Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asserted that Israeli construction plans in East Jerusalem will proceed despite condemnations from the international community. Netanyahu declared, “The Western Wall is not occupied territory, and I don’t care what the United Nations says. We are living in the Jewish State. The capital of the Jewish state, for 3,000 years, has been Jerusalem. […] Since 1967 we have been building in Jerusalem despite world opinion. All of Israel’s governments ordered the construction of homes in Jerusalem’s Jewish neighborhoods, and we are no different in that respect.”
Thus far, Israel’s construction plans have been condemned by EU foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton, who actually went as far as issuing thinly veiled threats of taking action against Israel. In addition, four UN Security Council members—France, Britain, Germany and Portugal—condemned Israel’s construction plans. Only US intervention prevented a UN Security Council resolution on the matter. However, American intervention at the UN Security Council should not be interpreted as US support for Israeli construction plans. US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland claims that Israel is engaged in a “pattern of provocative actions.”
The Palestinians have responded by threatening to shut down the Palestinian Authority. PA President Abbas declared, “We will not be guards of Israel’s security and will never be a tool at Israel’s hand to implement its plans on the Palestinian territories.” He further claimed that E-1 construction is “a red line and we will never allow it to happen.” Abbas claimed the whole world is opposed to settlements and said they sabotage the peace process. As usual, he never mentioned that all of these Israeli actions are in response to him preferring to go to the UN over sitting down and negotiating directly with Israel.
The Jerusalem Post reported that an official in the Prime Minister Office responded to these condemnations by repeating the Israeli position that all Israel has done over the past three weeks is approve 3,000 housing units in Jerusalem and the large settlement blocs. “Everything else is just planning and zoning, and all that in areas that will stay part of Israel in any final-status agreement,” the Israeli official claimed. Yet, when it comes to Palestinian provocations, such as engaging in violent incitement, going to the UN in violation of the Oslo Agreements, Palestinian armed groups declaring a Third Intifada, etc., the world is deafly silent.
As Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin further asserted, “In any conceivable political arrangement, Israel will not cede control of E-1. We refuse to accept that only a few weeks after missiles and rockets were fired from Gaza at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, there are some who view Israel’s decision to hold on to a strategic area around Jerusalem and to build in its capital as the biggest obstacle to peace. We are getting the impression that European countries are more concerned with establishing a Palestinian state than they are with ensuring the existence of the Jewish state. The Europeans are wrong in assuming that Israel’s existence is assured and obvious.”
By Rachel Avraham
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