World

Israel approves 900 settler homes

by Babel-Fish | November 17, 2009 at 12:24 pm

183 views | 30 Recommendations | 12 comments

These people do not want peace, each time before a meeting something like this happens. The Jews are just as bad as the Arabs.

Planning applications for 900 new housing units at a Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem have been approved by the Israeli interior ministry.

The planning and construction committee authorised the expansion of Gilo, which is built on land captured in 1967 and annexed to the Jerusalem municipality.

With the project yet to be reviewed, the public can still make objections.

The White House voiced dismay, saying the project made it harder to revive peace talks with the Palestinians.

Settlements on occupied territory are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

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YankeeJim

at 12:39 on November 17th, 2009

Palestine would approve 900 new Palestinian occupants.

Sputnic

at 12:47 on November 17th, 2009

On their own land ! Why not ?

Babel-Fish

at 12:43 on November 17th, 2009

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 12:51 on November 17th, 2009

Do you think the announcement and breakdown of talks yesterday had something to do with it?

JERUSALEM -- A Palestinian drive to ask the U.N. Security Council to endorse a state unilaterally, put forward by a top negotiator Sunday, appeared more an expression of frustration with U.S. and Israeli policies and stalled peace talks than a real effort to go it alone.

A resolution for a Palestinian state could face a veto from the U.S., Israel's main ally. But if the Security Council approved it, consequences could be even more severe.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the move, warning Israel would retaliate.

Babel-Fish

at 13:06 on November 17th, 2009

defiantly

YankeeJim

at 15:21 on November 17th, 2009

You bet. Call it, and it is no bluff.

Susan Marie Kovalinsky

at 13:00 on November 17th, 2009

Yes, Karl, that is the crux of it, no doubt about it!

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 14:03 on November 17th, 2009

I would say then that the reaction was swift

snuffysmith

at 18:31 on November 17th, 2009

Israel approves plan to build 900 houses -- CNN
U.S. Criticizes Israel on East Jerusalem Expansion -- Wall Street Journal
Israel angers U.S. by approving new West Bank homes -- Reuters
Palestinians, US, UK criticize Jerusalem plan -- AP
US dismayed by Jerusalem homes plan -- AFP
US Dismayed at Israeli Building Plan for East Jerusalem -- Voice of America

snuffysmith

at 18:34 on November 17th, 2009

This is going to kill the Middle East peace process for a while.

snuffysmith

at 12:12 on November 18th, 2009

from Paul Woodward:
Let no one be confused: no genuine Israeli interest is served by any of these projects, unless one perceives the Israeli interest as the prevention of credible negotiations with the Palestinians that could lead to a two-state solution. Or, to put it more crassly, the only interest served by these projects is the prevention of the two-state solution and the transformation of the Israeli-Arab conflict from a difficult but resolvable conflict over territory into an irresolvable zero-sum religious war.

snuffysmith

at 14:19 on November 18th, 2009

It's time to stop the verbal pretense. In the Near East, there is no negotiation "process" underway. Furthermore, there is also no prospect for peace. The situation is nonetheless not in a state of status quo: it is regressing. Dangerously. The United States bears the primary responsibility. Several months ago, Barack Obama had placed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the top of his priorities. He demanded that Israel stop the expansion of settlements within Palestinian territory on the West Bank. It was, if not a prerequisite, at least a condition to allow the reopening of negotiations with the Palestinians.

The Israelis said no: settlements will continue to expand, but at a somewhat slower rate, replied Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The United States just took it: speaking through Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, it flatly endorsed Mr. Netanyahu's, position.... Within a few weeks, Mr. Obama lost the credit in the Arab world that his remarkable speech in Cairo in June had gained him. Even in diplomatic language, that's called a monumental fiasco.