(Washington Post) Joel Greenberg - Israel's Interior Ministry said Monday that it was moving ahead with plans for construction of about 1,300 new apartments in Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem, including 978 apartments in Har Homa [current pop. 12,000] and 320 in Ramot [pop. 50,000]. An Israeli official said that in every peace plan considered in recent years, the Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem would remain part of Israel. "Building in these neighborhoods in no way contradicts our desire to move ahead toward peace and a two-state solution," he said. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said, "We were deeply disappointed by the announcement of advanced planning for new housing units in sensitive areas of east Jerusalem. It is counterproductive to our efforts to resume direct negotiations between the parties."
2010-11-09 08:28:25Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive