- 2 oct 2011
Israel: Settlement in Jerusalem not up for negotiations
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Israeli deputy prime minister Silvan Shalom said settlement construction in Jerusalem was not negotiable and that the city has always been outside of any settlement freeze decisions, despite opposition by various groups.
With regard to resuming peace talks with the Palestinians, Shalom told Israeli Radio on Sunday that all pending issues must be debated in parallel but not in the order proposed by international Quartet, whereas he said borders and security should be tackled in the first stage of talks.
The senior Israeli official said that even if the Palestinians achieve their regional demands, it would not be in their interest to reach a compromise on issues important to Israel such as the repatriation of Palestinian refugees and matters relating to Jerusalem and the holy sites.
For his part, Israeli Knesset member Nachman Shai (Kadima) said he supports continued construction in Jerusalem, wondering how Prime Minister Netanyahu had not realized that his decisions give rise to public discontent among pro-Israel states, including the United States and Germany.
He added that Israel should have first declared that it accepts the Quartet's proposal on resuming negotiations and then announced approval of building the new settlement units in the Gilo outpost in Jerusalem.
http://fwd4.me/0Ct2
French, Italian Foreign Ministers Express Regret over Israeli Settlement
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe and his Italian counterpart Franco Frattini Sunday expressed regret over the continuation of Israeli settlement construction in East Jerusalem, stressing that this move will prevent the resumption of negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, according to the Middle East News Agency (MENA).
In a joint press conference held in the city of Bordeaux in France, Juppe called on Palestinians and Israelis to resume negotiations, expressing regret over the Israeli approval of a plan to build 1100 housing units in East Jerusalem.
He added that “the international initiative, which called for the resumption of direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations and reaching an agreement by the end of 2012, has not succeeded.”
Frattini affirmed that the Israeli decision to build more settlement units does not help in pushing the peace process forward and in resuming negotiations, explaining that despite that decision, Europeans still insist on the need for a prompt resumption of negotiations.
He stressed that the European Union, in cooperation with the international Quartet, has made great efforts to push the peace process forward.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17608
Merkel: Netanyahu Foils Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has foiled Palestinian-Israeli negotiations when he approved building 1100 housing units in East Jerusalem.
She said, following a phone call with Netanyahu described by her as “very difficult,” that “I am unable to believe anything Netanyahu says.”
Haaretz newspaper described the crisis between Merkel and Netanyahu as unprecedented, due to the Israeli intransigence in continuing settlement activities.
It added that the US administration scolded the Israeli ambassador in Washington, considering settlement activities as endangering the resumption of negotiations and American efforts to achieve peace.
Israeli sources said Germany may stop supporting Israel against establishing a Palestinian state.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17606 7 jan 2012, 23:43 , Respect -
Maria 8 oct 2011
Settler homes approved in East Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- The Jerusalem municipality has given the green light for the construction of 11 new apartments in the Jewish settlement of Pisgat Zeev in the annexed east of the city, a councilor told AFP on Saturday.
"The municipality approved at the beginning of the week the construction of 11 apartments, as part of a project of 300 housing units supposed to be approved section by section," Pepe Alalou of the leftist Meretz party said.
Israel on September 27 approved a plan to build 1,100 new homes in a Jewish-only settlement, prompting an angry reaction from the international community and Palestinian officials, who said it amounted to a direct rejection of international efforts to restart peace talks.
Both the US State Department and the White House issued strong condemnation after Israel's interior ministry said the new housing units in Gilo in East Jerusalem had been cleared by its district planning committee.
Russia, the US, United Nations and European Union -- members of the diplomatic Quartet on Middle East peace -- launched a bid to bring the sides back to negotiations as President Mahmoud Abbas submitted Palestine's application for membership of the UN in September.
The proposal included a return to negotiations within a month, credible terms on borders and security in three months, and a deal by the end of 2012.
Fatah spokesman in Europe Jamal Nazzal said Saturday that “the Quartet should realize that the aim of negotiations is to end the occupation and that settlements deepen the occupation.”
The proposal did not mention a settlement freeze.
The issue of Israeli settlements is one of the major obstacles to peace negotiations and the implementation of a two state solution.
Israel captured East Jerusalem in 1967 and illegally annexed it in a move not recognized by the international community. All settlements built on occupied territory are illegal under international law.
Some 500,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. There are about 2.5 million Palestinians in the same territory.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=427275
Fatah official: Quartet should condemn settlements
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The success of an upcoming statement by the Middle East Quartet on Sunday will depend on whether it condemns Israeli settlement building, a Fatah official said.
Fatah spokesman in Europe Jamal Nazzal said Saturday that “the Quartet should realize that the aim of negotiations is to end the occupation and that settlement deepens the occupation.”
The official said that the Quartet is expected to release a statement about negotiations after a meeting in Brussels on Sunday.
The Palestinian demand that illegal settlement building stops is not a "precondition", he said.
The issue of recognizing Israel as a "Jewish state" would probably not be included in the Quartet statement, he added, as European countries believe in the separation of state and religion.
The European Union does not recognize Israel as a Jewish state because it would contradict the principles of democracy and social equality which form a basis for European politics, Nazzal stated.
Russia, the US, United Nations and European Union -- members of the diplomatic Quartet on Middle East peace -- launched a bid to bring the sides back to negotiations as President Mahmoud Abbas submitted Palestine's application for membership of the UN in September.
The proposal included a return to negotiations within a month, credible terms on borders and security in three months, and a deal by the end of 2012.
The proposal did not mention a settlement freeze.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=427244 7 jan 2012, 23:43 , Respect -
Maria 9 oct 2011
Settlement expansion in East Jerusalem-Remember Palestine
(23:53) Settlement expansion in East Jerusalem-Remember Palestine-10-08-2011
In Abbas' UN speech, a stop to illegal settlement building was reiterated as a prerequisite for peace and something he wants to enforce through the UN via recognition of statehood.
But just days after the UN bid was proposed, Israel gave the go ahead to build 1,100 more housing units, a move that has been labeled as provocative by Britain, condemned by Egypt and dubbed counterproductive by Washington.
By delaying any peace process Israel is buying time to build more illegal settlements as they wish when the generation has been changed no one can remove them from the settlements.
We discuss the international reaction to this building plan and explore where settlements stand in light of UN recognition of Palestine, including their illegal status versus the adamant public statements of settlers insisting they will remain in their homes.
http://www.presstv.com/Program/203603.html
Cabinet approves Trajtenberg Report
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finally manages to gather majority necessary to pass social team's recommendations for socioeconomic reform; National Student Union chairman: Approval of report a grave mistake.
The government approved the recommendations presented in the Trajtenberg Report on Sunday, with 21 ministers voting in favor and eight voting against it.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was bombarded with criticism over the report last week, finally managed to gather the majority necessary to pass it. The recommendations presented in the document call for the restructuring of the state's socioeconomic priorities to fulfill the demands of the social protesters.
Netanyahu noted during the cabinet meeting that a final draft of the report, which will contain a series of changes, is to be submitted on January 1. Until then, he said, the government will discuss the reservations presented by the defense establishment over the recommendations with "an open mind."
"An effort will be made to increase transparency and control, while preserving the exclusive authority granted to the IDF chief of staff and the director general of the Defense Ministry," he said.
Before the recommendations can be implemented, they will have to be approved by the Knesset.
'Defense Ministry will contribute its part'
During Sunday's cabinet meeting, Defense Minister Ehud Barak addressed the Treasury's demand to cut the state's defense budget in order to finance the some of the reforms presented in the Trajtenberg Report.
"The Defense Ministry will contribute its part to (fulfill) the social protest's just demands," Barak said. "Contrary to certain claims, the Defense Ministry is in favor of transparency and full supervision. However, we oppose to any intervention in the authorities of the chief of staff and the Defense Ministry's director general.
"If there is one place that lacks transparency, it's the Finance Ministry," he added.
Barak noted that the social protest brought forth a rare opportunity to change the state's socioeconomic priorities and close the gaps within the society, "but for that to be done it's necessary to make a series of brave decisions that go beyond the Trajtenberg Report."
"It's a mistake to turn it into a superficial argument over the defense budget," he said.
Prior to the cabinet meeting, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz called on Barak to accept a defense budget cut. "The defense minister himself said that if cuts to the defense establishment were necessary then it will make a meaningful contribution," he said. "The defense minister should keep to his word."
On Saturday, Netanyahu announced he could not promise the report will be brought to a vote fearing another political embarrassment, but managed Sunday to secure the endorsement of Yisrael Beiteinu.
The Finance Ministry has spent the last few days finalizing the budget clauses to meet Yisrael Beiteinu's demands. A final agreement was achieved Sunday morning. Avigdor Lieberman's party demanded that criteria for public housing be altered and preference be given for working families according to the number of children. The party also demanded housing solutions for senior citizens and bigger post-army grants for ex-soldiers.
This in effect secured a majority for the report at the cabinet. Interior Minister Eli Yishai continued to object to the report.
'Grave mistake'
Meanwhile, Chairman of the National Student Union Itzik Shmueli expressed disappointment over the approval of the report, calling it "a grave mistake."
"You cannot resolve difficult problems with cosmetics and word tricks. We intend to carry on with our struggle, and even take it to the next level – both on the streets and in hallways of the Knesset," he said.
Housing protest leader, Daphni Leef, also slammed the report, saying it offers no real solution for the housing crisis: "Where is the public housing? Where is the affordable housing? What about free education for infants and what about the collapsing health system?" she said.
Leef, who met earlier Sunday with Minister Eli Yishai and thanked him for voting against the report, called on Netanyahu to give the citizens of Israel "a new social budget."
http://fwd4.me/0DOX
Trajtenberg Report likely to pass cabinet vote
Government set to discuss recommendations of seriocomic committee. Netanyahu secures Yisrael Beiteinu's support.
The cabinet is set to discuss the Trajenberg Report's recommendations on Sunday once again. On Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he could not promise the report will be brought to a vote fearing another political embarrassment, but managed Sunday to secure the endorsement of Yisrael Beiteinu.
The Finance Ministry has spent the last few days finalizing the budget clauses to meet Yisrael Beiteinu's demands. A final agreement was achieved Sunday morning. Avigdor Lieberman's party demanded that criteria for public housing be altered and preference be given for working families according to the number of children. The party also demanded housing solutions for senior citizens and bigger post-army grants for ex-soldiers.
This in effect secures majority for the report at the cabinet. It appears that Welfare Minister Moshe Kahlon will also vote in favor of the report. Lieberman was seen talking to Minister Yossi Peled in an effort to get him to endorse the recommendations.
Interior Minister Eli Yishai estimated that the report will pass the vote despite Shas' objection. "As long as there aren’t any changes in the report we shall vote against it. Nevertheless, even if the report passes the cabinet vote, it won't pass Knesset legislation without the necessary amendments." Yishai is demanding changes that "benefit the lower classes."
Netanyahu addressed the Trajtenberg Report at the beginning of Sunday's cabinet meeting. "Approving the report will allow lowering the cost of living, substantially easing parental education spending and lowering the value of properties."
He appeared confident the report will receive both the government and the Knesset's approval. "The government under me is committed to taking the necessary actions for Israeli citizens and for lowering the cost of living. I have no doubt this will happen. First in the government and later at the Knesset."
If the cabinet votes in favor of the report, Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz will have to present detailed proposals for the implementation of the report no later than November 13.
Prior to the cabinet meeting, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz called on Barak to accept a defense budget cut. "The defense minister himself said that if cuts to the defense establishment were necessary that it will make a meaningful contribution. The defense minister should keep to his word."
The government is meant to produce a report on the implementation of the report by the end of the year. Implementing the report requires amending the budget law by the end of the year.
Last week, Netanyahu announced the matter will not be put up for a vote and later retracted his statement. He later learned that 16 out of 29 ministers opposed the plan.
The Trajtenberg report, which has drawn much criticism from the tent protest leaders, proposes among other things, building 196,000 apartments, increasing tax on the rich, cancelling the petrol tax rise, and applying compulsory education for kids from the age of three.
Shas, Yisrael Beiteinu and Barak's Independence Party opposed the recommendations on a previous discussion and were joined by two Likud ministers.
Shas, for example, were irked by Trajtenberg's call to require yeshiva students to either work and perform military or national service in order to receive state support. Barak opposes a cut to the defense budget which stands to lose NIS 3 billion.
http://fwd4.me/0DNS 7 jan 2012, 23:43 , Respect -
Maria p 7 jan 2012, 23:43 , Respect -
Maria p 7 jan 2012, 23:43 , Respect -
Maria 13 oct 2011
Hague: Expansion of Settlements Must End; They are Illegal, Obstacle to Peace
LONDON, (WAFA) – British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Thursday, “For the Israelis, time is slipping away for them to act in their own strategic interest. Expansion of settlements must end. They are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace. This is why we voted in favour of the UN Security Council Resolution in February on this subject and why we continue to condemn announcements of new settlements.”
Hague said before the British Parliament that the UK will continue to work closely with its allies in the interests of peace and stability in the Middle East and North Africa region, according to news published on FCO website.
“The case for progress on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become more urgent as the pace of change in the region has quickened. We support a settlement with borders based on 1967 lines with equivalent land swaps, and a just settlement for refugees and Jerusalem as the capital of both states,” he said.
He added, “On 23 September at the UN General Assembly President Abbas lodged an application with the UN Security Council for full Palestinian membership of the United Nations. The Palestinian application is now being considered by the UN membership committee.”
“On 23 September the Quartet adopted a statement which provides a clear timetable for a conclusion to negotiations. We have called on both parties to return to talks on this basis. I welcome Baroness Ashton’s statement on 9 October that the parties will be invited to meet in the coming days. Success in this will require bold, decisive leadership from both sides, as well as painful compromises. Palestinians should focus on talks, rather than setting too many preconditions,” Hague said.
He said, “The Israeli Government needs to take bolder steps than Israeli leaders have been prepared to do in recent years. Separately I welcome the agreement between Israel and Hamas to release the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit as part of a prisoner exchange. Holding him in captivity was utterly unjustified from the beginning and yet it has gone on for 5 long years, and the whole House will warmly welcome his return home.”
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17762
Al-Haq Submits Formal Objection to Dutch Contract to Hermes
RAMALLAH, (WAFA) – The human rights group, Al-Haq, has instructed Van den Biesen Boesveld advocates, Amsterdam, to submit a formal objection against the decision of Stadsregio Arnhem Nijmegen, a Dutch local authority, to award a one billion Euro public transport concession to Hermes, the Dutch subsidiary of French multinational company VeoliaTransdev, according to a press release issued Thursday.
The objection is based on Veolia’s involvement in Israel’s violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
The Dutch civil society organizations, Palestine Committee Nijmegen (also representing the Network Working Together for Palestine) and United Civilians for Peace (UCP) together with A Different Jewish Voice, have taken similar initiatives to challenge the decision. A hearing of the Committee that decides the objection will be held on 31 October 2011.
VeoliaTransdev, as part of the Veolia group, is involved in the construction of a light rail tramway linking West Jerusalem to settlements in occupied East Jerusalem, which are illegal under international law. Such infrastructure helps entrench Israel’s illegal annexation of East Jerusalem. Other companies within the Veolia group provide transport and services such as refuse collection to illegal Israeli settlements in other parts of the West Bank.
Commenting on the issue, Shawan Jabarin, director of al-Haq, said that the decision to award a contract to Hermes is tantamount to awarding a contract to the Veolia Group as a whole.
'Given the important role played by the Veolia Group in the on-going violation of international law in the West Bank including East Jerusalem, one would have expected Stadsregio Arnhem Nijmegen to have exercised its discretion to award the contract to a firm that does not provide crucial infrastructural support for the continual violations of international law by Israel,” he said.
The case is part of Al-Haq’s on-going efforts to ensure accountability for the many corporations that are involved in violations of international law in the OPT, and to enforce the legal duty that exists on third States to refrain from rendering assistance to Israel’s violations of international law.
Al-Haq looks forward to the Committee’s hearing of the formal objection and calls on the Committee to revoke the decision to award the contract to Hermes.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17756 7 jan 2012, 23:43 , Respect -
Maria 14 oct 2011
Haaretz: Plans to build 2600 residential units in settlements in Jerusalem
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Haaretz newspaper on Friday uncovered plans to build more than 2600 new residential units in the "Givat Hamatos" settlement, to the south of Jerusalem, on lands arrogated by "Israel Land Administration."
The paper added that the building of a third of these units will be built in the Beit Safafa neighbourhood. A 60 day notice was given for public to object to the plan.
The plan was referred to the “Planning and Construction Committee” at the Jerusalem occupation municipality, where it is expected to be approved in quickly.
http://fwd4.me/0S0e 7 jan 2012, 23:43 , Respect -
Maria 15 oct 2011
EU Condemns Israeli Decision to Build New 2600 Housing Units
LONDON, (WAFA) – The European Union (EU) Saturday condemned the Israeli government's decision to build new 2600 housing units in the area located between the cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, according to a press release by the EU commission office in London.
European Union foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton considered that the Israeli decision contradicts with Israel's announcement to commit to the peace process and with the EU and international quartet's efforts to resume negotiations.
She expressed grave concern at this decision, especially that the construction of these housing units in this area will block the geographical connection between the two cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Ashton called on the Israeli government to retract its decision that violates international law and contradicts with the commitments stated in the Road Map, reminding of EU's position that condemns settlement activities' policies.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17769
Zionist plan to efface Jerusalem’s historic walls
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Source in Jerusalem said that the occupation Jerusalem municipality is planning to change the features of historic neighbourhoods in the old city to build a so called biblical park and link it to other parks that have been already built.
The sources said that the occupation has already took control of the area between Bab al-Asbat (Lions’ Gate) and Bab al-Sahera (Herod’s Gate) in the old city. The area was covered with soil ready for planting trees. Preparations are also being made to build walking paths in the same site.
Palestinian organisations in Jerusalem have warned of the danger that these steps pose to Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque. They pointed out that the aim of such projects is efface any features in Jerusalem that reflect its Islamic and Arab character as part of the master plan of Judaizing the holy city.
This particular project will result in effacing parts of the historic wall of the old city, as the lower part of the wall will be covered, according to Palestinian Jerusalem organisations.
The historic wall which is under threat of being effaced was built by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent on the ruins of the Roman wall six centuries ago. It surrounds the old city which occupies an area of 90 Hectares.
http://fwd4.me/0XiI
Ayalon: Settlement in Jerusalem not for discussion
NAZARETH, (PIC)-- Israel’s deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon has said that his government would not halt building in occupied Jerusalem.
He said in a press statement on Saturday that building in Jerusalem is out of the discussion about construction or settlement expansion in the West Bank.
Israel will continue building in Jerusalem and all its suburbs now and in future, he added.
The Israeli government recently endorsed the building of a new suburb south of occupied Jerusalem that would isolate the holy city from the West Bank and would include the construction of 2610 housing units.
http://fwd4.me/0XhP
UN: Israel provokes intl. community
The United Nations has criticized Israel for approving new illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, saying Tel Aviv provokes the international community with its illegal construction activities.
The development comes following reports that Israel plans to build 2,610 more settlement units in East al-Quds (Jerusalem), Reuters reported.
"The [UN] Secretary General [Ban Ki-moon] is deeply concerned at continued efforts to advance planning for new Israeli settlements in occupied East Jerusalem," the UN said in a statement on Friday.
The UN statement stressed that no new settlement activity by Israel would receive international recognition, calling the Israeli move “unacceptable.”
"Recent developments in this regard have been unacceptable, particularly as efforts are ongoing to resume [Israeli-Palestinian] negotiations, and run contrary to the Quartet's call on the parties to refrain from provocations," the statement read.
The so-called Middle East “Quartet” -- the United States, Russia, the European Union and United Nations -- recently launched a bid to restart talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.
"The Secretary General reiterates that settlement activity in East [al-Quds] Jerusalem and the remainder of the West Bank is contrary to international law and to Israel's obligations under the Roadmap, and must cease," the UN statement further read.
The Palestinian Authority says it won't resume talks with Israel as long as it continues expanding the illegal settlements.
The international community considers all settlement units built in the occupied West Bank to be illegal.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/204672.html
Israel's new settler build cuts off Bethlehem and Jerusalem
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israel has formally submitted plans for a new settlement neighborhood of 2,610 homes in annexed East Jerusalem, Peace Now said on Friday.
East Jerusalem's first new district in 14 years, Givat HaMatos, lies within Bethlehem's original municipal borders and will cut off the West Bank city from East Jerusalem, the group said.
Peace Now said building up the neighborhood, standing between Israeli settlements Gilo and Har Homa, was "a game changer that significantly changes the possible border between Israel and Palestine."
"Unlike recent plans that caused controversy in Gilo and Pisgat Zeev which expanded the footprint of existing neighborhoods, the new plan creates an entirely new footprint of a new Israeli neighborhood in East Jerusalem," Peace Now said in a statement.
The establishment of Har Homa in 1997, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was serving his first term as premier, infuriated the Palestinians who said its construction would complete a ring of Jewish settlements around East Jerusalem, effectively cutting it off from the rest of the West Bank.
"The new neighborhood will complete the isolation between Bethlehem and East Jerusalem, and will destroy any possibility of a territorial solution in Beit Safafa and Shurafat," the group said, referring to two Palestinian neighborhoods.
Plans to build Givat HaMatos were first made public in January 2008 under the government of Ehud Olmert, but they could not be implemented without passing through a lengthy approvals process.
The public now has an eight-week period in which to submit any appeals against the plan to build 2,610 homes, at least two thirds of which -- some 1,700 homes -- will be for Israeli Jews as the remainder is being built on privately-owned Palestinian land, Peace Now's Hagit Ofran explained.
"We're now in a place where they could start construction within two years," she said.
"It is enough to destroy the possibility of a two-state solution if you build 1,700 homes for Israeli Jews there," she said.
"This government is eager to build -- especially in East Jerusalem.
"When there is so much political backing for promoting it fast, they could get this through and start building within the year."
Israel insists that the whole of Jerusalem is the country's "eternal, indivisible capital" and does not consider construction in the east to be settlement building because the land falls within the city's municipal boundaries, which were drawn up after the eastern sector was occupied in 1967.
Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem was never recognized by the international community or the Palestinians, who regard the city as the capital of their promised state.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=429214
Israeli Settlement Activities in East Jerusalem Must Cease, says Ban
RAMALLAH, (WAFA) - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed grave concern for the latest Israeli decision to build 2610 housing units in occupied East Jerusalem, stressing that settlement activities “must cease.”
“The Secretary General is deeply concerned at continued efforts to advance planning for new Israeli settlements in occupied East Jerusalem,” said Ban’s spokesman on Friday.
The statement added that recent developments in this regard have been unacceptable, particularly as efforts are ongoing to resume negotiations, and run contrary to the Quartet’s call on the parties to refrain from provocations.
The Quartet, composed of the UN, United States, European Union and Russia, called in a September 23 statement in New York on Palestinians and Israelis to refrain from taking any “provocative action” that would derail efforts to resume direct negotiations between them.
Ban reiterated that settlements activities in East Jerusalem and the remainder of the West Bank are “contrary to international law and to Israel’s obligations under the Road Map, and must cease.”
The statement further reiterated that the international community will not recognize unilateral actions on the ground and that the status of Jerusalem can only be resolved through negotiations.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17766
Abbas in France to secure support for statehood
(2:05) Abbas in France to secure support for statehood - Press TV News
Acting Palestinian Authority chief Mahmud Abbas made France the latest stop on his worldwide tour to secure support for Palestine's full membership bid in the United Nations. But the meeting was overshadowed by Israel's announcement of a new settlement in annexed east Jerusalem.
Last month Sarkozy proposed that the UN give Palestine observer state status and laid out a road map to peace within one year.
French efforts were critical in the recent agreement to exchange captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit for about 1000 Palestinian prisoners. Many hope that a similar deal will be sought for French citizen Salah Hamouri, who has been in an Israeli jail since 2005 after being convicted by a military court of planning to assassinate a rabbi.
Palestine recently applied for full membership in UNESCO, the Paris-based UN cultural body, showing what many say is an increasing willingness to disregard the advice of the United States in favor of their own national interests.
Many believe Palestine has enough votes to win Security Council approval, but the US has promised to use its veto.
France hasn't clarified its position on Palestine's bid, and its alternative diplomatic proposals aren't gaining much traction. But back in May President Sarkozy said France would “live up to its responsibilities” and recognize Palestine.
http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/204643.html 7 jan 2012, 23:43 , Respect -
Maria 16 oct 2011
Erekat: Israeli settlement plan 'mockery' of Quartet effort
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- PLO official Saeb Erekat called Israel's plan for a new settler district a "mockery" of international efforts for peace, in a statement released Sunday.
Erekat, who resigned as the chief Palestinian negotiator in February, said the building of 2,6100 homes in Givat Hamatos "physically sever(s) the Palestinian cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem."
"Israel is obviously immune to the Quartet’s statements and criticisms," he said, urging the diplomatic body of Middle East negotiators -- the European Union, UN, Russia and US -- to hold Israel to account.
The Quartet launched a bid to renew negotiations on Sept. 23, as President Mahmoud Abbas submitted an application for Palestine's full membership of the UN in New York.
The plan for a return to negotiations within the month, and conclusion of a deal by the end of 2012, sought to offset a diplomatic crisis as the US has vowed to veto the Palestinian application at the Security Council.
US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said last Wednesday that the Quartet had invited the PLO and Israel to preliminary talks in Jordan on Oct. 23, while the invitation was subsequently denied by Erekat.
Israel's bid to build the neighborhood between the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which Palestinians regard as the capital of their future state, threw further doubt on the push for negotiations. Palestinian officials say they cannot return to peace talks while Israel builds on lands required for a viable Palestinian state.
Some members of the Quartet expressed exasperation with the settlement plans, which were revealed by Israeli group Peace Now on Friday.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton called the decision to go ahead with the neighborhood "unacceptable," saying the plans clash with "Israel's stated commitment to this process (of peace talks)."
Ashton emphasized in the statement released on Saturday: "Both parties are responsible for the creation of an environment of trust conducive to negotiations."
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said the plans "run contrary to the Quartet's call on the parties to refrain from provocations," a statement on Friday said.
The construction of thousands of homes in the key location in East Jerusalem's south, "makes of (Givat Hamatos) one of the most damaging settlements in occupied Palestine," Erekat said on Sunday.
"It will turn the Palestinian town of Beit Safafa into a ghetto. It will sever the connection between Bethlehem and Jerusalem."
The official called on the Quartet and international community to "take serious action if it wishes to see a peace based on two-states."
"This solution will not be available indefinitely," he warned.
The Palestinian UN application is currently being assessed by a Security Council committee.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=429835
Arab League Condemns Decision to Build Settlement
CAIRO, (WAFA) – The Arab League strongly condemned on Sunday an Israeli government decision to build 2610 housing units in a new settlement in an area between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
It called in a statement on United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as well as the international community and human rights organizations to send a fact-finding mission to Jerusalem to investigate the deteriorating situation and Israeli violations against Jerusalem and its residents.
It stressed that Israel’s settlement construction and confiscation of land that belongs to Palestinians in Jerusalem undermines the vision of the two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
It stressed the collective responsibility of the United Nations, the Quartet and all relevant international organizations to stop Israel from its continued violations against Jerusalem and the rest of the occupied territories.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17774 7 jan 2012, 23:43 , Respect -
Maria 18 oct 2011
France Condemns New Settlement Decision at Givat-Hamatos
PARIS, October 18, 2011 (WAFA) - The French government has condemned the Israeli decision to build a new settlement in Givat Hamatos in East Jerusalem.
In a press release Tuesday, France condemned the unacceptable decision taken by Jerusalem city hall to create a new settlement at Givat-Hamatos in East Jerusalem. It pointed out again that colonisation, whether in the West Bank or in East Jerusalem is illegal under the terms of international law. Last Sunday, on behalf of the French government, the French ambassador asked the Israeli government to block implementation of this project.
If the decision is kept, the release said, this would indeed be regarded as one more provocation while all the efforts of the international community are focused on giving new impetus to negotiations under the terms of the Quartet’s statement of September 23rd.
Apart from being illegal, continued colonisation would diminish prospects of making Jerusalem the capital of the two States, which is essential for signature of any peace treaty. In his address to the UNGA on September 21st, the French President asked Israel to refrain from such gestures, as these prejudge the final status.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17793 7 jan 2012, 23:43 , Respect -
Maria 19 oct 2011
Erekat Stresses Halt to Settlements to Resume Negotiations
JERICHO, (WAFA) – Saeb Erekat, head of the Palestinian final status negotiating team, Wednesday stressed that resumption of negotiations with Israel requires from the Israeli government to halt settlement activities, including in East Jerusalem, and its acceptance of the two-state solution.
He said that these were not conditions, as claimed by Israel, rather they are Israeli obligations under the road map.
Erekat, who is also member of the PLO Executive Committee, said that the PLO was invited to meet members of the international Quartet that is composed of the United States, European Union, Russia and United Nations.
The meeting, which will be held on October 26, will not include Israelis, who will meet separately with the Quartet representatives.
Erekat stressed that the Israeli government cannot change the role of the Palestinian Authority, which is to transform the Palestinian people from occupation to independence.
Erekat’s statements came following separate meetings with the foreign minister of Colombia, Maria Angela Holguín, special UN coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Robert Serry, US Consul General Daniel Rubenstein, British Consul General Vincent Finn, the representative of Norway to the Palestinian Authority, Tor Wennesland, and with the head of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH).
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17814
Tzohar: Settlement homes in return for Shalit deal
Rabbi Yaakov Ariel
Rabbis' organization expresses its support for prisoner exchange deal, but urges prime minister to permit construction of hundreds of houses for 'the first public which may pay the price for the release of arch-terrorists'.
The Tzohar rabbis' organization on Monday announced its support for the prisoner exchange deal securing the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.
In its statement, the organization called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to permit the construction of "hundreds of houses for the residents of Judea and Samaria – the first public which may pay the price for the release of arch-terrorists."
The Tzohar rabbis congratulated the Shalit family on their son's impending release, and the people of Israel for the day in which a soldier who has been gone for five years is being released.
As opposed to rabbis who issued halachic rulings against the deal, the Tzohar organization said that "the issue of the release and the heavy price being paid is very complicated and includes many values, which are not all included in the halachic field of 'redemption of prisoners'. We must trust the government and the security forces on this matter."
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Russia Deeply Concerned at New Israeli Settlement Plan
MOSCOW, (WAFA) – The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed deep concern at the Israeli government’s plans to build new housing units in East Jerusalem, said a press release issued by the ministry on Monday.
“The realization by Israeli authorities of such plans, just like the intention to legalize the many settlement outposts built in occupied Palestinian territories, run absolutely counter to the commitments of the Israeli side under the Roadmap,” said the press release.
Russia expressed particular worry and warned from an extremely adverse impact of the Israeli plan on the efforts of the international community, under the auspices of the international Quartet of Middle East peace mediators, to restart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations on the well-known international legal bases, in accordance with the statement issued at the end of the Quartet meeting in New York on September 23, 2011.
Russia called on the Israeli government to “renounce the continuation of settlement activity in occupied territories, refraining from any steps that prejudge the status of Jerusalem and the borders of a future Palestinian state,” which must be determined in the course of negotiations between the sides.
According to media reports, the Israeli government plans to start implementing a new settlement project (2610 housing units with subsequent expansion to 4200) in the existing Jewish settlement of Givat Hamatos in the southern part of East Jerusalem.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17809 7 jan 2012, 23:43 , Respect -
Maria 21 oct 2011
Israel 'ready for partial settlement freeze'
By Philippe Agret
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ready to partially freeze West Bank settlement building if it will bring the PLO back to direct talks, an Israeli newspaper reported on Friday.
But the PLO said it was unaware of any such offer, and said that anything short of a full freeze would not be acceptable.
According to Haaretz, Netanyahu's offer was made on Wednesday in talks with Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin.
During the meeting, which came a day after she held talks with President Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah, Holguin told Netanyahu that Abbas desperately needed a symbolic gesture on settlements if he was to return to negotiations, a senior Israeli official told the paper.
In response, Netanyahu said he would be "ready to make such a gesture if it would return Abbas to the negotiating table" and agreed to freeze all government-sponsored construction and all building on state land.
But he said he would not agree to freeze settlement activity by private developers on privately owned land -- which, according to a recent Palestinian study, constitutes around 80 percent of settlement activity.
The official said the offer would test whether or not Abbas was serious about returning to direct negotiations.
"Netanyahu said he was ready to test Abbas by making the gesture regarding settlements. 'If Abbas is serious about negotiations, he will renew direct talks,' Netanyahu said."
The Israeli official said the new proposal was relayed to Abbas on Wednesday, but PLO official Saeb Erekat on Friday said it was the first they had heard of it, and insisted that only a full halt to settlement, including in annexed east Jerusalem, would suffice.
"We want to hear officially from the Israeli government that they accept to stop settlement on all Palestinian lands, including in Jerusalem and natural growth, and to recognize the 1967 borders," Erekat told AFP.
"The Israeli government knows very well how to inform us officially. Until now, no-one has told us anything," he said.
In order to resume direct talks, the PLO is demanding a total freeze on all settlement activity, and a commitment from Israel that any future negotiations be based on the lines which existed before June 1967.
Israel says both demands are preconditions, and has refused to accept either of them.
Netanyahu's spokesman Mark Regev refused to comment directly on the Haaretz report, saying only: "The prime minister's position has not changed -- he is ready for direct peace talks with the Palestinian Authority without any preconditions."
Earlier this week, the prime minister in the West Bank, Salam Fayyad, said the time was not right to resume meaningful dialogue with Israel in a rare comment on the political process.
"Our own assessment is that the conditions are not ripe at this juncture for a meaningful resumption of talks," he told a pro-Palestinian Authority lobby group in Washington on Wednesday.
He said the process had failed -- but "not for lack of talks."
"It's precisely because those talks were attempted so many times before, but not on the basis of terms of reference that were consistent with what is required to bring this conflict to an end in a manner that is remotely related to what international law requires," he said.
Direct talks were last held in September 2010 but ran aground within weeks after the expiry of a temporary freeze on West Bank settlement construction, which Israel did not renew.
The PLO said it would not talk while Israel continues to build on land they want for a future state.
Colombian mediation efforts began earlier this month when Abbas visited Bogota in an attempt to secure support for a Palestinian bid to secure state membership at the United Nations.
Colombia, a UN Security Council member, opposes the bid as does Israel and the United States, with all three saying a Palestinian state can only emerge through bilateral negotiations and not through a UN vote.
The request was formally presented by Abbas on September 23 and is currently being studied by the Security Council which could vote on it as early as Nov. 11, a senior Western diplomat said Wednesday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=431258
7 jan 2012, 23:44 , Respect -
Maria 22 oct 2011
New Construction in Settlement Outpost near Salfit
SALFIT, (WAFA) – Israeli authorities started building a watchtower along with new construction in Navi Nahniyah settlement outpost near Iskaka, a village in the Salfit area, north of the West Bank, said a local official on Saturday.
Samir Haris, head of Iskaka village council, said Israeli forces razed vast areas of the village land and prevented landowners from accessing their property. The army built a fence around the outpost that encompassed a large area of the village land.
Haris said there was around-the-clock construction in the outpost including building the watchtower overlooking Iskaka to tighten surveillance and control over movement of Palestinian farmers and residents.
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=17834 7 jan 2012, 23:44 , Respect -
Maria 22 oct 2011
Erekat: Freeze on govt settlement building 'false distinction'
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- PLO official Saeb Erekat has rejected the distinction between government and private construction in Israeli settlements, the premise of Israel's "offer" for a partial building freeze reported by Israeli media on Friday.
As all settlement building on Palestinian lands is illegal under international law, differentiating public and private-led expansion is a "false distinction," a statement from the former chief negotiator said on Friday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered to freeze government settlement construction in an offer put to President Mahmoud Abbas by Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin on Wednesday, the Israeli daily Haaretz and a Palestinian official said.
Private construction constitutes around 80 percent of settlement activity, according to recent studies.
"Looting is not made legal under any circumstance," Erekat said. "Attempting to draw such false distinctions exposes the true intentions of the Israeli government."
Diplomats are trying to renew direct talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials as the UN Security Council considers Palestine's application for full membership of the global body, which Israel and the US have vowed to scupper.
A Quartet proposal aired on Sept. 23 -- as Abbas handed the bid to UN officials -- has faltered as the deadline it set for a preliminary meeting within one month passed without an appointment.
Days later, Netanyahu told Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post that Palestinian insistence on a settlement halt was a "pretext" to avoid talks, and implied that a new settlement freeze was unlikely.
"We already gave at the office," Netanyahu told the Post, referring to a 10-month partial settlement freeze that Israel refused to renew in late September 2010, leading to the breakdown of direct talks launched weeks earlier.
Palestinian officials say they cannot negotiate with Israel while it builds on lands needed for the viability of a future Palestinian state.
On Sept. 27, Israel approved the construction of 1,100 new homes in Gilo settlement, and in early October started building 11 units as part of a 300-home project in Pisgat Zeev settlement, both in East Jerusalem.
An Israeli peace group also revealed in October that Israel has formally submitted plans to build 2,610 homes near Gilo, including new neighborhood Givat Hamotos, which will cut off Bethlehem and the West Bank from East Jerusalem's southern sector.
East Jerusalem was annexed by Israeli in a 1967 war, in a move never recognized by the international community. Israel claims Jerusalem as its undivided capital, while Palestinians say the occupied east must be the capital of a future Palestinian state.
"Might does not make right. We will not compromise our positions based on the power politics of the day," Erekat said Friday. "International law has been, and will continue to be, the basis for our positions on this and all other issues."
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7 jan 2012, 23:44 , Respect -
Maria 25 oct 2011
Israel plans building 4000 new housing units south of occupied Jerusalem
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- The Israeli government has recently endorsed the building of a new Jewish suburb south of occupied Jerusalem that envisages the construction of 4000 housing units, Hebrew press reported on Monday.
Yediot Ahronot said on its website on Monday that the construction and planning committee has endorsed the first stage, which includes the building of 2610 housing units, of the three-stage project.
It added the committee would meet again early next December to endorse the second and third stages of the project, which on completion would be the biggest since the establishment of Jabal Abu Ghuneim suburb.
The report noted that the project would complete the isolation of the southern part of eastern Jerusalem from the West Bank.
http://fwd4.me/0fbt