The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has weighed in with its opinion of Vice Premier Chaim Ramon’s plan to give away major parts of Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority.

In a letter to Jerusalem Municipal Council member Nir Barkat, Ramon described the plan, which would hand over most of the Old City as well as all the Arab neighborhoods in the capital.  “The Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem will be recognized as Israeli. The Arab neighborhoods will be recognized as Palestinian…. The Western Wall and the Jewish Quarter (in the Old City –ed.) will remain under Israeli rule forever,” he wrote. The Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism that is currently under the control of the Islamic Wakf Authority, would be given to the PA under the plan.

“The ZOA is appalled at both the policy of Chaim Ramon and the way he has chosen to release it ahead of negotiations with [Palestinian Authority Chairman and Fatah leader] Mahmoud Abbas,” said ZOA National President Morton A. Klein in a statement sent to the media. "The Olmert government is simply flying from reality by adopting a policy of major concessions on Jerusalem to the PA. Such concessions are wrong in themselves because they tear out the Jewish people from the heart of Judaism, and would introduce PA forces into the Old City, re-dividing the city. Whatever safeguards and plans Ramon might have for free passage between the two sides will turn out to be an illusion as bloodshed and insecurity overtake the city,” he added.