Washington – The United States is deeply concerned about Israel’s reported plans to build an additional 323 units in settlements in East Jerusalem on top of 770 units previously announced in the settlement of Gilo, the U.S. State Department said.
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Such action by Israel “continues this pattern of provocative and counterproductive action,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement on Wednesday.
Kirby called the settlement activity “corrosive to the cause of peace.”
In addition to the plans for East Jerusalem and Gilo, Kirby cited plans for other units, including 531 in Ma’ale Adumim, 19 in Har Homa, 120 in Ramot, and 30 in Pisgat Ze’ev. He also noted a plan to legalize an outpost near Ramallah; and tenders for 42 units in Kiryat Arba.
“These steps by Israeli authorities are the latest examples of what appears to be a steady acceleration of settlement activity that is systematically undermining the prospects for a two-state solution,” he said.
According to the advocacy group Peace Now, Israeli authorities issued tenders for the construction of 323 housing units in East Jerusalem. Peace Now, which opposes settlements, said the tenders were for homes that were offered in the past and never taken up.
Last week, the Jerusalem municipality filed construction plans for 770 housing units in the settlement of Gilo, part of a 1,200-home project that won initial ratification in 2012.
The U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, told Reuters on Thursday the Israeli policies are destroying prospects for a Palestinian state.
“I remain increasingly concerned by the near-daily advancement of the illegal settlement enterprise in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” he said in an email.
Israel says Jews have a right to live anywhere in Jerusalem, a city it considers its “eternal and indivisible capital.” Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a state they seek to establish in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
The United States is also concerned about increased demolitions of Palestinian houses and buildings in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which “reportedly have left dozens of Palestinians homeless, including children,” Kirby said.
The activity raises doubts over Israel’s commitment to a negotiated settlement with the Palestinians.
Israel says it carries out demolitions because Palestinians had built them without permits. Palestinians and foreign governments monitoring settlement activities and demolitions say permission is nearly impossible to obtain.
fogeddabout a 2 state solution . The leaders of the so called palestinians will NEVER agree to a jewish state.
Israel can build whatever it wants anywhere in the land of Israel that G-d gave to the Jewish nation. Our deed to the land is right there in the Torah in black and white. If you have a problem with that, complain to G-d!
American Jews should keep their mouths shut and not publicly place the interests of the State of Israel before American interests. We are still in galus and should behave the way the Torah and tradition has taught us. We don’t have to be lackeys for Israel – particulary in areas where they ignore the Ribono Shel Olam and His Torah.
We are not lackeys to Israel. The only lackeys are the anti Zionist fringe of the Chareidi community who are the true enemy of the Jewish people.
Hey Kirby – when is America going to stop building on all of the occupied native American land on the west bank of the Atlantic Ocean?
So USA sould stop sending so many $$$ to israel,
Funny how bibi keeps shnuring so many $$ when he’s not listening to usa.
Is the US. so vociferous in condemning the constant stabbings and murders of jews by arabs?
Do this Kirby-idiot and his boss Kerry-idiot plan to make a statement about the tunnels that the Hamas terrorists are building at a claimed alarming rate, or about the hundreds of thousands of missiles and rockets that Hezbollah is aiming at Israel? Or is the current regime of the White House and State Department obsessed with villianizing Israel? Until I see some trace of even-handedness from the current administration, I consider them as much terrorist as the Hamas and Hezbollah for funding them (under the disguise of humanitarian aid), encouraging them with these inflammatory accusations, and allowing them to commit all their terror on Israeli soil. I am sick and tired of listening to these closet terrorists (yes, I called the POTUS and his regime closet terrorists) speak only accusations and condemnations to Israel, and supportive and empathic nonsense to the savage, predatory animals.
Only when there will be a republican president baćk in the White House, will the US stop being concerned about Israeli building, and start being concerned about Islamic terrorism!!