Israel stands by settlement building in, around Jerusalem
Olmert's remarks anger Palestinians
JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said yesterday that Israel would not stop building on occupied land in and around Jerusalem, defying US criticism and sparking protests from Palestinians during renewed peace talks.
The United States has called Jewish settlement building near Jerusalem unhelpful and said neither Israel nor the Palestinians were doing nearly enough to meet their obligations under a long-stalled "road map" peace plan.
"There will be places where there will be construction, or additions to construction, because these places will remain in Israel's hands," Olmert told a news conference with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany. "This includes, first and foremost, Jerusalem," he said. "We are building in Jerusalem because everyone knows that there is no chance the state of Israel will give up neighborhoods like Har Homa, as you know. It's an inseparable part of Jerusalem."
Palestinians see the building in Har Homa as the last rampart in a wall of settlements encircling Arab East Jerusalem, cutting it off from the rest of the occupied West Bank. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Olmert's comments "cannot stand" and that the Palestinians delivered that message directly to Israel's chief negotiator, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. "This is absolutely unacceptable," Erekat said.
The road map calls on Israel to remove outposts built without government authorization in the West Bank and to halt all settlement activity in the territory. It also demands that the Palestinians crack down on militants.
Livni's spokesman, Arye Mekel, said she met one-on-one for two hours with her Palestinian counterpart, former Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie, but declined to comment on the discussions.
Addressing parliament, Livni said yesterday that Israel would push forward on parallel tracks - one aimed at reaching an agreement with Abbas; the other at fighting militants.
"Terror should not and will not be an excuse for Israel not to enter the negotiation room. I expect the Palestinians not to use any Israeli action against terror in order to stay out of this room," Livni said.
Washington has been especially critical of Israeli plans to build hundreds of new homes in Har Homa, which Palestinians refer to as Jabal Abu Ghneim.
