East Jerusalem Settlement Expansion Plans Criticized by EU, US

Washington DC - PNN - The US State Department stated Tuesday that it was “deeply concerned” by plans for 930 homes to be built in an East Jerusalem settlement.

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, also commented, saying the construction proposal damaged peace prospects between Israel and Palestine. “The European Union has repeatedly urged the government of Israel to immediately end all settlement activities in the West Bank, including in East Jerusalem. All settlement activities are illegal under international law,” said Ashton according Agence France-Presse.

The Har Homa settlement, home to about 20,000 residents, is the proposed location for construction and lies within Jerusalem city limits and adjacent to the Palestinian town of Bethlehem. Ground breaking isn’t schedule to commence for at least two years.

Five days ago, Saeb Erekat, the lead Palestinian negotiator, issued a statement calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government “determined to invest solely in the entrenchment of the occupation, rather than peace.”

The US, in a rare act of disapproval of Israeli policies, said, "unilateral actions work against efforts to resume direct negotiations and contradict the logic of a reasonable and necessary agreement between the parties." The state department also said it raised its objections with the Israeli government and "will continue to press ahead with the parties to resolve the core issues in the context of a peace agreement."

According to Ashton, “continued settlement undermines trust between the parties and efforts to resume negotiations. This is especially true with regard to Jerusalem,” and believes “there can be no sustainable peace in the Middle East without a two-state solution with the state of Israel and a viable and contiguous Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security.”

Many statements have also been made recently by the US in regards to the upcoming bid for recognition within the UN by Palestine: “We do not believe attempts to resolve final state issues in international bodies like the United Nations are able to bring about the enduring peace.” They have come out firmly against any act that is deemed as "unilateral" and would seek to circumvent the stalled peace negotiation process.

PNN - Palestine News Network