RIYADH: Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday that Israel’s decision to build 900 new homes in annexed East Jerusalem constituted a “major obstacle” to efforts to restart Middle East peace talks.
“We feel that a settlement is a major obstacle in the way of the peace process ... in East Jerusalem in particular,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Osama Nugali told AFP when asked about Israel’s decision on Tuesday to expand the Gilo settlement in East Jerusalem.
“Unless there are decisive measures taken in regard to these policies, it is too difficult to advance the peace process,” Nugali said.
Saudi Arabia has insisted that Israel freeze all settlement expansion in the West Bank before it helps revive peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis.
Earlier this year, it rejected requests from Tel Aviv and Washington to make a concrete gesture of good will to entice Israel into peace talks.
Riyadh supports the stance that the Palestinians cannot enter into peace talks as long as Israel expands settlements.
The Palestinian Authority has also condemned the Israeli government’s plan to build new homes.
US President Barack Obama put fresh pressure on Israel on Wednesday to curb its settlement projects, saying continued building could lead to a dangerous situation with Palestinians.
“I think that additional settlement building does not contribute to Israel’s security, I think it makes it harder for them to make peace with their neighbors,” Obama told Fox News.
“I think it embitters the Palestinians in a way that could end up being very dangerous.”
Obama has urged Israel to curb settlement expansion as a gesture of good will to Palestinians.
“The situation in the Middle East is very difficult, and I’ve said repeatedly and I’ll say again, Israel’s security is a vital national interest to the United States, and we will make sure they are secure,” Obama, who is traveling in Asia, told Fox News in an interview.
An aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday dismissed US anger at Israel’s approval for new homes in a settlement near Jerusalem, saying it was part of a routine building program.
He said Netanyahu does not normally review municipal building plans and saw Gilo as “an integral part of Jerusalem.”
“Construction in Gilo has taken place regularly for dozens of years and there is nothing new about the current planning and construction,” the aide added.
Nabil Abu Rudaineh, aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the building plan, saying it “destroys the last chances for the peace process.” Abbas has said peace talks can resume only if settlement building stops.
Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat told an Israeli radio station on Wednesday Netanyahu “has the choice — settlements or peace” and accused Israel of trying to decide the conflict by building instead of at the negotiating table.
