madame,

On behalf of the residents of Jerusalem I wish to congratulate you and the
European Union on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. We
share in the celebration of twenty years of regained free enterprise for the
residents of Berlin.

In 2009, the European Union unanimously recognized the importance of the
reunification of this great and historic city as you celebrated the
anniversary of the fall of these walls of division. As the European Union
looks towards 2010, it is clear that we should all remember the true lessons
of the reunification of Berlin.

The recent Swedish proposal to divide Jerusalem is a serious threat not just
to the future of the city of Jerusalem, but also to the future role of the
entire European
Union in the peace process. By attempting to dictate the outcome of
negotiations now, the Swedish delegation will strip the European Union of
its right to serve as an honest mediator.

Madame High Representative Ashton, I call on the member states of the
European Union to unequivocally reject the Swedish proposal and unanimously
support the vision of an open Jerusalem for the entire world to enjoy, a
vision that enables the more than 3.4 billion people of faith to visit
Jerusalem and practice their faith freely without a divisive wall of the
sort that devastated the city of Berlin.

Throughout the history of the world, there is not one important city that
was divided that functioned successfully. They either reunited or ceased to
function properly. The lesson is too clear. Jerusalem must stay united.

Division focuses on differences rather than the common denominator that
unites people of all faiths. We must not divide the heart and soul of the
Jewish people. Despite the many conquerors of Jerusalem throughout history -
Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Seleucids, Romans, Muslims, Crusaders,
Mamluks, Ottoman Turks, British, and Jordanians - the Jewish people
constantly remain the only people to claim Jerusalem as their capital for
thousands of years. We must not disrupt the freedom to practice one's
religion throughout Jerusalem, which is greater today under the flag of
Israel than it has been for 2,000 years and which we intend to uphold.

We must act now, not with division, but united for the future of Jerusalem
against the Swedish proposal. I would like to invite you to be my personal
guest in Jerusalem so that you may see first hand the great potential of a
universal vision to open up Jerusalem for the world to enjoy and the
necessity of a united Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the State of
Israel.

Sincerely,
Nir Barkat
Mayor of Jerusalem