After US, EU Chide Bibi over E.Jerusalem Construction, Settlement Plans Unveiled

by Khalil Bendib

Al Manar

09/11/2010 Israel published two major new settlement plans on Tuesday, threatening to undermine Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest trip to Washington.
 
More than 1,000 Jewish homes were approved for construction beyond the Green Line in occupied East Jerusalem, along with a second plan to build 800 homes in the occupied West Bank settlement of Ariel.
 
The U.S. administration had been trying to persuade Netanyahu to declare a second settlement freeze in the territories.
 
The State Department said it was very unhappy when it learned of the plans to build in East Jerusalem. “We were deeply disappointed by the announcement of advance planning for new housing units in sensitive areas of East Jerusalem,” said U.S. State Department Spokesman Philip J. Crowley. “It is counter-productive to our efforts to resume direct negotiations between the parties.”
 
The construction in Ariel has been the center of controversy between Israel and the United States.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton urged Israel on Tuesday to reverse its decision to build 1,300 new settler homes in occupied east Jerusalem. “This plan contradicts the efforts by the international community to resume direct negotiations and the decision should be reversed,” her office said in a statement.