White House ‘dismayed’ over East Jerusalem expansion
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
The Obama administration said today that it was “dismayed” by Israel’s actions to expand Gilo, a Jewish neighborhood in a part of Jerusalem claimed by Palestinians.
“We are dismayed at the Jerusalem Planning Committee’s decision to move forward on the approval process for the expansion of Gilo in Jerusalem,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said in a prepared statement released today. “At a time when we are working to relaunch negotiations, these actions make it more difficult for our efforts to succeed.”
About 40,000 people live in Gilo in East Jerusalem, and Israel wants to add 900 more housing units. The neighborhood was captured by Israel in the 1967 war and later annexed, though no other country recognizes that move. Israel insists that East Jerusalem is part of Israel while Palestinians see the area as a settlement whose status is to be negotiated within the framework of the peace talks.
The issue of construction in seized areas is one of the key questions that has stalled peace talks. Palestinians insist that construction in areas it claims should be frozen. Israel argues that the expansion of existing neighborhoods and settlements should be allowed.
The United States generally has backed the Palestinians on the issue of freezing construction until negotiations are completed. Today’s statement reinforced that position.
“Neither party should engage in efforts or take actions that could unilaterally preempt, or appear to preempt, negotiations,” Gibbs stated.
“The U.S. also objects to other Israeli practices in Jerusalem related to housing, including the continuing pattern of evictions and demolitions of Palestinian homes,’ he said. ‘Our position is clear: The status of Jerusalem is a permanent status issue that must be resolved through negotiations between the parties.’
-- Michael Muskal
Twitter.com/LATimesmuskal
