WORLD : U.S. Deplores Jewish Takeover of Building in East Jerusalem
The State Department said today that a Jewish takeover of a building in East Jerusalem was “insensitive and provocative” and the Israeli government’s financial support of the action is “deeply disturbing.”
State Department spokeswoman Margaret Tutwiler raised the possibility that the incident may cause a change in the present system of aid to Israel in which $3 billion in U.S. assistance is handed over every year without any review or audit of how it is spent.
Tutwiler was referring to the Israeli Ministry of Housing’s admission Sunday, after previous denials, that it had provided about 40% of the funding--$1.8 million--for the lease of a large building near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem’s Old City.
The takeover by Jewish settlers was protested by Christian sects, and an Israeli court has ruled that it is illegal, but that verdict is under appeal.
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