Israel told to cancel disputed homes plan
Source: Agencies |
March 16, 2010, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ISRAELI officials said yesterday that the United States was pressing Israel to scrap a contentious east Jerusalem building project whose approval has touched off the most serious diplomatic feud with Washington in years.
Competing Israeli and Palestinian claims to east Jerusalem were feeding tensions in the holy city, where Arabs and Jews maintain an uneasy coexistence and sometimes clash. Police were out in large numbers in the volatile Old City in expectation of renewed clashes.
Top US officials have lined up in recent days to condemn the Israeli plan to build 1,600 apartments in east Jerusalem, the sector of the holy city the Palestinians claim for their future capital.
Threatened
The project caused a storm in Washington because it was announced during Vice President Joe Biden's visit to the region last week, badly embarrassing the US and complicating its efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. The Palestinians immediately threatened not to join upcoming US-brokered talks meant to jumpstart negotiations after a 14-month breakdown.
US officials have not disclosed what steps they want Israel to take to defuse the crisis, and Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev refused to comment yesterday. But Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington wants the construction project canceled.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly apologized for the timing of the project's approval but has not indicated he would be prepared to cancel it.
Antagonizing
But Netanyahu has historically taken a hard line against territorial concessions to the Palestinians and a curb on east Jerusalem construction would threaten to fracture his hawkish coalition.
But Israel does not stand to benefit from antagonizing its most important ally.
Conceivably, he could try to mollify all sides by quietly agreeing to rein in east Jerusalem construction without making this official policy.
Israeli officials also said the US wants Israel to make a significant confidence-building gesture toward the Palestinians.
Suggestions included releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners; turning over additional areas of the West Bank to Palestinian control; removing some of the roadblocks hampering the movement of Palestinians and goods in the West Bank; and easing the blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, they said.
Competing Israeli and Palestinian claims to east Jerusalem were feeding tensions in the holy city, where Arabs and Jews maintain an uneasy coexistence and sometimes clash. Police were out in large numbers in the volatile Old City in expectation of renewed clashes.
Top US officials have lined up in recent days to condemn the Israeli plan to build 1,600 apartments in east Jerusalem, the sector of the holy city the Palestinians claim for their future capital.
Threatened
The project caused a storm in Washington because it was announced during Vice President Joe Biden's visit to the region last week, badly embarrassing the US and complicating its efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. The Palestinians immediately threatened not to join upcoming US-brokered talks meant to jumpstart negotiations after a 14-month breakdown.
US officials have not disclosed what steps they want Israel to take to defuse the crisis, and Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev refused to comment yesterday. But Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington wants the construction project canceled.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly apologized for the timing of the project's approval but has not indicated he would be prepared to cancel it.
Antagonizing
But Netanyahu has historically taken a hard line against territorial concessions to the Palestinians and a curb on east Jerusalem construction would threaten to fracture his hawkish coalition.
But Israel does not stand to benefit from antagonizing its most important ally.
Conceivably, he could try to mollify all sides by quietly agreeing to rein in east Jerusalem construction without making this official policy.
Israeli officials also said the US wants Israel to make a significant confidence-building gesture toward the Palestinians.
Suggestions included releasing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners; turning over additional areas of the West Bank to Palestinian control; removing some of the roadblocks hampering the movement of Palestinians and goods in the West Bank; and easing the blockade on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, they said.
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