Israeli PM: Jerusalem will always be ours

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Jerusalem is - and will forever remain - the capital of Israel, and will "never be divided". The remarks have drawn an angry response from the Palestinians.

Netanyahu made the comments at a ceremony marking Israel's capture of East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East War. And they're fully in keeping with his election pledge to ensure Jerusalem stays united.

Netanyahu said that only Israeli sovereignty over a united Jerusalem would ensure free religious practice and access to holy sites by the three major faiths.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "The united Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Jerusalem was always ours and will always be ours. It will never again be partitioned and divided."

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Netanyahu's position on Jerusalem was a setback to the goal of a two-state solution, something that's strongly supported by the Obama administration.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said, "When Mr. Netanyahu speaks about the eternal issues and Jerusalem being the eternal capital of Israel, this translates literally that he wants the conflict and confrontation between Arabs and Israelis to be eternal. There will never be a solution without east Jerusalem being the capital of a Palestinian state."

Palestinians seeking to establish their own state in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, say they want their capital to be in Jerusalem, as part of a future peace agreement with Israel.

But Netanyahu has always rejected giving up control of any part of Jerusalem.