- 27 juli 2011
Israeli moves to legalize Judaization of Silwan district
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli government intends to legalize the seizure of public parks and yards in Silwan district in order to enable the right-wing settler society Elad to take them over and turn them into Talmudic gardens, according to a report published by Haaretz newspaper on Wednesday.
The Israeli ministerial legislation committee had approved an amendment to the law of national parks which allows Jewish societies like Elad to manage these parks.
According to the amendment, societies like Elad will run and Judaize the parks in Silwan and seize more Palestinian lands to turn them into talmudic parks.
Knesset member Yisrael Hasson from the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party said such amendment is aimed at preventing organizations opposing Judaization activities in Silwan like Ir Amim society from filing a complain against Elad society.
http://fwd4.me/07hN
China: Israeli settlements obstruct talks
Wang Min, the deputy envoy of the Chinese mission to the UN
China says Israel's settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are a major obstacle to the resumption of stalled Palestinian-Israeli talks.
Addressing a routine monthly UN Security Council (UNSC) session on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on Tuesday, deputy permanent representative of the Chinese mission to the UN Wang Min expressed opposition to the Israeli settlement construction in the occupied lands and urged Tel Aviv to halt settlement activities in the West Bank.
“The Israeli settlement is the direct cause resulting in the stalemate of the Palestine-Israel peace talks. It is also the major obstacle for the resumption of the peace talks," Xinhua quoted Wang as saying on Tuesday.
"China is against the Israeli construction of settlement in the occupied Palestine territory. We appeal to Israel to immediately cease its settlement activities and help create conditions for the mutual trust between the two parties and break the stalemate of the peace talks," Wang told the UNSC.
In September 2010, Israel resumed the expansion of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories after a10-month partial freeze, prompting the Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders to break off the US-sponsored talks with Tel-Aviv that had resumed after a lengthy stalemate.
Some analysts believe that the resumption of settlement construction in the West Bank was a pre-planned scheme by some lobbies in Israel in order to hinder the direct talks.
The work on settlements in the occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem) has drawn international criticism. Israel, however, remains defiant in the face of calls to halt its illegal settlement activities.
The PA insists that Israel must stop all settlement activities in the West Bank and illegally annexed East al-Quds before negotiations can resume.
The Chinese official further called for a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli issue through diplomatic channels on the basis of relevant UN resolutions so that a Palestinian state with full sovereignty will be established.
"China has been resolute in supporting the just cause of Palestinian people in regaining their legitimate national rights and supporting the establishment of a Palestine state with full sovereignty and independence. China appreciates Palestine for its adherence to the choice of peace and will continue to support the just cause of the Palestinian people," Wang concluded.
The PA is to ask UN member states to vote for the recognition of an independent Palestinian state in September.
A majority of member states are expected to back the bid as over 100 countries have so far recognized Palestine based on the 1967 borders.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/191002.html 7 jan 2012, 21:35 , Respect -
Maria 28 juli 2011
IOA delivers demolition warning to inhabitants of a building in OJ
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authority-controlled Jerusalem municipality handed a demolition warning to inhabitants of a building in Beit Hanina.
One of the inhabitants Mohammed Asfour said that municipality staffers escorted by Israeli policemen handed them evacuation orders in preparation for demolishing the five-story building at the pretext that it was built without permit 13 years ago!
The building is inhabited by seven Palestinian families composed of 45 individuals and has a number of shops on its first floor.
In a related development, the Quds international institution said in its second report for this year that time was not in favor of the indigenous inhabitants of occupied Jerusalem, warning that the IOA was escalating Judaization efforts of the holy city.
http://fwd4.me/07lH 7 jan 2012, 21:35 , Respect -
Maria 30 juli 2011
Report: Israel plans to build separation wall in Golan
GOLAN, Syria (Ma'an) -- Israeli authorities plan to build a wall in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, the official Syrian news agency SANA reported Friday.
The wall will separate the town of Majdal Shams in Israeli-occupied territory from the suburb of Al-Oude and Ain Al-Tinah in Syria, SANA reported.
SANA said the cement wall would be four kilometers long and eight meters high.
Earlier this year, Israeli forces killed at least 27 people in the area during demonstrations against the Israeli occupation.
On May 15, about 4,000 mainly Palestinian demonstrators gathered at the Golan heights to mark the Nakba, or catastrophe, in which two thirds of the Palestinian population were displaced during Israel's creation in 1948.
Protesters tried to cross the ceasefire line into Israeli-occupied territory and broke through Israel's security fence. Israeli forces fired tear gas, warning shots and then opened fire on the marchers, killing at least four.
On June 5, Palestinians again gathered at two places along the Golan Heights ceasefire line. Israeli forces again used tear gas and then live fire to deter the demonstrators. The UN said up to 23 people were reported killed and many more wounded.
Despite a 1949 armistice agreement, Israel and Syria remain technically in a state of war.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=409528
IDF Reinforces Israel-Syria Border Fence Following Riots
(1:33) IDF Reinforces Israel-Syria Border Fence Following Riots
Colonel Eshkol Shukron, Golan Brigade commander, addresses changes along Israel-Syria border.
Today the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) completed the installation of a sturdier border fence along the Israel-Syria border--an attempt to prevent future illegal infiltrations into Israeli territory and uphold the security of Israel's northern residents.
In May 2011, Palestinian rioters from Syria illegally crossed into Israel, violating Israeli sovereignty. Infiltrators from Syria attempted to break through the border fence on two occasions, but only succeeded the first time.
7 jan 2012, 21:35 , Respect -
Maria 31 juli 2011
India: Israel must stop building settlements
UNITED NATIONS (Ma'an) -- India on Tuesday urged Israel to stop building illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian in order to enable peace talks to resume.
At a UN security council meeting, India's envoy to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri said halting settlement construction "should be the first step in this process."
He added: "Unless this essential step is taken and peace talks resume, the growing desperation may lead the parties to actions that can spiral out of control."
The last round of peace talks collapsed within weeks in September when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to extend a partial freeze on settlement building.
The Palestinians withdrew from talks, saying they could not negotiate while Israel continued to build on land which would be a Palestinian state in a peace agreement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=409646 7 jan 2012, 21:35 , Respect -
Maria 2 aug 2011
UNRWA: Clear link between settlements and demolitions
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- The link between Israel's settlement expansion in the West Bank and the displacement of Palestinians from their homes is now "abundantly clear," UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness said Tuesday.
"Many displacements are taking place where settlements are expanding and with it we are seeing an upturn in vicious attacks by Jewish settlers. Palestinians are being thrown off their ancestral lands to make way for settlers," Gunness told Ma'an.
Figures released Tuesday by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees showed a sharp rise in demolitions of Palestinian homes and livelihood structures by Israeli authorities in the West Bank.
The UN Relief and Works Agency said 356 structures had been demolished in the first six months of this year, compared with 431 for the whole of 2010.
And the agency said 700 people had been displaced by the demolitions in the first six months of 2011, compared with 594 in the whole of 2010. In June and July, some 605 Palestinians were displaced or affected by demolitions, many of whom were children.
Israel's restrictions on movement, confiscation of land and resources, revocation of residency rights, harassment from the Israeli military, settler attacks and lack of protection against settler attacks were also causes of displacement in the West Bank, the UN agency said.
Israel's demolitions and policies in Area C -- the 60 percent of the West Bank under full Israeli control -- were driving already poor families deeper into poverty, Gunness said.
"There is growing evidence that it is destroying the very fabric of these communities and ultimately contributing to a demographic shift which is changing the ethnic make-up of the West Bank," he added.
Israel only allows Palestinians to build on one percent of Area C under a system UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pilay has condemned as discriminatory. Most demolitions occur in Area C.
Israel says its demolitions of homes are based only on whether the structures in question have the appropriate permits.
But Gunness said demolitions had escalated in areas targeted for settlement expansion, adding that it was "a cause of great concern."
Meanwhile, the UN official says it is "virtually impossible" for Palestinians to obtain permission to build on their land "while Israeli settlements receive preferential treatment in the allocation of water and land, and approval of development plans."
UNRWA urged the Israeli government to end the displacement and dispossession of Palestinians in the occupied territories "including immediately ceasing demolitions of Palestinian-owned structures."
"We call for transparency, accountability and an end to policies and practices that violate Israel's obligations under international law."
Israel's construction of Jewish-only settlements on occupied Palestinian land is illegal under international law.
The last round of peace talks collapsed over Israel's refusal to extend a partial freeze on settlement construction.The Palestinians say they will not negotiate while Israel builds on land which would be a Palestinian state under an agreement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=410450 7 jan 2012, 21:36 , Respect -
Maria 3 aug 2011
Knesset okays housing committees' bill
Controversial bill sails through final legislative readings after Opposition drops reservations. Minister Atias promises new affordable housing initiative within months.
The Knesset on Wednesday voted in favor of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's national housing committees' (NHCs) bill.
The vote was carried 57 to 45. The Knesset plenum was able to expedite the vote once the Opposition dropped its reservations.
Housing and Construction Minister Ariel Atias addressed the plenum prior to the vote and announced that he intends to present the House with an affordable housing initiative in a few months' time.
The bill's draft was already being reviewed by the Justice Ministry to ensure it properly defines public-housing eligibility, he told the MKs.
Prior to the vote, Dozens of affordable housing protest activists – who voiced fierce objection to the bill, rallied outside the Knesset and threatened to block all of the entrances to the Knesset building in an attempt to stop the vote.
The rally was eventually dispersed and four were detained by Jerusalem Police officers.
Leaders of the housing protest, who were sitting in the plenum's gallery during the vote, including Stave Shafir, were removed from the premises after standing up and making the 'X' hand gestures – which has become the protest's symbol – to express their disapproval.
Shafir later told Ynet: "We were at the plenum, sitting in the gallery and listening to the vote. We saw how all our requests were being ignored. We got up and made an 'X' sign with out hands, like we do in the tents when we disagree with something. As soon as we got up, a few cops jumped on us and removed us from the hall.
"After pleading with them, they explained that we violated the law. We didn’t understand what law we violated. We knew that clapping our hands is forbidden, but as it turns out it's not allowed to make any gestures of protest," she said.
According to Shafir, "It doesn’t matter because we couldn’t do anything anyway. The law passed, and the Knesset continues to ignore our request. Before the vote we approached every MK we saw on the way to the plenum, and asked them to delay the vote, but they ignored us."
The affordable housing movement has vowed to escalate its protest measures should the bill mature into a law. Its leaders have already issued a public call for another mass rally this coming weakened.
http://fwd4.me/089j 7 jan 2012, 21:36 , Respect -
Maria 4 aug 2011
Tel Aviv approves construction of 7000 settler housing units
Israel's illegal settlement units being constructed in the West Bank. (File photo)
Israel has approved the construction of hundreds of illegal residential units for Israeli settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories.
On Thursday, Tel Aviv allowed the building of 900 settlement units in the East al-Quds (Jerusalem) settlement neighborhood of Har Homa, AFP reported.
"This is a program which was approved by the regional (planning and construction) committee two years ago," Efrat Orbach, an Israeli official, said.
"According to the planning process in Israel, [it] needed the completion of amendments, therefore it was finally approved today," the official said.
Tel Aviv occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem) alongside the other Palestinian land of the West Bank in 1967 and later annexed both territories. The international community has refused to recognize either of the moves.
In November 2009, Israel put a 10-month halt on its settlement activities, but refused to renew the partial moratorium.
Meanwhile, the PA's chief negotiator said the organization would press ahead with its plans of requesting the United Nations to recognize Palestine as a full member state despite Israel's obstructionist efforts.
Saeb Erakat dismissed as a mere public relations stunt the recent statements by an Israeli official who alleged that Tel Aviv was inclined to renew talks with the Palestinians if they drop their UN membership bid.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/192313.html
Israelis protest rising prices
(1:37) Israelis protest rising prices
In an attempt by Tel Aviv to throw their internal problems at the Palestinians, 42 Knesset members, mostly extremists, signed a petition to solve their housing crisis through the intensification of settlement construction in the West Bank, including Jerusalem/Al Quds.
Israel to expand illegal settlements
Israel seeks to deal with its housing crisis across the occupied Palestinian territories by expanding the illegal settlements in the West Bank.
Forty-two members of Israel's Knesset signed a petition to expand the settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East al-Quds (Jerusalem), a Press TV correspondent reported on Thursday.
“This proves that Israel only thinks of expansion, confiscation of land and construction of settlements. They do not think about peace,” said Walid Assaf, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).
The move comes as hundreds of Israeli demonstrators took to the streets on Wednesday to protest against the approval of a housing bill that will not apparently resolve the housing crisis in Israel.
The Israeli protesters said the new law would only favor the rich by encouraging big developers to build luxury projects rather than affordable housing.
The housing law would allow swift approval of plans for 50,000 housing units by special committees in order to increase supply and push down home prices.
“The moral of the story is that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is trying to avoid economic and social pressures through more racist policies against the Palestinians,” said Khalil Shaheen, a political analyst.
Israelis have also protested against the cost of living. They have presented Israeli authorities with sweeping demands including affordable housing, taxation, child care and reforms to healthcare and education.
Israeli protesters say they will continue their campaign against rising living costs until their demands are met.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/192269.html 7 jan 2012, 21:36 , Respect -
Maria 5 aug 2011
Erekat: Har Homa project illegal
Top Palestinian official says Israel's decision to expand Jerusalem neighborhood a sign of 'flagrant disrespect' for international community. EU 'profoundly disappointed' by decision.
Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat condemned on Friday Israel's decision to build 930 new housing units in Jerusalem's southeast neighborhood of Har Homa.
The decision was announced by the Interior Ministry on Thursday. Har Homa is located beyond the Green Line.
Erekat slammed the decision as illegal, adding that in pursuing the project, Israel was making clear "its intention to turn this occupation into an effective annexation."
In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, the Palestinian official said that the decision was also "a flagrant violation of the International Roadmap, which was consecrated in UN Security Council resolution 1515.
"It demonstrates Israel's disrespect and disdain for the international community, which has repeatedly condemned settlement construction as an illegal obstacle to the peace process.
"The (Israeli) government is determined to invest solely in the entrenchment of the occupation, rather than peace. By approving the expansion of this illegal settlement... Israel proves it is intent on sabotaging any international effort to reach a negotiated settlement to the conflict based on the principle of two states,” the statement said.
Erekat further urged the international community to answer Israel's actions by supporting the Palestinian Authority's unilateral bid for statehood in September.
Meanwhile, EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton also expressed her disapproval of Israel's decision, saying she was "profoundly disappointed" by Thursday's approval of the project.
"The European Union has repeatedly urged the government of Israel to immediately end all settlement activities in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem. All settlement activities are illegal under international law," she added in a statement.
Israel's decision to further expand settlements was "particularly regrettable" at a time when the international community was working to restore talks leading to a solution of the conflict, Ashton said.
"Continued settlement undermines trust between the parties and efforts to resume negotiations. This is especially true with regard to Jerusalem.
"I believe there can be no sustainable peace in the Middle East without a two-state solution with the state of Israel and a viable and contiguous Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security.
"Settlement activity damages this prospect," she concluded.
http://fwd4.me/08NR
EU 'profoundly disappointed' by new Israeli settlement plan
BRUSSELS (AFP) -- EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Friday roundly disapproved Israel's go-ahead to the building of 900 new homes in east Jerusalem, saying new settlements damaged the prospects for peace.
"I am profoundly disappointed" by Thursday's approval of a project that has triggered fierce criticism from the Palestinians and the international community, Ashton said.
The new homes will expand a neighborhood in Jerusalem's southwest that is defined as being within municipal boundaries despite lying directly next to the Palestinian West Bank town of Bethlehem.
"The European Union has repeatedly urged the government of Israel to immediately end all settlement activities in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem. All settlement activities are illegal under international law," she added in a statement.
Israel's decision to further expand settlements was particularly regrettable at a time when the international community was working to restore talks leading to a solution of the conflict, Ashton said.
"Continued settlement undermines trust between the parties and efforts to resume negotiations. This is especially true with regard to Jerusalem.
"I believe there can be no sustainable peace in the Middle East without a two-state solution with the state of Israel and a viable and contiguous Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security.
"Settlement activity damages this prospect," she concluded.
Israel's settlement construction has snarled peace talks that restarted in September 2010, but ground to a halt weeks later when a partial Israeli ban on settlement building expired.
Israel declined to renew the freeze, which covered the West Bank but not east Jerusalem, and the Palestinians say they will not negotiate while Israel builds on land they want for their future state.
More than 300,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank and another 200,000 live in settlements in east Jerusalem, which is also home to some 270,000 Palestinians.
Israel has occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem since 1967.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=411078
Erekat condemns Har Homa expansion
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- PLO official Saeb Erekat said Friday that Israel's approval of 900 new housing units in the illegal Har Homa settlement "makes clear its intention to turn this occupation into effective annexation."
"This is a flagrant display of disrespect and disdain to the international community, which has repeatedly condemned Israeli settlement construction as an illegal obstacle to peace," Erekat said in a statement.
Har Homa is built on Bethlehem land bordering occupied East Jerusalem, the statement noted. Its continued expansion effectively severs the connection between the two Palestinian cities.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=411030
‘Settlements imperil Palestine statehood’
Israel has approved the construction of hundreds of new illegal residential units for Israeli settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Tel Aviv allowed the building of 900 settlement units in the East al-Quds (Jerusalem) settlement neighborhood of Har Homa on Thursday.
The following is the transcript of Press TV’s interview with Hussein Ibish, a Senior Fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine, about the issue:
Press TV: Could it be that these housing crisis protests turn into a bad thing for Palestinians, and any prospects of peace?
Ibish: I don’t think the protests themselves have any particular ramifications on the peace process, it is an internal matter but it is being used as an excuse by [Israeli]Interior Minister Eli Yishai for the 900 housing units in a neighborhood which the Israelis call Har Homa.
You have to understand that it is not exactly in Jerusalem (al-Quds) as such. It is in the extreme south-west corner of what Israel redefined in 1967 as municipal Jerusalem. I mean, Jerusalem under the Ottomans, the British and the Jordanians was really a city but Israel made the first of its major land grab by extending the boundaries of municipal Jerusalem deep into the West Bank what.
What we are talking about here is a Jewish settlement that is right on the border of Bethlehem, deep into the West Bank and what is significant about this new housing project is that it will create a new ridge in this Har Homa settlement which, when it is finished, will cut the Bethlehem off from East Jerusalem which will make it much more difficult to ever have a Palestinian state with its capital East Jerusalem alongside an Israeli state, which is the only peace agreement.
It is a very dramatic, significant thing and I expect it will meet with significant international opposition. The US has been deeply opposed to this and the whole international community has been deeply opposed to it so this is an announcement that is made in the context of the housing crisis, with the Israeli right saying, well, we just have to make more settlements as if the cost of living, the bubble, the kind of housing market bubble were connected to some kind of housing shortage and as if the only land available to build houses in Israel was Palestinian occupied land; it is all ridiculous but it is the argument that is being made by people who are determined to entrench the occupation never allow the Palestinian their freedom.
Press TV: Israel’s largely claimed that settlements are approved years in advance. Is it possible to trust it at this juncture, especially, as mentioned, Netanyahu’s reputation, due to these protests isn’t doing well?
Ibish: I think that is right, he is in bad shape and I don’t think this is particularly going to help him out, the protesters in the tent city and the middle class, who have their cost of living rising, are not going to be impressed that the settlement movement is using their sort of housing price and cost of living protest to advance the settlement project.
I think there are a lot of people in Israel who are wondering about the financial cost of occupation, this is not a cheap thing, taking people’s lands away, taking these settlers there, giving them generous subsides because many Israelis have moved to settlement in and around Jerusalem because they have to been subsidized to do so. Therefore, it is a good deal for them and the settlers get all kinds of benefits that ordinary Israelis, like the ones who are protesting, do not
I don’t think this is going to help [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu domestically and I think he is in a lot of trouble over this; increasingly the settlement activity is not going to get him out of it.
What it will probably get him into is another argument with the US. It is true the veto the US has cast at the end of the last year at Security Council on the settlement resolution kind of killed the issue and I think it was a miscalculation on the Palestinian part to kind of push forward knowing the US was going to veto a resolution that used the word illegal even though the US agrees it is illegal. They would have been willing to have said “illegitimate.
The Palestinians pushed the issue for many different reasons, both because it is true and for the domestic political reasons, but they paid a heavy price because from then until now the settlements have been gone forward without any comments. I think this may be different, I think really you might see some pushback from the US, from the Europeans, etc, on this because if it is completed, it would really cut Bethlehem and other parts of the West Bank off from East Jerusalem and make the eventual border much more difficult to draw.
You are right about these announcements, the Israelis announced them and they always say these decisions were made previously and then they are going to be completed sometime in advance and this project has been one that has been discussed since 2000 and it has not been completed because it is so sensitive.
There is a very good chance, especially if there is an appropriate amount of international pressure, that there will be another of these announcements that doesn’t eventually get completed. This is an extremely crucial area, this is not another annex to another settlement.
Press TV: With the building of settlements pretty much the status quo at this point, where does this leave a two-state solution, the Palestinian-statehood-bid at the UN, etc.?
Ibish: It is in grave jeopardy, it really is, and nothing could threaten it more than a settlement project like Har Homa. There are plenty of settlement blocks which if the Israelis build more buildings in them wouldn’t really change the strategic equation, it will still be a violation of international law and it could be bad but this is very strategic, this totally changes the strategic landscape so this really undermines the very the prospect of a two-state solution, which is really the only solution that would actually work.
The Palestinian statehood initiative at the UN, if it happens and depending on the form it happens, is not really going to be connected to this except in so far as it is an expression of how stuck diplomacy is and how desperate the Palestinian people are, people who are living under occupation and who cannot afford to wait and let these things work out and come back to this in a year or half or two years time, they don’t have that luxury.
I really think a confrontation at the UN is a great idea from MANY’s point of view and I think there needs to be very urgent work here to figure out a compromise that can avert any kind of explosion on the ground or a major diplomatic fight that would harm everybody and particularly the weakest party always ends up losing the most and in this case it unfortunately the Palestinian people again.
http://fwd4.me/08Iu 7 jan 2012, 21:36 , Respect -
Maria 6 aug 2011
Construction of 7,000 new settlement units in Jerusalem under way
(2:00) Tel Aviv approves construction of 7000 settler housing units - Press TV News 1 x viewed
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authorities are planning on carrying out plans to build 7,000 new settlement units in Jerusalem, Israeli media outlets have reported.
Underway construction plans in the occupied city have accumulated since US Vice-President Joe Biden last visited a year and a half ago.
Now plans to build 1,328 units in Ramat Shlom will be put to the expedited building committee formed by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in 60 days. These were the same plans that caused crisis between the US and Israel during the Biden visit.
A local planning and construction board also approved 900 homes to be built in the Gilo settlement, and another plan under discussion by the expedited building board for 625 units in Pisgat Ze’ev is slated to begin taking effect.
A separate 930 units have been approved to be built in Har Homa (Jabal Abu Ghneim) between Jerusalem and Bethlehem earlier this week.
Meanwhile, EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton has condemned the recent approval of the Har Homa project, saying that she was ‘’disappointed’’ by the decision.
‘’The European Union has repeatedly urged the government of Israel to immediately end all settlement activities in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem. All settlement activities are illegal under international law,’’ she added in a statement.
http://fwd4.me/08Nw
Construction of 7,000 new settlement units in Jerusalem under way
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli occupation authorities are planning on carrying out plans to build 7,000 new settlement units in Jerusalem, Israeli media outlets have reported.
Underway construction plans in the occupied city have accumulated since US Vice-President Joe Biden last visited a year and a half ago.
Now plans to build 1,328 units in Ramat Shlom will be put to the expedited building committee formed by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in 60 days. These were the same plans that caused crisis between the US and Israel during the Biden visit.
A local planning and construction board also approved 900 homes to be built in the Gilo settlement, and another plan under discussion by the expedited building board for 625 units in Pisgat Ze’ev is slated to begin taking effect.
A separate 930 units have been approved to be built in Har Homa (Jabal Abu Ghneim) between Jerusalem and Bethlehem earlier this week.
Meanwhile, EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton has condemned the recent approval of the Har Homa project, saying that she was ‘’disappointed’’ by the decision.
‘’The European Union has repeatedly urged the government of Israel to immediately end all settlement activities in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem. All settlement activities are illegal under international law,’’ she added in a statement.
http://fwd4.me/08Nw
Masri: Unleashing resistance forces best response against Jewish settlement
GAZA, (PIC)-- Senior Hamas official Mushir al-Masri said that unleashing the West Bank resistance forces and ending security coordination is the best response against Israeli settlement.
The statement came after the Jerusalem municipality’s recent approval for the construction of 930 new housing units in the Israeli settlement Har Homa beyond the Green Line.
The decision attests to that the Zionist mentality is to uproot the indigenous people, especially those in Jerusalem, Masri said in comments on Saturday.
Masri said that Israel is ‘’swallowing up’’ the city in stages with settlement and displacement of its residents, starting with Palestinian politicians and figures, but not ending with the removal of Jerusalem’s landmarks and names and attempts to erase the Muslim and Christian presence in the city so that the Jewish character prevails.
Masri further said he rejected Israel’s settlement policies in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and stressed that the continued ‘’intrusion’’ called for releasing the West Bank resistance forces and ending the Palestinian Authority’s security coordination with Israel and uniting in the face of the large-scale settlement plan.
He also called for resistance forces in the West Bank to aim strikes at Israel, saying that the calm is what has given the Israelis the courage to target the land.
http://fwd4.me/08OP 7 jan 2012, 21:36 , Respect -
Maria 8 aug 2011
Japan condemns Israeli settlement plans
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The Japanese government expressed its "disappointment" on Monday at recent Israeli plans to build 900 homes in Har Homa settlement, a statement said.
"The Government of Japan does not recognize any act that prejudges the final status of the territories in the pre-1967 borders, and Israeli settlement activities should be fully frozen.
"Japan strongly calls upon Israel to refrain from any unilateral act that changes the current situation in East Jerusalem."
The government of Japan "strongly hopes" that peace talks will be resumed soon, the statement added.
Israel's settlement construction is a major obstacle to peace talks.
More than 300,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank and another 200,000 live in settlements in East Jerusalem, which is also home to some 270,000 Palestinians.
Israel has occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem since 1967.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=411663
UK minister condemns expansion of Har Homa settlement
JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- The UK foreign office minister for the Middle East said Monday that Israel's approval of 900 new housing units in a settlement near Jerusalem was "deeply concerning."
Israel's interior ministry announced plans on Thursday to expand Har Homa settlement.
The hilltop settlement is strategically located between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, preventing contiguity between the the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want as the capital of their future state.
In a statement, British minister Alistair Burt condemned the move, saying "unilateral actions such as this undermine international efforts to build lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians and make the two-state solution harder to achieve."
Burt expressed concern at the timing of the announcement, coming "at a time when Israel’s friends are working to restart negotiations."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=411610
7 jan 2012, 21:36 , Respect -
Maria 9 aug 2011
US 'deeply concerned' by settlement expansion
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The US is concerned about Israel's approval of over 900 housing units in the illegal settlement of Har Homa, built on Palestinian land in Bethlehem, an official said Tuesday.
The US is "deeply concerned by continuing Israeli actions with respect to housing construction in Jerusalem. We have raised this issue with the Israeli government," White House advisor Tommy Vietor said.
Israel considers Har Homa part of Jerusalem, which it considers its capital.
Vietor said "unilateral actions work against efforts to resume direct negotiations and contradict the logic of a reasonable and necessary agreement between the parties.
"We believe that through good faith direct negotiations, the parties should agree on an outcome that realizes the aspirations of both parties for Jerusalem, and safeguards its unique religious status," he said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=412003 7 jan 2012, 21:36 , Respect -
Maria 10 aug 2011
Turkey warns of worse to come in ties with Israel
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Turkey has warned of taking further diplomatic measures should Israel continue to change the demographic status of occupied East Jerusalem by building more settlements.
In a statement released Wednesday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned Israel’s decision to build more than 900 settlement units in Har Homa, located on Jabal Abu Ghneim in East Jerusalem. The US, Europe, and other leading powers have also condemned the decision.
“It is unacceptable. The Israeli government on the one hand makes calls to resume talks with the Palestinian side while on the other hand disregarding all international calls [to stop building settlements] and continues [to build] illegal housing, further weakening the atmosphere of confidence between the parties,” the statement said.
“We once again call on Israel to act with awareness of its responsibilities stemming from international laws and invite Israel to put an end to its implementations aiming at changing the status of East Jerusalem,” the Foreign Ministry added.
Meanwhile, fhe Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights (JCSER) has warned that Jerusalem was “on the brink of explosion” amid Israel’s continued treatment of the Palestinians in the holy city.
The Israeli occupation authorities have been persecuting the city’s Palestinian merchants and placing more and more restrictions on the Palestinians, that has even begun to affect their movements and freedom of worship, a statement by the JCSER says.
The rights group warned that more violations were expected to take place after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and that plans were under way to banish scores of Palestinian figures from the city. It predicted Israel would try and thwart efforts by the Palestinians to get statehood status with the United Nations in September.
Such statements have already been declared by implication, the statement says, adding that Israeli security officials have already threatened to crack down on popular activities that have been recently called for.
http://fwd4.me/08jp
US chides Israel over new east Jerusalem project
New housing construction plan? East Jerusalem
State Department 'deeply concerned' by approval of new housing plan in Har Homa; says such 'unilateral actions' hinder peace talks.
The United States is "deeply concerned" by Israel's plan to build a new housing project in the southeast Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Homa, the State Department said on Tuesday.
The State Department warned that such "unilateral actions" were detrimental to the peace process.
Last week, the Jerusalem Zoning Commission approved 930 new housing units in Har Homa. Actual building on the site is at least two years off.
Alongside its rare rebuke of a close ally, the State Department said Israelis and Palestinians should settle their differences on Jerusalem through negotiation.
"The United States is deeply concerned by continuing Israeli actions with respect to housing construction in Jerusalem," a State Department official said.
"We have raised this issue with the Israeli government and continue to make our position known. As we have said before, unilateral actions work against efforts to resume direct negotiations and contradict the logic of a reasonable and necessary agreement between the parties.
"We believe that through good-faith direct negotiations, the parties should agree on an outcome that realizes the aspirations of both parties for Jerusalem, and safeguards its unique religious status for people around the world. We will continue to press ahead with the parties to resolve the core issues in the context of a peace agreement."
Meanwhile, Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat condemned Israel's decision to build the housing units in Har Homa.
Erekat slammed the decision as illegal, adding that in pursuing the project, Israel was making clear "its intention to turn this occupation into an effective annexation."
EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton also expressed her disapproval of Israel's decision, saying she was "profoundly disappointed" by Thursday's approval of the project.
"The European Union has repeatedly urged the government of Israel to immediately end all settlement activities in the West Bank, including in east Jerusalem. All settlement activities are illegal under international law," she added in a statement.
http://fwd4.me/08eI 7 jan 2012, 23:40 , Respect -
Maria 11 aug 2011
UN envoy alarmed by 'provocative' settlement plan
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- United Nations envoy for the peace process expressed alarm on Thursday over the announcement by the Israeli government of plans to develop new housing units in occupied East Jerusalem.
Robert Serry said in a statement that "this provocative action undermines ongoing efforts by the international community to bring the parties back to negotiations and shape a positive agenda for September."
The approval of 1,600 units for the illegal Ramat Shlomo settlement comes a week after announcing additional housing in Har Homa, which was widely criticized by the international community, he noted.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=412486
Israel approves 1,600 Jerusalem settler homes
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israel's interior minister Eli Yishai has given final approval for the construction of 1,600 new settler homes in east Jerusalem, his spokesman told AFP on Thursday.
The move is likely to anger both the Palestinians and the international community, as it struggles to find a way to relaunch peace talks in a bid to head off a Palestinian plan to seek United Nations membership.
Roei Lachmanovich also said the interior minister was set to give final approval for another 2,700 settler homes in east Jerusalem neighborhoods in "a couple of days."
"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.
The 1,600-house construction in Ramat Shlomo has already caused a diplomatic rift between Israel and Washington.
It was first announced as US Vice President Joe Biden visited the region in March 2010 for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in a bid to lay the ground for new direct peace talks between the two sides.
The timing of the announcement angered Washington and prompted the Palestinians to accuse Israel of lacking a commitment to restarting the peace process.
But Lachmanovich said the final approvals were "economic" not political, tying the final go-ahead to protests over housing prices and the cost of living that have shaken Israel in recent weeks.
"These are being approved because of the economic crisis here in Israel, they are looking for a place to build in Jerusalem, and these will help," he said.
"This is nothing political, it's just economic."
The latest escalation in settlement building comes as Israel's interior ministry announced last week that it had approved the construction of 900 new homes in the east Jerusalem settlement neighborhood of Har Homa.
The move was widely condemned by the international community, including the United States and the European Union.
Israel captured east Jerusalem along with the rest of the West Bank in the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed it in a move not recognized by the international community.
Israel does not view construction in the east to be settlement activity, calling both east and west Jerusalem its "eternal, indivisible" capital, and some 200,000 Israelis now live in east Jerusalem amid nearly 270,000 Palestinians.
The international community, including the United States, has regularly criticized Israel for building settlements in the West Bank and particularly east Jerusalem, describing them as counterproductive and calling for a halt to all such construction.
More than 300,000 Israeli settlers live in the West Bank and settlement construction is a major obstacle to the resumption of negotiations.
Israel openly opposes the Palestinian bid for UN recognition in September, instead insisting that the Israeli government is willing to begin peace talks.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=412313 7 jan 2012, 23:41 , Respect -
Maria 12 aug 2011
Israel authorizes further settlement units in Al-Quds
(2:02) Israel authorizes further settlement units in Al-Quds - Press TV News
Israel authorized the construction of thousands of new settlement units in Jerusalem/ al Quds.
Israel approved the construction of 1,600 units in the Ramat Shlomo settlement, and will give final approval for the construction of 2,700 additional units in a couple of days, totaling the approval of constructing 4,300 illegal settlement units in Jerusalem/al Quds.
This comes only a week after Israel approved the construction of 930 settlement units on the confiscated lands of Abu Ghnaim Mountain on the settlement of Har Homa Southern East Jerusalem/Al-Quds, and now have recently approved settlement units construction on the Northern part East Jerusalem/al Quds.
Over the past month hundreds of thousands of Israeli’s protested against their housing crisis as well as for their social and economic rights and blame the current crisis on Israel’s right wing. Palestinians are accusing the same Israeli extremists of using the current housing crisis in Israel to promote construction in the settlements.
The Palestinian authority’s calls for international laws and resolutions to be respected by Israel falls on deaf ears, as the Palestinian people know that all they will get from the international community are condemnations of the occupations actions.
http://fwd4.me/08wQ
New Israeli settlement plan criticized
Israel's plan for the construction of hundreds of new settler units in the occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem) lands has drawn international criticism.
The UN, European Union and Russia have condemned the final approval for the building of 1,600 settler units in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood of East al-Quds (Jerusalem) by the Israeli interior ministry, saying the move undermines the two-state solution and efforts to resume Palestinian-Israeli talks.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Friday expressed "deep regret" over the Israeli plan, saying EU "has repeatedly called on Israel to end all settlement activity''.
"Settlement activity threatens the viability of an agreed two-state solution and undermines ongoing efforts to resume negotiations," Ashton said.
Russia said it hoped that Israel reconsiders its plans, saying building more settler units would worsen an already explosive situation in the Middle East peace process.
The United Nations has also condemned Tel Aviv's approval for the construction of 1,600 Jewish settlements and called the move a ''provocative action''.
''If confirmed, this provocative action undermines ongoing efforts by the international community to bring the parties back to negotiations,'' said Robert Serry, UN coordinator for the Middle East.
Palestinian officials have also criticized the Israeli move, which came weeks ahead of an expected Palestinian move to go to the United Nations for recognition of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with east al-Quds as its capital.
"We strongly condemn the new Israeli decision," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said.
A spokesman for the Israeli Interior Ministry, Roei Lachmanovich, however, claimed that the approval of the settlements was an "economic" matter and not a political one. He added that the ministry would approve the construction of a further 2,700 settler units in the near future.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/193653.html
Envoy: World must act against 'colonization campaign'
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour on Friday urged the international community to compel Israel to end its colonization campaign if it really believes in the two-state solution, reports said.
In letters to the UN secretary-general and the presidents of the Security Council and the General Assembly, Mansour said "the international community must compel Israel to end its illegal occupation," a Kuwaiti news outlet reported.
This includes Israel's "colonization campaign and must seriously begin to take further effective measures to end the Israeli occupation which began in 1967 to salvage the possibility of the two-state solution."
The letter came in reaction to Israel's "arrogant" and "shameless" announcement to develop 1,600 settlement units in East Jerusalem, and one week after a separate Israeli decision to build 900 additional housing units in another settlement in East Jerusalem, the news agency, KUNA, reported.
"The illegal unilateral actions of the occupying power make it extremely clear to the international community that Israel is not interested in peace, rather it is interested in entrenching its colonization and 44 year-long occupation of the Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem," Mansour said.
The Palestinian Authority on Thursday slammed the announcement of Israel's interior ministry to build 1,600 new Israeli settlement homes near Jerusalem.
In a statement from Ramallah-based Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's office, the government said the settlement expansion "clearly demonstrate Israel’s intentions to conduct their affairs outside the realm of international law and show total disregard for Palestinian rights."
The spokesman of the Israeli ministry said Thursday that the 1,600 new builds in Ramat Shlomo, would be followed by 2,000 more in Givat Hamatos and 700 in Pisgat Zeev in coming days. Just a week earlier, the ministry had announced 900 new homes in the Jerusalem-Bethlehem settlement Har Homa.
"The Government of Israel continues to expand settlement activity while it makes claims that it wants to return to the negotiation table," the Palestinian Authority statement said.
"These actions are being taken despite international pressure and consensus that these are occupied territory that belongs to Palestinians."
The West Bank-based government urged 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," the statement said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=412717
Qurei slams settlement expansion as 'recklessness'
JERUSALEM (Ma’an) -- The Israeli government’s "greed and recklessness" have reached a point that cannot be condoned or tolerated, senior PLO official Ahmed Qurei said Friday.
Its plan to build 4,300 housing units "as an excuse" for solving the housing problems would expand illegal settlements in the West Bank and would turn Palestinian neighborhoods into isolated islands which end any possibility of a viable state, Qurei warned.
He added that Israel’s approval of the building would not afford credibility to their intentions of peace talks or going back to negotiations, which means its talk about a Palestinian state is "illusionary."
"It’s a kind of political absurdity," added Qurei.
These Israeli policies, which contradict international laws and norms, require more just and equitable international positions not only by condemnations but by implementing laws, he said.
Qurei is a member of the PLO executive committee and a former prime minister.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=412708
Islamic Jihad condemns settlement plan
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) – The Islamic Jihad movement called for resistance against Israel after it announced plans to build over 1,000 new housing units in occupied east Jerusalem, a spokesman said.
In a statement, the spokesman condemned the plan and said settlements are "the result of the peace process in the region, and the failed negotiations (with Israel) as a result of US policy."
He called on Arabs and Muslims to encourage resistance and defend Jerusalem.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=412630
Egypt: New Israeli settler homes 'major obstacle'
BERLIN (AFP) -- Egypt on Friday blasted Israel's approval of 1,600 new homes in an east Jerusalem settlement as a "major obstacle" to the start of new peace talks with the Palestinians.
"We cannot accept this, we condemn it categorically," Foreign Minister Mohammed Amr said in Berlin during his first European visit since taking office last month, according to remarks translated into German by an interpreter.
"These settlements are illegal, they violate international law, and Israel taking this path is a major obstacle to negotiations" with Palestinians," he added, noting that Egypt had long backed "a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders with east Jerusalem as the (Palestinian) capital".
Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai gave final approval Thursday to the construction of 1,600 units in the Ramat Shlomo settlement, prompting a furious response from Palestinian officials.
The European Union, the United States and Russia also criticized the decision.
The move comes as the international community struggles to find a way to relaunch peace talks in a bid to head off a Palestinian plan to seek United Nations membership at next month's General Assembly.
The Palestinians have said they will not return to the negotiating table without a halt to Israeli settlement construction and a clear framework for talks.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=412683
EU 'regrets' new Jerusalem settler homes
BRUSSELS (AFP) -- EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Friday expressed her "deep regret" over Israel's approval of more new settler homes in east Jerusalem.
The European Union "has repeatedly called on Israel to end all settlement activity, including natural growth, and to dismantle outposts erected since March 2001," Ashton said in a statement.
"Settlement activity threatens the viability of an agreed two-state solution and undermines ongoing efforts to resume negotiations."
Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai gave final approval Thursday to the construction of 1,600 units in Ramat Shlomo, prompting a furious response from Palestinian officials.
"It is with deep regret that, once again, I received information of the publicly stated intention of the Israeli government to continue settlement expansion in East Jerusalem," Ashton said.
The Israeli minister is expected to shortly approve 2,700 additional homes in two other east Jerusalem settlements.
The move comes as the international community struggles to find a way to relaunch peace talks in a bid to head off a Palestinian plan to seek United Nations membership.
The White House on Thursday urged Israel and the Palestinians to avoid actions that jeopardise efforts to restart the stalled talks but spokesman Jay Carney ducked a question on whether the move would make it harder to convince the Palestinians not to seek UN statehood.
"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.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=412674
Erekat calls for accountability as EU, France condemn settlement build
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- PLO official Saeb Erekat said Thursday that Israel’s announcement of a flux of settlement building shows the country “regards itself as a state above international law and accountability,” calling for firmer action by foreign nations.
International leaders have rushed to condemn Thursday’s approval of more than 1,600 new homes in Israeli settlement Ramat Shlomo, near Jerusalem, and indication of another 2,700 approvals in coming days.
The French foreign minister Christine Fages said Thursday the decision “represents an additional obstacle to a just and lasting peace in which Jerusalem must become the capital of both states, Israel and Palestine.”
Referring to the ministry’s claim that protests over housing in Israeli cities were behind the build, Fages said settlements “are illegal under international law, regardless of the justifications, including their claimed response to socioeconomic imperatives.”
On Friday European foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton expressed her “deep regret” at the announcement, adding “the EU has repeatedly called on Israel to end all settlement activity, including natural growth, and to dismantle outposts erected since March 2001.”
“Settlement activity threatens the viability of an agreed two-state solution and undermines ongoing efforts to resume negotiations," she added.
But Erekat, a former chief Palestinian negotiator in talks with Israel, said such international condemnation was met with “intransigence and willful disregard” by Israel.
Israel’s impunity is the product of the international community’s lack of accountability, Erekat said in a statement.
“It counts on the assured protection from international reproach, extended to it time and again.”
Calling for action, the PLO official said, “Without effective and proactive measures from the international community, Israel will be further encouraged to stay on the path of colonization and further entrench its enterprise of occupation, land grab, and impunity.
“The international community has a permanent responsibility to uphold international law, protect the Palestinian people, support the Palestinian State and hold Israel accountable for its persistent violations.”
In particular, Erekat suggested, “recognizing the State of Palestine on the 1967 border and supporting our admission to the UN is the appropriate response to Israel’s rejectionist and expansionist agenda.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=412585
UN slams Israel's settlement go-ahead
The United Nations has condemned Tel Aviv's approval for the construction of 1,600 illegal units in the occupied territories and called the move a “provocative action.”
“If confirmed, this provocative action undermines ongoing efforts by the international community to bring the parties back to negotiations,” said Robert Serry, UN coordinator for the Middle East.
He further added that the plan was both criticized and opposed by the international community after it had been announced last year, dpa reported on Thursday.
The Israeli regime approved the construction of the 1,600 illegal units in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood in East al-Quds (East Jerusalem) on Thursday.
The plan, however, was announced last year when the Israeli regime resumed the expansion of settlements in occupied Palestinian territories after a 10-month partial freeze that prompted the Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders to break off the US-sponsored talks with Tel Aviv that had resumed after a lengthy stalemate.
Tel Aviv also plans to authorize the construction of a further 2,700 illegal units in the occupied land within the coming days.
Moreover, Israel has claimed that the construction has been endorsed as it is currently faced with an "economic crisis."
Israelis have been protesting against rising house prices and social inequalities since mid-July. The protesters demand a new taxation system (lower indirect taxes, higher direct taxes), free education and childcare, an end to the privatization of state-owned companies and more investment in social housing and public transport.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/193553.html
PA blasts Israel's construction approval
Palestinians voice outrage at Israel after it authorized the construction of hundreds of settler units on the occupied Palestinian territories.
On Thursday, the Palestinian Authority (PA)'s officials strongly denounced Tel Aviv's recent move to give final approval for the construction of 1600 new settler homes in the occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem), Palestine News & Info Agency reported.
The approval shows that Tel Aviv “is committed to investing in occupation rather than peace,” Saeb Erakat, the PA's chief negotiator, said in a statement.
Last week, Tel Aviv also approved the construction of 930 settler units in the East al-Quds neighborhood of Har Homa.
“In the past few days, members of the international community ... condemned the expansion of the illegal settlement of Har Homa. Today, Israel has responded to this international consensus with intransigence and willful disregard,” the Palestinian official said.
Calling Israel's continued settlement activities war crimes, he demanded that the United States reconsider its position and support the Palestinians' plan to ask the United Nations in September to recognize an independent Palestinian state.
Israel has, meanwhile, announced plans to authorize two housing projects next week, which include 2700 new settler homes.
"The European Union has repeatedly urged the government of Israel to immediately end all settlement activities in the (occupied) West Bank, including in East Jerusalem. All settlement activities are illegal under international law,” the EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a recent statement.
Israel occupied East al-Quds and the West Bank in 1967 and later annexed both territories. The international community has refused to recognize either move.
In September 2010, Israel resumed expansion of settlement construction in the occupied territories after a 10-month partial freeze, prompting the PA leaders to break off US-sponsored direct talks with Tel Aviv.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/193525.html 7 jan 2012, 23:41 , Respect -
Maria 13 aug 2011
'Israel aims to destroy al-Aqsa Mosque'
(24:59) Israeli New Settlements-News Analysis-08-12-2011
A former US congressional candidate believes that Israel's ultimate objective in constructing new settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories is to destroy al-Aqsa Mosque.
“I have believed for a long time that Israel wants this al-Aqsa Mosque simply not to exist,” Mark Dankof told Press TV on Friday.
“Basically I think this [settlement expansion] is part of a systematic plan to take all of Jerusalem and to replace ... the al-Aqsa Mosque with a so-called rebuilt Jewish temple based on the model of the one that was destroyed in 1870,” he added.
On Thursday, the Israeli regime approved the construction of 1,600 new illegal settlement units in East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
According to Israeli officials, Tel Aviv also plans to authorize the building of another 2,700 illegal housing units in the occupied land within “a couple of days.”
The regime claims the construction has been endorsed because of the "economic crisis" in Israel.
Israelis have been protesting against rising housing prices and social inequalities since mid-July. The protesters demand a new taxation system (lower indirect taxes, higher direct taxes), free education and childcare, an end to the privatization of state-owned companies and more investment in social housing and public transport.
Israel occupied East al-Quds alongside the West Bank in 1967 and later annexed both territories. The international community has refused to recognize either of the moves.
In September 2010, the Israeli regime resumed the expansion of settlements in occupied Palestinian territories after a 10-month partial freeze, prompting the Palestinian Authority (PA) leaders to break off US-sponsored talks with Tel Aviv that had been resumed after a lengthy stalemate.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/193776.html
Egyptian FM: Building new housing units in OJ “big crime”
CAIRO, (PIC)-- Egyptian foreign minister Mohammed Kamel Amr said that what Israel was doing in occupied Jerusalem was provoking the feelings not only of Palestinians but of all Arabs and Muslims.
He said, in a press statement on Friday night before leaving Berlin at conclusion of a visit, that the Israeli official endorsement of building thousands of new housing units in occupied Jerusalem was a “big crime” against the Palestinians.
Amr said that Cairo was deeply concerned at the Israeli official endorsement of 4300 new housing units in occupied Jerusalem other than 900 units announced a few days earlier in Jabal Abu Ghunaim.
The foreign minister said that his country refused the Israeli government’s attempt to solve its internal housing crisis at the expense of the Palestinians. “All knows that the Israeli settlements in the occupied land remain illegal according to the international law and won’t be allowed to exist in the final settlement,” he added.
http://fwd4.me/08w3
Russia slams Israeli decision to build new housing units in O. Jerusalem
MOSCOW, (PIC)-- Russia criticized on Friday the Israeli government’s endorsement of building 1600 new settlement units in occupied Jerusalem, warning that it would lead to worsening the already "explosive Middle East peace process”.
The Russian foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Ukashevic said in a statement that the decision to build those new units would raise “serious concerns”.
He described the construction of those units as “illegitimate” and ran contrary to international efforts seeking an acceptable formula for both parties to resume negotiations.
The official Israeli authorization for building those units was censured by the European Union, the USA, and now Russia.
http://fwd4.me/08vv