15 aug 2013
The Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel declared Wednesday the construction of thousands of new housing units in West Bank settlements at the start Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. We will build thousands of houses during the next year in “Judea and Samaria” areas in the West Bank and no one can dictate where we can build, the Israeli minister said.
Ariel, a member of the national religious party "Jewish Home" that opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state, pointed out that the intended housing units will be constructed in the isolated settlements not in settlement blocs where 36O thousand settlers live.
Meanwhile, Palestinian official data confirmed that settlements' number in West Bank has increased to 144 in 2012 from 140 settlements in 2011.
In its annual report issued Wednesday, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) pointed out that the majority are located in Jerusalem governorate: 26 settlements, of which 16 have been annexed by Israel, 24 settlements were built in Ramallah and Al Bireh, 19 settlements were established in al-Khalil, and the 17 settlements in the Jordan, while only 3 settlements were built in Tulkarem.
By the end of 2012 the settlers' number in the West Bank has reached 563,546 settlers, compared to 538,781 settlers at the end of 2011, with 4.6 per cent increase. The number of settlers in the occupied West Bank has doubled more than 40 times in the period between 1972 and 2013.
The settlers' number has been raised by 2.8 per cent during the first six months of 2012, the report pointed out.
The occupation authorities seek to provide investment and social incentives to encourage settlers.
Data indicate that the number of settlers in the West Bank in 2012 was 563,546. Most of these settlers live in Jerusalem governorate with 277,501 settlers in total, including 203,176 in Jerusalem governorate (J1).
The settlers represent 89.0% of all West Bank settlers and are concentrated in Jerusalem governorate (comprising 98.6% of all settlers in the governorate). In Qalqiliya governorate 93.0% of all settlers in the governorate are in urban settlements; in Bethlehem governorate urban settlers make up 93.2% of all settlers; in Ramallah & Al-Bireh governorate they make up 87.5% of settlers; and in Salfit governorate they make up 70.9% of settlers in the governorate. There are no urban settlements in Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas governorates.
Ariel, a member of the national religious party "Jewish Home" that opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state, pointed out that the intended housing units will be constructed in the isolated settlements not in settlement blocs where 36O thousand settlers live.
Meanwhile, Palestinian official data confirmed that settlements' number in West Bank has increased to 144 in 2012 from 140 settlements in 2011.
In its annual report issued Wednesday, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) pointed out that the majority are located in Jerusalem governorate: 26 settlements, of which 16 have been annexed by Israel, 24 settlements were built in Ramallah and Al Bireh, 19 settlements were established in al-Khalil, and the 17 settlements in the Jordan, while only 3 settlements were built in Tulkarem.
By the end of 2012 the settlers' number in the West Bank has reached 563,546 settlers, compared to 538,781 settlers at the end of 2011, with 4.6 per cent increase. The number of settlers in the occupied West Bank has doubled more than 40 times in the period between 1972 and 2013.
The settlers' number has been raised by 2.8 per cent during the first six months of 2012, the report pointed out.
The occupation authorities seek to provide investment and social incentives to encourage settlers.
Data indicate that the number of settlers in the West Bank in 2012 was 563,546. Most of these settlers live in Jerusalem governorate with 277,501 settlers in total, including 203,176 in Jerusalem governorate (J1).
The settlers represent 89.0% of all West Bank settlers and are concentrated in Jerusalem governorate (comprising 98.6% of all settlers in the governorate). In Qalqiliya governorate 93.0% of all settlers in the governorate are in urban settlements; in Bethlehem governorate urban settlers make up 93.2% of all settlers; in Ramallah & Al-Bireh governorate they make up 87.5% of settlers; and in Salfit governorate they make up 70.9% of settlers in the governorate. There are no urban settlements in Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas governorates.
The Government of Japan deeply deplore that the Government of Israel has approved a plan for the construction of about 880 housing units in the Jewish settlements in the West Bank and tender for the construction of about 1,200 housing units in the Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
At a time when the direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine have just been resumed as a result of vigorous mediation efforts made by the U.S. and the next round of talks will be held this week, the continued settlement activity of the Israeli Government clearly goes against the efforts of the parties involved and could greatly impact the recently resumed peace process, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan said in a press release Thursday.
Japan strongly calls upon Israel not to implement the above-mentioned plan of construction for the sake of progress in the peace process.
Japan once again strongly urges both sides to act to enhance mutual trust and continue to make steady efforts for peace.
At a time when the direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine have just been resumed as a result of vigorous mediation efforts made by the U.S. and the next round of talks will be held this week, the continued settlement activity of the Israeli Government clearly goes against the efforts of the parties involved and could greatly impact the recently resumed peace process, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan said in a press release Thursday.
Japan strongly calls upon Israel not to implement the above-mentioned plan of construction for the sake of progress in the peace process.
Japan once again strongly urges both sides to act to enhance mutual trust and continue to make steady efforts for peace.
14 aug 2013
The Jerusalem Post Israeli newspaper reported Wednesday that Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel promised that Israel will continue to build over the Green Line.
"We will continue to build over the Green Line, even during the negotiations. Israel doesn't need any special reason to build," Ariel said during an interview with Israel's Army Radio.
Israeli government has recently announced its intention to publish tenders for 1,187 new settler homes over the pre-1967 lines.
The move, which is considered as a snub to America and the upcoming peace negotiations with the Palestinians, came a day before Tuesday night's controversial release of 26 Palestinian prisoners as the first phase of a larger prisoner release that will eventually total 104.
It's worth mentioning that renewed peace talks were set to begin later on Wednesday afternoon between Israel's Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.
Ariel added in the interview, "There is no area where we will not build, and there is no area where will allow someone to dictate to us whether or not to build."
"We will continue to build over the Green Line, even during the negotiations. Israel doesn't need any special reason to build," Ariel said during an interview with Israel's Army Radio.
Israeli government has recently announced its intention to publish tenders for 1,187 new settler homes over the pre-1967 lines.
The move, which is considered as a snub to America and the upcoming peace negotiations with the Palestinians, came a day before Tuesday night's controversial release of 26 Palestinian prisoners as the first phase of a larger prisoner release that will eventually total 104.
It's worth mentioning that renewed peace talks were set to begin later on Wednesday afternoon between Israel's Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.
Ariel added in the interview, "There is no area where we will not build, and there is no area where will allow someone to dictate to us whether or not to build."
The Regional Committee of the Israeli Interior Ministry has approved the construction of another 900 settlement units in Gilo settlement east Jerusalem. Top Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said that the PA is now mulling boycotting talks with Israelis due to resume on Wednesday.
A new round of the talks between Israelis and the Palestinian Authority is to resume in occupied Jerusalem on Wednesday amid Israeli plans to establish new settlement units in Palestinian territories occupied in 1967.
However, a Palestinian official said Abbas agreed to restart talks only after receiving a letter from Kerry guaranteeing that the basis of the negotiations will indeed be Israel’s pre-1967 borders.
The new construction plans of 900 housing units are in addition to the 1,200 settlement units approved on Sunday.
The plans for the construction of new settlements also received international condemnation.
A new round of the talks between Israelis and the Palestinian Authority is to resume in occupied Jerusalem on Wednesday amid Israeli plans to establish new settlement units in Palestinian territories occupied in 1967.
However, a Palestinian official said Abbas agreed to restart talks only after receiving a letter from Kerry guaranteeing that the basis of the negotiations will indeed be Israel’s pre-1967 borders.
The new construction plans of 900 housing units are in addition to the 1,200 settlement units approved on Sunday.
The plans for the construction of new settlements also received international condemnation.
Israeli housing minister Uri Ariel and head of the municipal council in occupied Jerusalem Nir Barkat laid the foundation stone for the construction of a new settlement outpost in Jabal Makbar neighborhood, east of the holy city. According to the Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage, the new outpost will be composed of 63 housing units to be inhabited by ultraorthodox Jewish settlers.
The new plan will be carried out by the Zionist settler group Emunah, which had already built a parking lot for this outpost five years ago, but it did not finish the project as a result of the legal battle that took place between the Palestinian owners of the area, about 3000 square meters, and the group.
After the Palestinian owners lost their legal battle against Emunah, the Israeli government blessed and sponsored the plan.
Spokesman for the Israeli premier Mark Regev said that these housing units, whose construction was approved by the government, are located within the areas that would remain under Israel's sovereignty in any future peace treaty with the Palestinian authority.
The new plan will be carried out by the Zionist settler group Emunah, which had already built a parking lot for this outpost five years ago, but it did not finish the project as a result of the legal battle that took place between the Palestinian owners of the area, about 3000 square meters, and the group.
After the Palestinian owners lost their legal battle against Emunah, the Israeli government blessed and sponsored the plan.
Spokesman for the Israeli premier Mark Regev said that these housing units, whose construction was approved by the government, are located within the areas that would remain under Israel's sovereignty in any future peace treaty with the Palestinian authority.
(Video coming soon) The Israeli regime says it plans to build “thousands” of settlement units in the occupied West Bank, in a thinly-veiled reaction to the recent remarks by US Secretary of State John Kerry that all Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian lands are “illegitimate.”
“We will build thousands of homes in the coming year in Judaea-Samaria (West Bank). No one dictates where we can build,” said Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel on Wednesday.
US Secretary of State Kerry said on Tuesday that all Israeli settlements on the occupied Palestinian territories are “illegitimate.”
“Let me make it clear. The policy of the United States with respect to all settlements is that they are illegitimate,” he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Tel Aviv regime approved the construction of another 942 settlement units in the occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
On Sunday, Israel announced plans to construct nearly 1,200 new illegal settlement units on the occupied Palestinian lands.
The move by the Israeli regime came as the Tel Aviv regime and the Palestinian Authority (PA) prepare to resume a new round of talks.
US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said last week that talks between the PA and the Israeli regime will resume on August 14 in al-Quds.
The representatives of Israel and the PA met last month in Washington. The meeting was the first direct negotiations in three years.
The last Palestinian-Israeli talks were halted in September 2010 after Tel Aviv refused to freeze its settlement activities in the West Bank.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds.
The United Nations and most countries regard the Israeli settlements as illegal because the territories were captured by Israel in a war in 1967 and are hence subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbids construction on occupied lands.
“We will build thousands of homes in the coming year in Judaea-Samaria (West Bank). No one dictates where we can build,” said Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel on Wednesday.
US Secretary of State Kerry said on Tuesday that all Israeli settlements on the occupied Palestinian territories are “illegitimate.”
“Let me make it clear. The policy of the United States with respect to all settlements is that they are illegitimate,” he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Tel Aviv regime approved the construction of another 942 settlement units in the occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem).
On Sunday, Israel announced plans to construct nearly 1,200 new illegal settlement units on the occupied Palestinian lands.
The move by the Israeli regime came as the Tel Aviv regime and the Palestinian Authority (PA) prepare to resume a new round of talks.
US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said last week that talks between the PA and the Israeli regime will resume on August 14 in al-Quds.
The representatives of Israel and the PA met last month in Washington. The meeting was the first direct negotiations in three years.
The last Palestinian-Israeli talks were halted in September 2010 after Tel Aviv refused to freeze its settlement activities in the West Bank.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds.
The United Nations and most countries regard the Israeli settlements as illegal because the territories were captured by Israel in a war in 1967 and are hence subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbids construction on occupied lands.
13 aug 2013
All Israeli settlements on the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal, US Secretary of State John Kerry says.
Kerry made the remarks during a joint news conference with his Brazilian counterpart Antonio Patriota in the Brazilian capital Brasilia, where he arrived on Tuesday after visiting neighboring Colombia.
"Let me make it clear. The policy of the United States with respect to all settlements is that they are illegitimate," he said.
A day earlier in Colombia, Kerry also said that the US government views the settlements as illegal, but called on the Palestinian Authority "not to react adversely" to Israel's approval of hundreds of new settlement homes.
"I think that what this underscores, actually, is the importance of getting to the table and getting to the table quickly and resolving the questions with respect to settlements, which are best resolved by solving the problems of security and borders," Kerry said in Bogota, the capital and largest city of Colombia.
"Once you have security and borders solved, you have resolved the question of settlements," he added.
On Sunday, Israel announced plans to construct nearly 1,200 new illegal settlement units on the occupied Palestinian land.
Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel said that 1,187 apartments had been given final approval.
He added that 793 apartments would be built in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) while 394 others are to be constructed in several neighborhoods of the occupied West Bank, including Maaleh Adumim, Efrat and Ariel.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Tel Aviv regime approved the construction of another 942 settlement units in the occupied East al-Quds.
Al-Quds municipal councilor Yosef Pepe Alalu said that the municipality approved the plan for the construction of the settlement units in Gilo settlement.
Gilo is one of five major settlements in East al-Quds that were established by Israel following the Six-Day War of 1967. Israel occupied East al-Quds, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank during the war and refuses to withdraw.
The presence and continued expansion of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine has created a major obstacle for the efforts to establish peace in the Middle East.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds.
The United Nations and most countries regard the Israeli settlements as illegal because the territories were captured by Israel in a war in 1967 and are hence subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbids construction on occupied lands.
Kerry made the remarks during a joint news conference with his Brazilian counterpart Antonio Patriota in the Brazilian capital Brasilia, where he arrived on Tuesday after visiting neighboring Colombia.
"Let me make it clear. The policy of the United States with respect to all settlements is that they are illegitimate," he said.
A day earlier in Colombia, Kerry also said that the US government views the settlements as illegal, but called on the Palestinian Authority "not to react adversely" to Israel's approval of hundreds of new settlement homes.
"I think that what this underscores, actually, is the importance of getting to the table and getting to the table quickly and resolving the questions with respect to settlements, which are best resolved by solving the problems of security and borders," Kerry said in Bogota, the capital and largest city of Colombia.
"Once you have security and borders solved, you have resolved the question of settlements," he added.
On Sunday, Israel announced plans to construct nearly 1,200 new illegal settlement units on the occupied Palestinian land.
Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel said that 1,187 apartments had been given final approval.
He added that 793 apartments would be built in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) while 394 others are to be constructed in several neighborhoods of the occupied West Bank, including Maaleh Adumim, Efrat and Ariel.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Tel Aviv regime approved the construction of another 942 settlement units in the occupied East al-Quds.
Al-Quds municipal councilor Yosef Pepe Alalu said that the municipality approved the plan for the construction of the settlement units in Gilo settlement.
Gilo is one of five major settlements in East al-Quds that were established by Israel following the Six-Day War of 1967. Israel occupied East al-Quds, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank during the war and refuses to withdraw.
The presence and continued expansion of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine has created a major obstacle for the efforts to establish peace in the Middle East.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds.
The United Nations and most countries regard the Israeli settlements as illegal because the territories were captured by Israel in a war in 1967 and are hence subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbids construction on occupied lands.
The Russian Foreign Ministry recently voiced its disapproval of Israel's plans to build roughly 1,200 new settlement units, according to PressTV.
On Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement, saying that "the announcement of such plans on the eve of a new round of negotiations due to be held in [East al-Quds] Jerusalem on August 14... is a counterproductive step that complicates the atmosphere of the talks."
The Ministry also noted that Russia was "seriously concerned" by this decision to approve plans for additional settlement-building.
On Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement, saying that "the announcement of such plans on the eve of a new round of negotiations due to be held in [East al-Quds] Jerusalem on August 14... is a counterproductive step that complicates the atmosphere of the talks."
The Ministry also noted that Russia was "seriously concerned" by this decision to approve plans for additional settlement-building.
In a statement on Monday, the European Union opposed Israeli plans to build close to 1,200 new settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, recognizing them as illegal, according to PressTV and the International Middle East Media Center.
This statement was preceded by Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel's decision, on Sunday, to grant full approval for the construction of 793 settlement units in East Jerusalem and 394 units in the West Bank.
Michael Mann, spokesman for the EU's High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, responded with the EU's position that "Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law and threaten to make a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict impossible."
This statement echoes an EU statement released in May of this year, underscoring the "EU's long-standing position about settlements." In Monday's commentary, however, the statement progressed further to address the current context of ongoing negotiations. Mann noted that the European Union desired "all parties to refrain from actions which could undermine the negotiation process and the prospects of peace."
In particular, the timing of the Israeli Housing Ministry's approval for new settlement construction falls close to the next set of peace talks, scheduled to begin this Wednesday in Jerusalem.
EU: Israel settlement approval illegal
The European Union has warned that the Israeli regime’s decision to approve the construction of some 1,200 settlement units in the occupied Palestinian territories was “illegal.”
The warning was made on Monday by Michael Mann, the spokesman for EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton.
"Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law and threaten to make a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict impossible," Mann said.
Mann also said that the bloc called on “all parties to refrain from actions which could undermine the negotiation process and the prospects of peace."
It came after Israel’s Housing Minister Uri Ariel gave final approval on Sunday for the building of 793 settlement units in the occupied east al-Quds (Jerusalem) and 394 others in the West Bank.
The approval comes at a time when a new round of the talks between Israelis and the Palestinian Authority is to resume in al-Quds on Wednesday.
The representatives of Israel and the Palestinian Authority met last month in Washington. The meeting was the first direct negotiations in three years.
The Tel Aviv regime’s new settlement plan infuriated the Palestinians with their top negotiator, Saeb Erekat, saying the PA is now mulling boycotting the talks with Israel.
"The settlement plans contradict the principle of confidence and goodwill that the resumption of negotiations should have provided," Erekat said.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967.
This statement was preceded by Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel's decision, on Sunday, to grant full approval for the construction of 793 settlement units in East Jerusalem and 394 units in the West Bank.
Michael Mann, spokesman for the EU's High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, responded with the EU's position that "Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law and threaten to make a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict impossible."
This statement echoes an EU statement released in May of this year, underscoring the "EU's long-standing position about settlements." In Monday's commentary, however, the statement progressed further to address the current context of ongoing negotiations. Mann noted that the European Union desired "all parties to refrain from actions which could undermine the negotiation process and the prospects of peace."
In particular, the timing of the Israeli Housing Ministry's approval for new settlement construction falls close to the next set of peace talks, scheduled to begin this Wednesday in Jerusalem.
EU: Israel settlement approval illegal
The European Union has warned that the Israeli regime’s decision to approve the construction of some 1,200 settlement units in the occupied Palestinian territories was “illegal.”
The warning was made on Monday by Michael Mann, the spokesman for EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton.
"Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law and threaten to make a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict impossible," Mann said.
Mann also said that the bloc called on “all parties to refrain from actions which could undermine the negotiation process and the prospects of peace."
It came after Israel’s Housing Minister Uri Ariel gave final approval on Sunday for the building of 793 settlement units in the occupied east al-Quds (Jerusalem) and 394 others in the West Bank.
The approval comes at a time when a new round of the talks between Israelis and the Palestinian Authority is to resume in al-Quds on Wednesday.
The representatives of Israel and the Palestinian Authority met last month in Washington. The meeting was the first direct negotiations in three years.
The Tel Aviv regime’s new settlement plan infuriated the Palestinians with their top negotiator, Saeb Erekat, saying the PA is now mulling boycotting the talks with Israel.
"The settlement plans contradict the principle of confidence and goodwill that the resumption of negotiations should have provided," Erekat said.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967.
The government must immediately stop this double political game and overcome the conditioned reflex by which every time talks come near, it responds with real estate violence.
For several months Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu worked to persuade Israelis and the international community of his sincere longing for the renewal of negotiations with the Palestinians. He repeatedly stressed that Israel is ready at any time to talk to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas without preconditions, and each time he presented Abbas as the sworn rejectionist.
But on the eve of the renewed talks, born only after political torment and tribulation, it turns out that the term “preconditions” has a variety of interpretations. For example, Israel agreed to release 104 Palestinian prisoners, including Israeli citizens, in exchange for “slowing down” construction over the Green Line. As a result, Abbas rescinded his demand that negotiations begin with the issue of borders, and agreed to Netanyahu’s demand to discuss all the core issues as they are raised. Abbas also refrained from demanding that Israel pledge not to build in the territories during the negotiations, and thus removed another obstacle that Netanyahu had put there to stop the talks before they began.
But Netanyahu’s far-reaching interpretation of the term “no preconditions” pushes the envelope of Palestinian understanding. The urgency with which approval was given for plans to build hundreds of housing units in the territories, and the announcement of the construction of hundreds of new units in East Jerusalem, are not the result of the immediate need for roofs over the heads of the homeless. They seem to represent the hope for a targeted assassination of the opening of the peace talks after every other effort to stop them has failed. These steps, which have already led to a sharp American rebuke, lift the fog in which Netanyahu has tried to cloak his true intentions. They present Israel, under his leadership, as the one rejectionist of every diplomatic process.
Viewing the negotiations that are to open tomorrow as another opportunity that must be missed, Netanyahu is leading Israel with eyes wide open into a minefield, in which not only relations with the Palestinians will be damaged, but also those with the United States. The latter could join in the punitive measures the European Union has imposed on Israel, and thus complete Israel’s circle of international isolation.
The government must immediately stop this double political game and overcome the conditioned reflex by which every time talks come near, it responds with real estate violence. Finance Minister Yair Lapid, who spoke specifically about the vital need for negotiations, must use his political power against any construction beyond what was agreed to with the Americans. The other coalition partners must allow the talks to take their first steps and begin the journey to the end of the conflict with the Palestinians.
For several months Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu worked to persuade Israelis and the international community of his sincere longing for the renewal of negotiations with the Palestinians. He repeatedly stressed that Israel is ready at any time to talk to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas without preconditions, and each time he presented Abbas as the sworn rejectionist.
But on the eve of the renewed talks, born only after political torment and tribulation, it turns out that the term “preconditions” has a variety of interpretations. For example, Israel agreed to release 104 Palestinian prisoners, including Israeli citizens, in exchange for “slowing down” construction over the Green Line. As a result, Abbas rescinded his demand that negotiations begin with the issue of borders, and agreed to Netanyahu’s demand to discuss all the core issues as they are raised. Abbas also refrained from demanding that Israel pledge not to build in the territories during the negotiations, and thus removed another obstacle that Netanyahu had put there to stop the talks before they began.
But Netanyahu’s far-reaching interpretation of the term “no preconditions” pushes the envelope of Palestinian understanding. The urgency with which approval was given for plans to build hundreds of housing units in the territories, and the announcement of the construction of hundreds of new units in East Jerusalem, are not the result of the immediate need for roofs over the heads of the homeless. They seem to represent the hope for a targeted assassination of the opening of the peace talks after every other effort to stop them has failed. These steps, which have already led to a sharp American rebuke, lift the fog in which Netanyahu has tried to cloak his true intentions. They present Israel, under his leadership, as the one rejectionist of every diplomatic process.
Viewing the negotiations that are to open tomorrow as another opportunity that must be missed, Netanyahu is leading Israel with eyes wide open into a minefield, in which not only relations with the Palestinians will be damaged, but also those with the United States. The latter could join in the punitive measures the European Union has imposed on Israel, and thus complete Israel’s circle of international isolation.
The government must immediately stop this double political game and overcome the conditioned reflex by which every time talks come near, it responds with real estate violence. Finance Minister Yair Lapid, who spoke specifically about the vital need for negotiations, must use his political power against any construction beyond what was agreed to with the Americans. The other coalition partners must allow the talks to take their first steps and begin the journey to the end of the conflict with the Palestinians.
The European Union and White House issued separate statements denouncing the new Israeli plan, declared Sunday, when Israel approved hundreds of units for Israeli settlers in occupied East Jerusalem, and the occupied West Bank.
High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the European Union, Catherine Ashton, stated that the EU strongly believes that Israel’s settlements in occupied Palestine are illegal, and violate International Law.
Ashton added that settlement pose serious threats to the efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israel conflict and the two-state solution, especially amidst the recently renewed direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian.
U.S. Foreign Secretary Spokesperson, Jennifer Psaki, stated that Washington is extremely concerned about the Israeli decision, and Israel ongoing settlement construction activities.
Psaky added that the position of her country has never changed, as the United States does not recognize settlements because they are illegitimate.
U.S. Foreign Secretary, John Kerry, also denounced the Israeli decision, and added that he informed Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Israeli negotiator, Tzipi Livni, that the United States considers settlements illegal.
The Unites States grants Israel about six billion dollars annually in direct and indirect aid.
The statements came after Israel officially approved the construction of 1200 units in illegal settlements build in the occupied West Bank, and in occupied East Jerusalem.
Settlements are illegal under International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention to which Israel is a signatory.
Israel’s illegal settlements, and its Apartheid Wall have turned the Palestinian areas into isolated ghettoes, separating the villagers from their lands, or what is left of them, and diminished the chances of establishing a future contiguous and independent Palestinian State.
High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the European Union, Catherine Ashton, stated that the EU strongly believes that Israel’s settlements in occupied Palestine are illegal, and violate International Law.
Ashton added that settlement pose serious threats to the efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israel conflict and the two-state solution, especially amidst the recently renewed direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian.
U.S. Foreign Secretary Spokesperson, Jennifer Psaki, stated that Washington is extremely concerned about the Israeli decision, and Israel ongoing settlement construction activities.
Psaky added that the position of her country has never changed, as the United States does not recognize settlements because they are illegitimate.
U.S. Foreign Secretary, John Kerry, also denounced the Israeli decision, and added that he informed Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Israeli negotiator, Tzipi Livni, that the United States considers settlements illegal.
The Unites States grants Israel about six billion dollars annually in direct and indirect aid.
The statements came after Israel officially approved the construction of 1200 units in illegal settlements build in the occupied West Bank, and in occupied East Jerusalem.
Settlements are illegal under International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention to which Israel is a signatory.
Israel’s illegal settlements, and its Apartheid Wall have turned the Palestinian areas into isolated ghettoes, separating the villagers from their lands, or what is left of them, and diminished the chances of establishing a future contiguous and independent Palestinian State.
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The Israeli government of Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, approved the construction of additional 890 units for Jewish settlers in the Gilo illegal settlement, southwest of occupied East Jerusalem.
The decision came less than 24 hours after Israel approved hundreds units in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Israeli daily, Haaretz, has reported that the plan was not recently prepared, and that the Israeli government is currently discussing the actual implementation. Israel will also be expanding the southern neighborhood of the settlement by illegally confiscating more Palestinian lands, and lands the belong to the Cremissan Christian Monetary. |
Haaretz added that the new construction plan is one of the biggest “housing projects” in occupied Jerusalem.
It said that the plan was submitted to the Housing Ministry in December of 2012, but was postponed as contractors and engineers needed to perform some changes.
The Ministry of Interior approved the modified plan on Monday.
On Sunday, Israeli “Housing Minister”, Uri Ariel, and the Jerusalem City Council head, Nir Barkat, placed the cornerstone of a new settlement, meant for Haredi Jews, on Palestinian lands in Jabal Al-Mokabbir Palestinian town, south of occupied East Jerusalem.
This came after the government on Netanyahu approved the construction of 1200 units in West Bank and Jerusalem settlements.
The United States said that it is concerned about the Israeli decision to build more units for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, especially amidst the start of a new round of direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
U.S Foreign Secretary spokesperson, Jennifer Psaky, stated that the United States does not accept ongoing Israeli settlement activities.
‘Israel OK’s 942 settlement units’
The Israeli regime has approved the construction of another 942 settlement units in the occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem), report says.
Al-Quds municipal councillor Yosef Pepe Alalu said on Tuesday that the municipality approved the plan for the construction of the settlement units in Gilo settlement, AFP reported.
"This is a terrible decision which is a provocation against the Palestinians, the Americans and the whole world who oppose continued settlement building," the leftwing municipal councilor also said.
The new construction plans are in addition to the 1,200 settlement units approved by the Tel Aviv regime on Sunday.
The Palestinians have already been infuriated by the Sunday approval of the building of 793 settlement units in east al-Quds and 394 others in the West Bank. The new move is expected to add insult to injury.
The approval comes at a time when a new round of the talks between Israelis and the Palestinian Authority is to resume in al-Quds on Wednesday.
The plans for the construction of new settlements also received international condemnation.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that Moscow was “seriously concerned” by the move. The statement also said that the approval that came ahead of the talks was “counterproductive” and “complicates the atmosphere of the talks."
Top Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, also said the PA is now mulling boycotting the talks with Israel.
"The settlement plans contradict the principle of confidence and goodwill that the resumption of negotiations should have provided," he said.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967.
It said that the plan was submitted to the Housing Ministry in December of 2012, but was postponed as contractors and engineers needed to perform some changes.
The Ministry of Interior approved the modified plan on Monday.
On Sunday, Israeli “Housing Minister”, Uri Ariel, and the Jerusalem City Council head, Nir Barkat, placed the cornerstone of a new settlement, meant for Haredi Jews, on Palestinian lands in Jabal Al-Mokabbir Palestinian town, south of occupied East Jerusalem.
This came after the government on Netanyahu approved the construction of 1200 units in West Bank and Jerusalem settlements.
The United States said that it is concerned about the Israeli decision to build more units for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, especially amidst the start of a new round of direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
U.S Foreign Secretary spokesperson, Jennifer Psaky, stated that the United States does not accept ongoing Israeli settlement activities.
‘Israel OK’s 942 settlement units’
The Israeli regime has approved the construction of another 942 settlement units in the occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem), report says.
Al-Quds municipal councillor Yosef Pepe Alalu said on Tuesday that the municipality approved the plan for the construction of the settlement units in Gilo settlement, AFP reported.
"This is a terrible decision which is a provocation against the Palestinians, the Americans and the whole world who oppose continued settlement building," the leftwing municipal councilor also said.
The new construction plans are in addition to the 1,200 settlement units approved by the Tel Aviv regime on Sunday.
The Palestinians have already been infuriated by the Sunday approval of the building of 793 settlement units in east al-Quds and 394 others in the West Bank. The new move is expected to add insult to injury.
The approval comes at a time when a new round of the talks between Israelis and the Palestinian Authority is to resume in al-Quds on Wednesday.
The plans for the construction of new settlements also received international condemnation.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that Moscow was “seriously concerned” by the move. The statement also said that the approval that came ahead of the talks was “counterproductive” and “complicates the atmosphere of the talks."
Top Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, also said the PA is now mulling boycotting the talks with Israel.
"The settlement plans contradict the principle of confidence and goodwill that the resumption of negotiations should have provided," he said.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967.
12 aug 2013
A group of settlers on Monday morning set up a new settlement outpost, as they erected tents in the east of the town of Burin, south of the city of Nablus in the West Bank.
Ghassan Daghlas, in charge of Israeli Settlements File in the northern occupied West Bank, said in a statement that a group of settlers from Bracha settlement, set up on citizens' lands east of the town of Burin, started since the early morning hours setting up a number of tents in Zakaka area in preparation for the establishment of a new outpost.
Ghassan Daghlas, in charge of Israeli Settlements File in the northern occupied West Bank, said in a statement that a group of settlers from Bracha settlement, set up on citizens' lands east of the town of Burin, started since the early morning hours setting up a number of tents in Zakaka area in preparation for the establishment of a new outpost.
Russia criticizes new construction in settlements
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized Israel's decision to construct 1,000 new housing units in the settlements. Lavrov said: "Moscow is deeply concerned about the intent to build in occupied Palestinian territories, which are not recognized by Russia and the international community." Lavrov further added: "Taking this step on the eve of the renewal of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians is not effective and does not aid the process."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized Israel's decision to construct 1,000 new housing units in the settlements. Lavrov said: "Moscow is deeply concerned about the intent to build in occupied Palestinian territories, which are not recognized by Russia and the international community." Lavrov further added: "Taking this step on the eve of the renewal of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians is not effective and does not aid the process."
Hebrew-language media outlets reported Monday that Palestinian Authority (PA) told the Americans that in order to resume negotiations, Israel must cancel its decision to build more than 1200 new settler unit in settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
The PA said that the tenders for over 1,000 settler homes in Jerusalem and West Bank were proof that Israel "was not serious in the negotiations" with the PA.
A PA senior official said Sunday that Israel "aims through this condensed settlement activity to destroy the basis of the solution called for by the international community, which aims to establish a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders."
Some Israeli Politicians from the center and left of the political spectrum were not happy for the decision, Arutz Sheva said in a press release.
"The publishing of tenders for the marketing of 1,200 housing units in eastern Jerusalem and in the large settlement blocs at this time, is a double mistake," Israel's Finance Minister Yair Lapid said after the announcement by the Construction and Housing Ministry.
"Solutions to the housing problem should be implemented in the areas of demand," Lapid said. "In addition, the use of resources that are intended for housing for the middle class, in order to make an unnecessary gesture of defiance vis-a-vis the Americans and to throw a spanner in the works of the peace talks, is mistaken and does not help the process."
It's worth mentioning that negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians will be resuming Aug. 14 in Jerusalem and will be followed by a meeting in Jericho.
The PA said that the tenders for over 1,000 settler homes in Jerusalem and West Bank were proof that Israel "was not serious in the negotiations" with the PA.
A PA senior official said Sunday that Israel "aims through this condensed settlement activity to destroy the basis of the solution called for by the international community, which aims to establish a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders."
Some Israeli Politicians from the center and left of the political spectrum were not happy for the decision, Arutz Sheva said in a press release.
"The publishing of tenders for the marketing of 1,200 housing units in eastern Jerusalem and in the large settlement blocs at this time, is a double mistake," Israel's Finance Minister Yair Lapid said after the announcement by the Construction and Housing Ministry.
"Solutions to the housing problem should be implemented in the areas of demand," Lapid said. "In addition, the use of resources that are intended for housing for the middle class, in order to make an unnecessary gesture of defiance vis-a-vis the Americans and to throw a spanner in the works of the peace talks, is mistaken and does not help the process."
It's worth mentioning that negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians will be resuming Aug. 14 in Jerusalem and will be followed by a meeting in Jericho.
P.A.: "Israel Wants To Sabotage Peace Talks"
Israeli sources have reported that the Israeli government intends to build hundreds of units for Jewish settlers, not only in settlements and in settlement blocs in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, but also in illegal isolated settlement outposts.
The sources said that the move comes parallel with the resumption of direct negotiations with the Palestinians, scheduled to start Wednesday, and added that Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is coordinating these settlement activities with the White House.
Israeli Maariv reported that Tel Aviv handed a “modified construction plan” to the U.S. in exchange for the release of Palestinian detainees held since before the first Oslo Agreement of 1993. Hundreds of units will be declared in Jerusalem and the West Bank under this plan.
The Arabs48 news website reported that a senior U.S. source stated that the planned constructions are part of Israel’s “carrot and stick policy” that will enable Netanyahu to keep his coalition government intact, and resume the peace process.
It added that this is why Netanyahu agreed to release 101 Palestinian political detainees, imprisoned since the first Oslo accord was signed between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).
Maariv said that the statement, the Netanyahu government will be making, will not come as a surprise to the U.S. Administration, as it was coordinated with the White House.
Last Thursday, United Foreign Secretary, Jennifer Psaki, stated in a press conference that the next round of direct Palestinian-Israeli talks will be held on August 14 in Jerusalem, then in the West bank city of Jericho.
On Friday, Psaki said that the United States still considers settlements to be illegal, but also hinted to an agreement between the Obama Administration and Tel Aviv regarding constructions in existing settlements.
She said that the construction of 800 units in Israeli settlements was discussed during talks between the two countries before the resumption of direct peace talks was officially announced.
On Sunday [August 11, 2013] Israeli “Housing Minister”, Uri Ariel, and the Jerusalem City Council head, Nir Barkat, placed the cornerstone of a new settlement on Palestinian lands in Jabal Al-Mokabbir Palestinian town, south of occupied East Jerusalem.
In related news, Israeli Justice Minister, head of the Israeli Negotiations file, Tzipi Livni, said that the European Union should not intervene in the drawing of future borders between Israel and the Palestinians, and claimed that the issue is on the negotiation table.
Her statements came during a Sunday meeting in Jerusalem with German Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle.
She also said that the conflict with the Palestinians sometimes affects the relations with Europe.
On his part, Westerwelle said that direct peace talks serve the best interests of all parties, and stressed on the importance of refraining from unilateral moves.
On Sunday evening, Palestinian Presidency Spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rodeina, stated that the new Israeli decision to build more than a thousand units, in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, is an Israeli attempt to sabotage the peace process before it is even resumed.
He said that all of Israel settlements in the occupied territories are illegal and illegitimate under International Law, and added that “not a single Israeli settlement will remain in the future independent Palestinian state.
Besides the fact that settlement are illegal under International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, they are also one of the main obstacles to peace in the region as they are built in occupied territories, largely on privately-owned Palestinian lands.
Along with the Apartheid Wall, settlements have turned the Palestinian areas into isolated ghettoes, separating the villagers from their lands, or what is left of them, and diminished the chances of establishing a future contiguous and independent Palestinian State.
Israeli sources have reported that the Israeli government intends to build hundreds of units for Jewish settlers, not only in settlements and in settlement blocs in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, but also in illegal isolated settlement outposts.
The sources said that the move comes parallel with the resumption of direct negotiations with the Palestinians, scheduled to start Wednesday, and added that Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is coordinating these settlement activities with the White House.
Israeli Maariv reported that Tel Aviv handed a “modified construction plan” to the U.S. in exchange for the release of Palestinian detainees held since before the first Oslo Agreement of 1993. Hundreds of units will be declared in Jerusalem and the West Bank under this plan.
The Arabs48 news website reported that a senior U.S. source stated that the planned constructions are part of Israel’s “carrot and stick policy” that will enable Netanyahu to keep his coalition government intact, and resume the peace process.
It added that this is why Netanyahu agreed to release 101 Palestinian political detainees, imprisoned since the first Oslo accord was signed between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).
Maariv said that the statement, the Netanyahu government will be making, will not come as a surprise to the U.S. Administration, as it was coordinated with the White House.
Last Thursday, United Foreign Secretary, Jennifer Psaki, stated in a press conference that the next round of direct Palestinian-Israeli talks will be held on August 14 in Jerusalem, then in the West bank city of Jericho.
On Friday, Psaki said that the United States still considers settlements to be illegal, but also hinted to an agreement between the Obama Administration and Tel Aviv regarding constructions in existing settlements.
She said that the construction of 800 units in Israeli settlements was discussed during talks between the two countries before the resumption of direct peace talks was officially announced.
On Sunday [August 11, 2013] Israeli “Housing Minister”, Uri Ariel, and the Jerusalem City Council head, Nir Barkat, placed the cornerstone of a new settlement on Palestinian lands in Jabal Al-Mokabbir Palestinian town, south of occupied East Jerusalem.
In related news, Israeli Justice Minister, head of the Israeli Negotiations file, Tzipi Livni, said that the European Union should not intervene in the drawing of future borders between Israel and the Palestinians, and claimed that the issue is on the negotiation table.
Her statements came during a Sunday meeting in Jerusalem with German Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle.
She also said that the conflict with the Palestinians sometimes affects the relations with Europe.
On his part, Westerwelle said that direct peace talks serve the best interests of all parties, and stressed on the importance of refraining from unilateral moves.
On Sunday evening, Palestinian Presidency Spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rodeina, stated that the new Israeli decision to build more than a thousand units, in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, is an Israeli attempt to sabotage the peace process before it is even resumed.
He said that all of Israel settlements in the occupied territories are illegal and illegitimate under International Law, and added that “not a single Israeli settlement will remain in the future independent Palestinian state.
Besides the fact that settlement are illegal under International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, they are also one of the main obstacles to peace in the region as they are built in occupied territories, largely on privately-owned Palestinian lands.
Along with the Apartheid Wall, settlements have turned the Palestinian areas into isolated ghettoes, separating the villagers from their lands, or what is left of them, and diminished the chances of establishing a future contiguous and independent Palestinian State.
File - Expansion of Efrat settlement near Bethlehem
Israeli “Housing Minister”, Uri Ariel, and the Jerusalem City Council head, Nir Barkat, placed the cornerstone of a new settlement, meant for Haredi Jews, on Palestinian lands in Jabal Al-Mokabbir Palestinian town, south of occupied East Jerusalem.
A settler group, known as Emonah, will implement the new constructions. Parking lots for the new settlement have already been built nearly five years ago on three Dunams of land, but the settlement was not built due to legal procedures after the Palestinians filed appeals against the constructions, but an Israeli court ruled against the Palestinians and the Israel government Okayed the plan.
Mark Regev, spokesperson of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that the new “residential construction plan that was approved today [Sunday] around Jerusalem, and in settlement blocs in the West Bank, are constructions in areas that will always be under Israeli sovereignty under any peace agreement with the Palestinians”.
Resident Jamal Abu Sarhan, a Palestinian impacted by the construction, told the WAFA news agency that the City Council in Jerusalem closed the main road that leads to his home, and converted it into a pedestrian only pathway.
“I pay thousands of shekels in taxes to the Jerusalem City council, but I get no services, and now they surrounded me, and left me a small pathway that is less that 2 meters wide”, he said, “No cars, no ambulances, no fire trucks… can reach my place”.
He also said that he received an official notice informing him that Israel intends to confiscate a half Dunam (0.12 Acres) of land he owns in front of his home.
“This land is mine, I paid more than 150.000 NIS to fix it and make it good”, Sarhan added, “Now they are just going to take it away from as Israel wants to turn it into a public area for the settlement”.
Also, resident Ahmad Obeidy stated that he fears the new settlement would lead to conflicts between the settlers and the residents similar to what is happening in Nof Etzion settlement, built on Palestinian lands in Jabal Al-Mokabbir.
Lawyer Majed Hamdan told WAFA that he has been representing the residents in Israeli courts for several years now in an attempt to prevent the implementation of the new settlement plan, and that he managed to stop it for two years.
“But Emonah is supported by various international groups that fund illegal settlements in Palestine, they can pay legal fees, hire lawyers, lobby…”, Hamdan said, “The residents cannot do that, they got no money or power, they are just being displaced, losing their rights and lands”.
He further stated that the residents have legal ownership documents that were submitted to the court and the City Council.
“But Israel targets Arab neighborhood, villages and towns in Jerusalem, Hamdan added, “They want to change the geography and demography of occupied Jerusalem”.
Israeli “Housing Minister”, Uri Ariel, and the Jerusalem City Council head, Nir Barkat, placed the cornerstone of a new settlement, meant for Haredi Jews, on Palestinian lands in Jabal Al-Mokabbir Palestinian town, south of occupied East Jerusalem.
A settler group, known as Emonah, will implement the new constructions. Parking lots for the new settlement have already been built nearly five years ago on three Dunams of land, but the settlement was not built due to legal procedures after the Palestinians filed appeals against the constructions, but an Israeli court ruled against the Palestinians and the Israel government Okayed the plan.
Mark Regev, spokesperson of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that the new “residential construction plan that was approved today [Sunday] around Jerusalem, and in settlement blocs in the West Bank, are constructions in areas that will always be under Israeli sovereignty under any peace agreement with the Palestinians”.
Resident Jamal Abu Sarhan, a Palestinian impacted by the construction, told the WAFA news agency that the City Council in Jerusalem closed the main road that leads to his home, and converted it into a pedestrian only pathway.
“I pay thousands of shekels in taxes to the Jerusalem City council, but I get no services, and now they surrounded me, and left me a small pathway that is less that 2 meters wide”, he said, “No cars, no ambulances, no fire trucks… can reach my place”.
He also said that he received an official notice informing him that Israel intends to confiscate a half Dunam (0.12 Acres) of land he owns in front of his home.
“This land is mine, I paid more than 150.000 NIS to fix it and make it good”, Sarhan added, “Now they are just going to take it away from as Israel wants to turn it into a public area for the settlement”.
Also, resident Ahmad Obeidy stated that he fears the new settlement would lead to conflicts between the settlers and the residents similar to what is happening in Nof Etzion settlement, built on Palestinian lands in Jabal Al-Mokabbir.
Lawyer Majed Hamdan told WAFA that he has been representing the residents in Israeli courts for several years now in an attempt to prevent the implementation of the new settlement plan, and that he managed to stop it for two years.
“But Emonah is supported by various international groups that fund illegal settlements in Palestine, they can pay legal fees, hire lawyers, lobby…”, Hamdan said, “The residents cannot do that, they got no money or power, they are just being displaced, losing their rights and lands”.
He further stated that the residents have legal ownership documents that were submitted to the court and the City Council.
“But Israel targets Arab neighborhood, villages and towns in Jerusalem, Hamdan added, “They want to change the geography and demography of occupied Jerusalem”.
11 aug 2013
Minister Peretz: Minister Ariel busy with unnecessary provocation
Minister Amir Peretz said: "While Minister Tzipi Livni invests comprehensive efforts in convincing European leaders that we aim for peace and that the border issue will be determined solely through negotiations with the Palestinians, Minister (Uri) Ariel busies himself with unnecessary provocations and statements contradictory to the prime minister's decision.
Habayit Hayehudi members apparently feel there's a chance for peace and are sparing no effort in attempt to sabotage it."
Housing Minister Uri Ariel announced on Sunday 1,200 new homes up for sale in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Minister Amir Peretz said: "While Minister Tzipi Livni invests comprehensive efforts in convincing European leaders that we aim for peace and that the border issue will be determined solely through negotiations with the Palestinians, Minister (Uri) Ariel busies himself with unnecessary provocations and statements contradictory to the prime minister's decision.
Habayit Hayehudi members apparently feel there's a chance for peace and are sparing no effort in attempt to sabotage it."
Housing Minister Uri Ariel announced on Sunday 1,200 new homes up for sale in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Bennett on Erekat: We'll not apologize for building in J'lem
Habayit Hayehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett said: "Erekat now says we can't build in our capital, in Jerusalem. The question is not why we're building in Jerusalem now. The question is why didn't we build until now. Habayit Hayehudi will keep fighting for building in our country, without apologizing."
Earlier Saeb Erekat, chief negotiator for the Palestinian team, said that Israel's new construction plans in the settlements are meant to undermine the peace talks, to be resumed on Wednesday.
Habayit Hayehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett said: "Erekat now says we can't build in our capital, in Jerusalem. The question is not why we're building in Jerusalem now. The question is why didn't we build until now. Habayit Hayehudi will keep fighting for building in our country, without apologizing."
Earlier Saeb Erekat, chief negotiator for the Palestinian team, said that Israel's new construction plans in the settlements are meant to undermine the peace talks, to be resumed on Wednesday.
Israel's new plans for settlement construction announced Sunday showed it was "not serious" in efforts to negotiate peace, a Palestinian Authority official said.
The tenders for over 1,000 homes in the occupied West Bank and annexed East Jerusalem were proof that Israel "was not serious in the negotiations," PA negotiator Mohammad Shtayyeh said in a statement.
He charged that Israel "aims through this condensed settlement activity to destroy the basis of the solution called for by the international community, which aims to establish a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders."
Shtayyeh said the new tenders were "conditions and new facts on the ground" that Israel was setting in order "to determine the negotiations in whichever way suits it best."
The PA negotiator called for Washington, sponsoring the talks, to take "a firm and clear position to rein in this Israeli attack on the West Bank and especially Jerusalem."
Israel's housing ministry said earlier said it would be publishing tenders for 793 units in east Jerusalem and 394 elsewhere in the West Bank.
The US State Department said last week that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators would resume talks in Jerusalem on Wednesday on ending their decades-old conflict.
They resumed direct negotiations in Washington last month, ending a three-year hiatus after painstaking US mediation. The last talks in 2010 broke down over the issue of settlement building.
The tenders for over 1,000 homes in the occupied West Bank and annexed East Jerusalem were proof that Israel "was not serious in the negotiations," PA negotiator Mohammad Shtayyeh said in a statement.
He charged that Israel "aims through this condensed settlement activity to destroy the basis of the solution called for by the international community, which aims to establish a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders."
Shtayyeh said the new tenders were "conditions and new facts on the ground" that Israel was setting in order "to determine the negotiations in whichever way suits it best."
The PA negotiator called for Washington, sponsoring the talks, to take "a firm and clear position to rein in this Israeli attack on the West Bank and especially Jerusalem."
Israel's housing ministry said earlier said it would be publishing tenders for 793 units in east Jerusalem and 394 elsewhere in the West Bank.
The US State Department said last week that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators would resume talks in Jerusalem on Wednesday on ending their decades-old conflict.
They resumed direct negotiations in Washington last month, ending a three-year hiatus after painstaking US mediation. The last talks in 2010 broke down over the issue of settlement building.
The issue of building settlements in occupied Palestinian areas halted the last direct peace talks in September 2010
Palestinians have reacted angrily to Israel's approval of nearly 1,200 new Jewish settlement homes, just days before peace talks are set to resume.
Palestinian negotiators said the approval cast doubt on Israel's sincerity in the peace process.
Israel's housing minister said no country in the world would take orders on where it could build its homes.
The issue of building settlements in occupied Palestinian areas halted the last direct talks in September 2010.
About 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Palestinians want to establish their state in those areas, as well as the Gaza Strip.
The settlements are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.
'Dangerous policy' On Sunday, Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel confirmed that 793 apartments would be built in east Jerusalem and 394 in several large West Bank settlements.
Palestinians said the plans brought into question Israel's commitment to the peace process.
Palestinian negotiator Mohammed Shtayeh said Israel aimed "to destroy the basis of the solution called for by the international community, which aims to establish a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders".
He accused Israel of trying to "determine the negotiations in whichever way suits it best".
Chief negotiator Saeb Erekat told Reuters: "If the Israeli government believes that every week they're going to cross a red line by settlement activity, if they go with this behaviour, what they're advertising is the unsustainability of the negotiations."
PLO executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi told the BBC: "We believe that Israel is deliberately sending a message to the US, to the rest of the world that regardless of any attempt at launching negotiations, 'we are going to press ahead with stealing more land, building more settlements and destroying the two-state-solution'.
"This is an extremely dangerous policy, and if left unchecked it certainly would lead to greater conflict and the destruction of all chances of peace."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had previously insisted he would not resume talks without an Israeli settlement freeze, but relented during mediation by US Secretary of State John Kerry.
The BBC's Kevin Connolly in Jerusalem says Israel's announcement of the settlement construction may be intended as a sop to right-wing supporters of the government.
They had been angered by the government's approval of the release of more than 100 Palestinian prisoners - a condition set by the Palestinians for the talks to go ahead. The first group is due to be freed on 13 August.
The negotiations are scheduled to start in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
The latest Israeli settlement approval invites tenders for homes in Har Homa and Gilo, on East Jerusalem's southern outskirts, and in Pisgat Zeev, on the city's northern edge.
Tenders will also be invited for Ariel, in the northern West Bank, in Maaleh Adumim, east of Jerusalem, and in Efrata and Beitar Ilit, around Bethlehem.
A housing ministry spokesman told the BBC that construction would begin in one to two years' time.
Mr Ariel said in a statement: "No country in the world takes orders from other countries [about] where it can build and where it can't.
"We will continue to market housing and build in the entire country... This is the right thing at the present time, for Zionism and for the economy.''
Analysis
Palestinians see continued Israeli construction on the land where they aspire to create a new state as one of the biggest obstacles to peace.
The timing of this announcement may deepen the sense of pessimism that surrounds renewed peace talks even before they've really begun.
Housing Minister Uri Ariel comes from a party which opposes the very idea of a Palestinian state bordering Israel on the West Bank of the River Jordan. He 's now invited private firms to tender for the construction work.
More liberal members of Israel's broad coalition government will be uncomfortable with the tone and timing of the news. Palestinian leaders will be angered but may well have factored the possibility of this type of announcement into their overall political calculations.
Israel is also preparing to free 26 Palestinian prisoners on the eve of this week's scheduled peace talks. Announcing the settlement construction at the same time may be intended as a sop to right-wing supporters of the government who oppose those prisoner releases.
Palestinians have reacted angrily to Israel's approval of nearly 1,200 new Jewish settlement homes, just days before peace talks are set to resume.
Palestinian negotiators said the approval cast doubt on Israel's sincerity in the peace process.
Israel's housing minister said no country in the world would take orders on where it could build its homes.
The issue of building settlements in occupied Palestinian areas halted the last direct talks in September 2010.
About 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Palestinians want to establish their state in those areas, as well as the Gaza Strip.
The settlements are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.
'Dangerous policy' On Sunday, Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel confirmed that 793 apartments would be built in east Jerusalem and 394 in several large West Bank settlements.
Palestinians said the plans brought into question Israel's commitment to the peace process.
Palestinian negotiator Mohammed Shtayeh said Israel aimed "to destroy the basis of the solution called for by the international community, which aims to establish a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders".
He accused Israel of trying to "determine the negotiations in whichever way suits it best".
Chief negotiator Saeb Erekat told Reuters: "If the Israeli government believes that every week they're going to cross a red line by settlement activity, if they go with this behaviour, what they're advertising is the unsustainability of the negotiations."
PLO executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi told the BBC: "We believe that Israel is deliberately sending a message to the US, to the rest of the world that regardless of any attempt at launching negotiations, 'we are going to press ahead with stealing more land, building more settlements and destroying the two-state-solution'.
"This is an extremely dangerous policy, and if left unchecked it certainly would lead to greater conflict and the destruction of all chances of peace."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had previously insisted he would not resume talks without an Israeli settlement freeze, but relented during mediation by US Secretary of State John Kerry.
The BBC's Kevin Connolly in Jerusalem says Israel's announcement of the settlement construction may be intended as a sop to right-wing supporters of the government.
They had been angered by the government's approval of the release of more than 100 Palestinian prisoners - a condition set by the Palestinians for the talks to go ahead. The first group is due to be freed on 13 August.
The negotiations are scheduled to start in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
The latest Israeli settlement approval invites tenders for homes in Har Homa and Gilo, on East Jerusalem's southern outskirts, and in Pisgat Zeev, on the city's northern edge.
Tenders will also be invited for Ariel, in the northern West Bank, in Maaleh Adumim, east of Jerusalem, and in Efrata and Beitar Ilit, around Bethlehem.
A housing ministry spokesman told the BBC that construction would begin in one to two years' time.
Mr Ariel said in a statement: "No country in the world takes orders from other countries [about] where it can build and where it can't.
"We will continue to market housing and build in the entire country... This is the right thing at the present time, for Zionism and for the economy.''
Analysis
Palestinians see continued Israeli construction on the land where they aspire to create a new state as one of the biggest obstacles to peace.
The timing of this announcement may deepen the sense of pessimism that surrounds renewed peace talks even before they've really begun.
Housing Minister Uri Ariel comes from a party which opposes the very idea of a Palestinian state bordering Israel on the West Bank of the River Jordan. He 's now invited private firms to tender for the construction work.
More liberal members of Israel's broad coalition government will be uncomfortable with the tone and timing of the news. Palestinian leaders will be angered but may well have factored the possibility of this type of announcement into their overall political calculations.
Israel is also preparing to free 26 Palestinian prisoners on the eve of this week's scheduled peace talks. Announcing the settlement construction at the same time may be intended as a sop to right-wing supporters of the government who oppose those prisoner releases.
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Israel has announced plans to construct nearly 1,200 new illegal settlement units on the occupied Palestinian territories, only three days before Palestinian and Israeli officials are to restart the so-called peace talks.
Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel said on Saturday that 1,187 apartments had been given final approval. He went on to say that 793 apartments will be built in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) while 394 others are to be constructed in several neighborhoods of the occupied West Bank, including Maaleh Adumim, Efrat and Ariel. |
The Israeli housing minister further noted that the Tel Aviv regime will continue its settlement expansion activities.
"We will continue to market housing.... This is the right thing at the present time, for Zionism and for the economy," Ariel stated.
The measure is poised to effectively torpedo the attempts to kick-start the long-stalled negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and deepen a climate of distrust between the two sides.
Acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas had long insisted that he would not resume talks without an Israeli settlement freeze. However, he gave in under unrelenting US pressure at last.
Israeli settlements are considered illegal by the UN and most countries because the territories were captured by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967, and are hence seen as being subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid construction on occupied lands.
Palestinians are seeking to create an independent state on the territories of the West Bank, East al-Quds, and the Gaza Strip and thus are demanding Israel to withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories.
Tel Aviv, however, has refused to return to the 1967 borders and is unwilling to discuss the issue of al-Quds.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967.
"We will continue to market housing.... This is the right thing at the present time, for Zionism and for the economy," Ariel stated.
The measure is poised to effectively torpedo the attempts to kick-start the long-stalled negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and deepen a climate of distrust between the two sides.
Acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas had long insisted that he would not resume talks without an Israeli settlement freeze. However, he gave in under unrelenting US pressure at last.
Israeli settlements are considered illegal by the UN and most countries because the territories were captured by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967, and are hence seen as being subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid construction on occupied lands.
Palestinians are seeking to create an independent state on the territories of the West Bank, East al-Quds, and the Gaza Strip and thus are demanding Israel to withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories.
Tel Aviv, however, has refused to return to the 1967 borders and is unwilling to discuss the issue of al-Quds.
More than half a million Israelis live in over 120 illegal settlements built since the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds in 1967.
Britain's Foreign Office Minister, Alastair Burt, denounced the recent Israeli government decision to construct 1096 units for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, and in occupied East Jerusalem. The Minister said that the focus should be on peace talks.
In a press release, Burt stated that Britain denounces the Israeli plan that includes 63 units in East Jerusalem, and added that settlements are illegal under International Law, jeopardize the efforts meant to build trust, and undermine the viability of a two-state solution.
“The United Kingdom urges Israel to void its decision, we must focus on resuming direct peace talks that will start August 14”, he added.
He also said that the Britain urges Tel Aviv and Ramallah “to continue to show courageous leaderships determined to make every possible effort to achieve a lasting peace agreement”.
He added that his country strongly believes the current efforts are capable of achieving peace that “the nations of the region deserve”.
There are more than 120 Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, and occupied East Jerusalem.
The Number does not include settlement outposts.
Besides the fact that settlement are illegal under International Law, Israel’s settlements also violate the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Israel’s settlements spread across the occupied West Bank and Israel’s’ Annexation Wall, have isolated large areas of Palestinian lands and orchards in the area, and are devastating the Palestinian economy as villagers lost large areas of their orchards and farmlands, in addition to the fact that large areas on lands became totally isolated.
In a press release, Burt stated that Britain denounces the Israeli plan that includes 63 units in East Jerusalem, and added that settlements are illegal under International Law, jeopardize the efforts meant to build trust, and undermine the viability of a two-state solution.
“The United Kingdom urges Israel to void its decision, we must focus on resuming direct peace talks that will start August 14”, he added.
He also said that the Britain urges Tel Aviv and Ramallah “to continue to show courageous leaderships determined to make every possible effort to achieve a lasting peace agreement”.
He added that his country strongly believes the current efforts are capable of achieving peace that “the nations of the region deserve”.
There are more than 120 Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, and occupied East Jerusalem.
The Number does not include settlement outposts.
Besides the fact that settlement are illegal under International Law, Israel’s settlements also violate the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Israel’s settlements spread across the occupied West Bank and Israel’s’ Annexation Wall, have isolated large areas of Palestinian lands and orchards in the area, and are devastating the Palestinian economy as villagers lost large areas of their orchards and farmlands, in addition to the fact that large areas on lands became totally isolated.
10 aug 2013
US suckles Israel USD 30 million a day: Mark Glenn
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Press TV has conducted an interview with Mark Glenn, Crescent and Cross Solidarity Movement from Idaho, about the issue of more continued approvals from Israel to build illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land at a time when the US wants to broker talks between Israelis and Palestinians.
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In response to Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat's demand to stop Israeli settlement expansion, Netanyahu says Palestinians educating next generation to hate Israel.
After chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat sent a letter Thursday to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry saying that construction in the settlements would harm the peace process, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a letter of his own to Kerry over the weekend. In it, Netanyahu said that the Palestinians were still inciting against Israel even after the peace process had been renewed.
Officials in Netanyahu’s bureau said that the prime minister protested to Kerry that officials in the Palestinian Authority were continuing to call for Israel’s destruction even after the parties resumed negotiations.
Incitement and peace do not go together, Netanyahu wrote Kerry. Netanyahu added that instead of educating the next generation of Palestinians to live in peace with Israel, Palestinians were being educated to hate Israel, which laid the foundation for continued violence and terror.
Officials in Netanyahu’s bureau said Netanyahu was referring to remarks made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Egyptian journalists last week, while talks were being resumed in Washington. Abbas had said that he was opposed to the presence of even one Israeli in the future Palestinian state. Netanyahu claimed that the remark constitutes incitement against Israel.
Netanyahu included in his letter to Kerry other examples of what he calls incitement against Israel. Among them is a quote from an anchor on the Palestinian state television station during a broadcast about the Barcelona soccer team’s visit to the West Bank. In that broadcast, the anchor defined Palestine as “extending from Rosh Hanikra to Eilat,” and not only within the 1967 borders.
Netanyahu said in his letter that before the game against Barcelona, a Palestinian singer performed a song containing the words: “My land Palestine, look to Safed and Tiberias, send greetings to the sea of Acre and Haifa, don’t forget Nazareth, and tell Beit She’an its people will return.”
In Erekat’s letter, he demanded that Kerry stop Israel from moving forward on plans for new settlement construction. Erekat did not threaten to boycott the talks, but warned that unless settlement expansion is stopped, he finds it hard to see how negotiations can “bring about progress towards a peace agreement.” The letter details several plans that Israel announced this week, including construction of 63 housing units in East Jerusalem’s Jabal Mukkaber neighborhood; construction of 878 units in various West Bank settlements, almost all of them outside the major settlement blocs; and the cabinet’s decision to include additional settlements on Israel’s list of national priority areas, which will entitle them to various benefits.
Claiming that the settlements violate both the Geneva Convention and Israel’s obligations under the Oslo Accords, Erekat termed these announcements evidence of “Israel’s bad faith and lack of seriousness,” as well as a direct slap in the face to Washington’s mediation efforts. He therefore urged Kerry to “take the necessary action to ensure that Israel does not advance any of its settlement plans, and abides by its legal obligations and commitments.”
Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the PLO’s executive committee, also urged Kerry yesterday to take “real action” against Israel, which she accused of “openly disrupting” his peacemaking efforts. In a press statement, she charged that Israel was “deliberately destroying the two-state solution and killing any sort of hope,” and warned that “in absence of a clear international response, our duty is to protect our land and our people with the rightful tools of international legitimacy we have gained through statehood.”
A senior Palestinian official explained that the Palestinian leadership is already under heavy pressure from its public for having agreed to resume direct talks with Israel with no guarantee that they will bear any fruit, and the announcement of the new settlement construction merely increases this pressure.
“The secretary of state must now prove that the administration in Washington is an unbiased mediator and patron, and isn’t bowing to Israeli dictates,” he said.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that Washington “does not accept the legitimacy of continued settlement activity” and has taken up the issue with Israel.
After chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat sent a letter Thursday to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry saying that construction in the settlements would harm the peace process, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a letter of his own to Kerry over the weekend. In it, Netanyahu said that the Palestinians were still inciting against Israel even after the peace process had been renewed.
Officials in Netanyahu’s bureau said that the prime minister protested to Kerry that officials in the Palestinian Authority were continuing to call for Israel’s destruction even after the parties resumed negotiations.
Incitement and peace do not go together, Netanyahu wrote Kerry. Netanyahu added that instead of educating the next generation of Palestinians to live in peace with Israel, Palestinians were being educated to hate Israel, which laid the foundation for continued violence and terror.
Officials in Netanyahu’s bureau said Netanyahu was referring to remarks made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to Egyptian journalists last week, while talks were being resumed in Washington. Abbas had said that he was opposed to the presence of even one Israeli in the future Palestinian state. Netanyahu claimed that the remark constitutes incitement against Israel.
Netanyahu included in his letter to Kerry other examples of what he calls incitement against Israel. Among them is a quote from an anchor on the Palestinian state television station during a broadcast about the Barcelona soccer team’s visit to the West Bank. In that broadcast, the anchor defined Palestine as “extending from Rosh Hanikra to Eilat,” and not only within the 1967 borders.
Netanyahu said in his letter that before the game against Barcelona, a Palestinian singer performed a song containing the words: “My land Palestine, look to Safed and Tiberias, send greetings to the sea of Acre and Haifa, don’t forget Nazareth, and tell Beit She’an its people will return.”
In Erekat’s letter, he demanded that Kerry stop Israel from moving forward on plans for new settlement construction. Erekat did not threaten to boycott the talks, but warned that unless settlement expansion is stopped, he finds it hard to see how negotiations can “bring about progress towards a peace agreement.” The letter details several plans that Israel announced this week, including construction of 63 housing units in East Jerusalem’s Jabal Mukkaber neighborhood; construction of 878 units in various West Bank settlements, almost all of them outside the major settlement blocs; and the cabinet’s decision to include additional settlements on Israel’s list of national priority areas, which will entitle them to various benefits.
Claiming that the settlements violate both the Geneva Convention and Israel’s obligations under the Oslo Accords, Erekat termed these announcements evidence of “Israel’s bad faith and lack of seriousness,” as well as a direct slap in the face to Washington’s mediation efforts. He therefore urged Kerry to “take the necessary action to ensure that Israel does not advance any of its settlement plans, and abides by its legal obligations and commitments.”
Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the PLO’s executive committee, also urged Kerry yesterday to take “real action” against Israel, which she accused of “openly disrupting” his peacemaking efforts. In a press statement, she charged that Israel was “deliberately destroying the two-state solution and killing any sort of hope,” and warned that “in absence of a clear international response, our duty is to protect our land and our people with the rightful tools of international legitimacy we have gained through statehood.”
A senior Palestinian official explained that the Palestinian leadership is already under heavy pressure from its public for having agreed to resume direct talks with Israel with no guarantee that they will bear any fruit, and the announcement of the new settlement construction merely increases this pressure.
“The secretary of state must now prove that the administration in Washington is an unbiased mediator and patron, and isn’t bowing to Israeli dictates,” he said.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that Washington “does not accept the legitimacy of continued settlement activity” and has taken up the issue with Israel.