Israel Defies US Over East-Jerusalem Building Project

Israel has just rejected a US request to stop a large development project in East-Jerusalem. Prime Minister Netanyahu refuses to place  restrictions  of any kind on Jewish residents.

Netanyahu said:

“We cannot accept the idea that Jews will not have the right to live or to build anywhere in East-Jerusalem. We cannot accept such restrictions. Unified Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish people and the state of Israel, our sovereignty on it is unquestionable.”

Israel took East-Jerusalem from Jordan during the Six Day War in 1967. The international community views Jewish neighbourhood in the mostly Arab East-Jerusalem as illegal settlements. Israel has implemented a deliberate strategy of eviction and demolition of Palestinian houses in East-Jerusalem (see photo) for years.

In this case, the project aims at building housing unit in the Sheik Jarrah neighbourhood of East- Jerusalem. The American millionaire Irving Moskowitz is financing this development. Moskowitz has financed many settlements projects, both in East-Jerusalem and in the occupied West-Bank.

Last Friday, Israel’s ambassador in Washington, Michael Oren, was summoned to the State Department and was told that the project should be halted immediately.

Apparently, Netanyahu is not planning to give in on pressure from the Obama administration on the settlements issue.

Needless to say, the lack of willingness from Netanyahu to stop the expansion of settlements  will make any peace prospect between Palestinians and Israelis almost impossible.