ADC Update:
Arab-Americans Ask Arab States to Investigate Disney‘s Israel Exhibit
Washington D.C., September 3 — Hala Maksoud, President of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) and Ziad Asali, Chair
of the American Committee for Jerusalem (ACJ) today wrote to King Fahd
of Saudi Arabia and King Mohamed of Morocco about the “Millennium
Village” due to open at Epcot Center at Disney World in Orlando, Florida on September 30, 1999. Maksoud and Asali expressed concern about the Israel exhibit in the Millennium Village, which is reported to be based around the theme of “Jerusalem, Capital of Israel.” ADC and ACJ asked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Morocco, both of which are also featured in Disney World, to investigate reports that Israel is using the exhibition as a platform to perpetuate the false impression that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. If this is found to be the case, the Arab-American groups asked that the governments take “the necessary steps that are in tune with their commitment to the Holy City being a city of peace open to all the religions with justice for its long-suffering Palestinian inhabitants.” Israel has no legitimate claim of sovereignty in East Jerusalem, which it captured during the 1967 war. East Jerusalem has been recognized as an area under foreign military occupation many times by the United Nations, most specifically in UN Security Council Resolutions 242. Israel‘s annexation of East Jerusalem has been categorically rejected by the Security Council which has emphasized the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force. The European Union has repeatedly emphasized that all of Jerusalem is a “corpus separatum” or separate body from the State of Israel under international law, and is not a part of Israel. The Vatican has also declared Israel‘s claim of sovereignty in Jerusalem to be invalid. The United States has never recognized Jerusalem as Israel‘s capital, and the US embassy in Israel is located in Tel Aviv. Indeed, almost all embassies in Israel are in Tel Aviv because of the highly questionable nature of Israel‘s claim of sovereignty in Jerusalem.
ADC and ACJ are deeply concerned that the Disney exhibit, which has reportedly been designed in coordination with and partially funded by the Israeli foreign ministry, will convey the false impression that Jerusalem is legitimately and unquestionably the capital of Israel and will promote Israel‘s illegitimate designs on the Holy City.
ADC Update:
Arab-Americans Ask Arab States to Investigate Disney‘s Israel Exhibit
Washington D.C., September 3 — Hala Maksoud, President of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) and Ziad Asali, Chair
of the American Committee for Jerusalem (ACJ) today wrote to King Fahd
of Saudi Arabia and King Mohamed of Morocco about the “Millennium
Village” due to open at Epcot Center at Disney World in Orlando, Florida on September 30, 1999. Maksoud and Asali expressed concern about the Israel exhibit in the Millennium Village, which is reported to be based around the theme of “Jerusalem, Capital of Israel.” ADC and ACJ asked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Morocco, both of which are also featured in Disney World, to investigate reports that Israel is using the exhibition as a platform to perpetuate the false impression that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. If this is found to be the case, the Arab-American groups asked that the governments take “the necessary steps that are in tune with their commitment to the Holy City being a city of peace open to all the religions with justice for its long-suffering Palestinian inhabitants.” Israel has no legitimate claim of sovereignty in East Jerusalem, which it captured during the 1967 war. East Jerusalem has been recognized as an area under foreign military occupation many times by the United Nations, most specifically in UN Security Council Resolutions 242. Israel‘s annexation of East Jerusalem has been categorically rejected by the Security Council which has emphasized the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force. The European Union has repeatedly emphasized that all of Jerusalem is a “corpus separatum” or separate body from the State of Israel under international law, and is not a part of Israel. The Vatican has also declared Israel‘s claim of sovereignty in Jerusalem to be invalid. The United States has never recognized Jerusalem as Israel‘s capital, and the US embassy in Israel is located in Tel Aviv. Indeed, almost all embassies in Israel are in Tel Aviv because of the highly questionable nature of Israel‘s claim of sovereignty in Jerusalem.
ADC and ACJ are deeply concerned that the Disney exhibit, which has reportedly been designed in coordination with and partially funded by the Israeli foreign ministry, will convey the false impression that Jerusalem is legitimately and unquestionably the capital of Israel and will promote Israel‘s illegitimate designs on the Holy City.