Dismissing US and EU criticism over Israel’s plans to build new housing units in east Jerusalem, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has vowed to continue with the construction work in all parts of the city.
At a ground-breaking ceremony for a new port in Ashdod, he said Israel would continue to build new ports, pave roads, lay rail road tracks and “continue to build in our eternal capital.”
“We will continue building in Jerusalem, our eternal capital. We’ve built in Jerusalem, we are building in Jerusalem and will continue building in Jerusalem,” he told the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) yesterday.
In an apparent reference to US State Department’s criticism yesterday over Israel’s decision to build 1,060 housing units in two neighbourhods of east Jerusalem as “illegitimate” which pushed peace away, the Israeli Premier said that such statements were “detached from reality” and feeds false hopes among Palestinians.
“I heard a claim that our construction in the Jewish neighbourhoods of Jerusalem is pushing peace away. It is criticism that is pushing peace away,” he said.
The US State Department had yesterday said that recent Israeli actions are not reflective of an administration pursuing peace.
“We view settlement activity as illegitimate and unequivocally oppose unilateral steps that prejudge the future of Jerusalem,” State Department’s spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
She expressed concerns following reports of expedited construction in the controversial areas of Jerusalem.
Maja Kocijancic, a spokeswoman for outgoing EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, also condemned Israeli decision saying, the move “once again” calls into question Israel’s commitment “to a negotiated solution with the Palestinians.”
Kocijancic warned that “the future development of relations between the EU and Israel will depend on [its] engagement towards a lasting peace based on a two-state solution.”
“When (Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud) Abbas incites to murder Jews in Jerusalem, the (international) community remains silent, but when we build in Jerusalem they are angered. I don’t accept this double standard,” Netanyahu alleged defending Israeli action.
“Just as the French build in Paris and just as the English build in London – Israelis build in Jerusalem,” he stressed.
The decision to announce construction of new housing units to appease the right-wing came under attack from centrist coalition partners in Netanyahu’s government.
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni decried the move saying these type of steps will make it more difficult for Israel to thwart Palestinian efforts in the UN Security Council .
Livni told Israel Radio that while she feels that Israel has the right to build in Jerusalem, these announcements not only hurt Israel diplomatically, but also worsen the volatile security situation in the capital.
{Matzav.com Israel}
Who decides to put some of those stupid video’s on your site?
Netanyahu is gravity for good human hope.
His dream is good development of human frequency for good hope.
Our hope and change president wants to list his (Netanyahu’s) hope as rabid and successfully inept.
What is inept is hope and change misdirected to keep the limit of terror against the jewish people.
Obama is drunk on disrespect for jewish feeling.
His reality is scorn offered to a scoffing post.
Two more years can not spell the entire future.
What can we do if Obama can not lead the future while he is in office?
I respect the office of out future presidents. I can not imagine a litmus test for humanity is hope and change misdirected for the reason of human starvation and inertia lost.
The Obama years are shameful and our hope as American jews is very scattered.
Give this future less respect if Obama can not make peace with Israel’s mission.
Obama has one alternative- bring the world closer to an era without terror.
Clamping down on regret is not going to fix the real hope and change that is necessary.
Formulate a better plan, Mr. Obama. Your shoes are deep within your own mud.
America is one nation under G-d. Hell is not our courage.
Never again