Contact: Marcus Sheff: marcuss@theisraelproject.org
Today (Dec. 28) the Israeli government announced it has approved the construction of 1,192 new housing units for both Arab and Jewish residents of East Jerusalem; 500 housing units have been authorized in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan for the Arab population, and 692 housing units have been authorized for the mostly Jewish neighborhoods of Har Homa, Neve Yaakov and Pisgat Zeev.[1]
The Israeli government has stated that Israel’s 10-month freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank excludes the East Jerusalem neighborhoods.[2]
Said Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat on Nov. 17, "Israeli law does not discriminate between Jews, Muslims, and Christians or between eastern and western Jerusalem. The demand to halt construction by religion is not legal in the United States or in any other free place in the world. I do not presume that any government would demand to freeze construction in the United States based on race, religion or gender and the attempt to demand it from Jerusalem is a double standard and inconceivable."[3]
On Nov. 25, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the 10-month construction freeze on West Bank settlements - a gesture to the Palestinian Authority to build confidence between the two sides and restart peace negotiations.[4] Despite significant political and public opposition in Israel, the freeze is currently in effect and is being enforced by government agencies and security services.[5]
The majority of the land on which the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Neve Yaakov and Har Homa are built was purchased by Jewish organizations or individuals before the State of Israel was established in 1948, or was legally acquired by the Israeli government post-1967.
In more news, tomorrow (Dec. 29), Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. The meeting between the two leaders will focus on ways to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.[11]
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The full article is found online at
http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=hsJPK0PIJpH&b=689705&ct=7790991
