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World condemn Israel’s approval of construction plans in E. Jerusalem

By Monitoring Desk
Updated Sunday, 14 August 2011 16:08:07 - IST (UTC +5:30)

Israel's approval of construction plans for 1,600 homes in East Jerusalem has triggered an international condemnation, and reignited a dispute with Washington over the threat of new settlements to the upcoming Palestinian statehood debate.
On Thursday 11 August 2011, spokesman Roei Lachmanovich said Interior Minister Eli Yishai had given final approval for the construction of 1600 units in the Ramat Shlomo neighbourhood in northern east Jerusalem.
"He has approved 1,600 homes in Ramat Shlomo and will approve 2,000 more in Givat Hamatos and 700 in Pisgat Zeev," Lachmanovich said. However, it did not announce any concrete actions to try to prevent Israel for going ahead with the project.
Israel first announced the project in March last year, as US Vice-President Joe Biden visited Israel and the Palestinian territories to lay the groundwork for direct peace talks between the two sides.
Last week, the Interior Ministry issued a similar green light to the construction of 900 units in the east Jerusalem settlement neighbourhood of Har Homa, which lies in the southwest of the city, neighbouring Bethlehem.
International condemnations
The United States said it was concerned by Israel's decision to continue building in East Jerusalem, saying this made it much harder to bring Israelis and Palestinians back to peace talks and undermined trust between the two sides.
On Thursday, the White House urged Israel and the Palestinians to avoid any actions that jeopardize efforts to restart stalled peace talks. The press briefing did not specifically mention the new approval, but the announcement of the same project last year during a visit by Vice President Biden caused a diplomatic rift.
Jay Carney, White House spokesperson, ducked a question on Thursday about whether Israel's approval for the construction of the new settler homes would make it harder to convince the Palestinians not to seek statehood at the United Nations. "Our position on that has not changed, which is that we urge both sides not to take any action that makes it harder for the two sides to come together and negotiate," he told reporters.
Victoria Nuland, State Department spokeswoman, echoed his remarks. "As we've said many times, unilateral action of this kind works against our efforts to get folks back to the table, makes it all more difficult," she said. "It undercuts trust," she added.
The EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she was "profoundly disappointed" by the Har Homa announcement and that its timing was particularly regrettable. The EU is working with other members of the international peacemaking Quartet, which also includes the US, UN and Russia, to draft a new framework for peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
Initial approval for the 1,600 housing units in Ramat Shlomo was given in March 2010, casting a shadow on Biden's visit while highlighting U.S.-Israeli differences over such construction.
Biden condemned the Israeli plan at the time and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in unusually blunt remarks, called it an insult. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced regret for the timing of that announcement but rejected any curbs on settlement in and around Jerusalem.
Peace Now, an anti-settlement Israeli advocacy group, responded to Yishai's move by issuing a statement accusing the government of "cynically using the current housing crisis in Israel to promote construction in the settlements."
Total disregard for Palestinian rights
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has accused Israel of “a total disregard for Palestinian rights” after the Israeli interior ministry announced its final approval for the construction in East Jerusalem.
In a statement, Fayyad condemned the latest decision, calling the areas “occupied territory that belongs to Palestinians”.
“The government of Israel continues to expand settlement activity while it makes claims that it wants to return to the negotiation table. Their actions clearly demonstrate Israel’s intentions to conduct their affairs outside the realm of international law and show total disregard for Palestinian rights. The Palestinian government calls upon the international community to take immediate action to force Israel to comply with international law and cease and desist from its illegal expansion and annexation of Palestinian land,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nabil Abu Rdainah, spokesman for the Palestinian presidency, called on the United States, the European Union and other sponsors of the Middle East peace process to pressure the Israeli government to halt the settlement plans.

Tags: Monitoring Desk Israel housing project in Jerusalem, disregard to Palestine rights

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