PA rails at 1,600 new Jewish homes in east Jerusalem

By ICEJ News

09 Mar 2010

Israel’s Interior Ministry on Tuesday approved the construction of 1,600 new housing units for young Jewish families in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo, a move that Palestinian Authority leaders are denouncing as a serious blow to peace talks before they can resume. An Interior Ministry spokeswoman stressed that the approvals had come at the end of a long permitting process and were not intentionally timed to coincide with the visit of US Vice President Joe Biden to Israel. PA lead negotiator Saeb Erekat slammed the move, saying it was undermining the new “proximity talks” which the two sides agreed upon this week under the mediation of US special Mideast envoy George Mitchell. &qu ot;With such an announcement, how can you build trust? This is destroying our efforts to work with Mr. Mitchell," Erekat said. "It's a really disastrous situation. I hope that this will be an eye-opener for all in the international community about the need to have the Israeli government stop such futile exercises.” Earlier on Tuesday, Biden took pains to praise Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for steps he has taken to make a more conducive atmosphere for talks with the Palestinians. "A peace agreement will require both parties to make some historically bold commitments," Biden said. "You have done it before, and I am confident for world peace you will do it again."

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