RAMALLAH: Israel said Monday it would build 692 new apartments in East Jerusalem, drawing harsh criticism from the Palestinians and the United States, which denounced the plan as an obstacle to peacemaking.
Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state and consider Jewish neighborhoods there to be settlements. Israel claims all of the city as its eternal capital.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a slowdown in West Bank settlement construction several weeks ago in hopes of bringing the Palestinians back to the negotiating table. But the order did not include construction in East Jerusalem, home to Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites.
“We make a distinction between the West Bank and Jerusalem. Jerusalem is our capital and remains as such,” said government spokesman Mark Regev.
The Housing Ministry said it had approved 692 new apartments in three existing Jewish neighborhoods already inhabited by tens of thousands of people.
Israel captured the city’s eastern sector in the 1967 Mideast war and immediately annexed the area. The international community does not recognize the annexation.
Nabil Abu Rudainah, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, slammed the Israeli move, saying “any new Israeli bids in the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal.”
In a press statement, he said: “Continuing the policy of settlements expansion is deliberate destruction of US and international efforts to achieve progress in the peace process. This policy affirms that the Israeli side is not serious in reaching a just and comprehensive permanent peace agreement based on the two-state solution.”
Palestinian leader Saeb Erekat said: “We condemn this Israeli policy of continuing settlement activities and we hope this will be an eye-opener for the US administration and other members of the international community.”
An Israeli official said the government had informed the Obama administration about the latest planned construction.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the United States opposed new Israeli construction in East Jerusalem.
“Neither party should engage in efforts or take actions that could unilaterally pre-empt, or appear to pre-empt, negotiations. Rather, both parties should return to negotiations without preconditions as soon as possible,” Gibbs said.
“The status of Jerusalem is a permanent status issue that must be resolved by the parties through negotiations and supported by the international community,” the spokesman added.
— With input from agencies
