Israel OKs new housing plan
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The Israeli government has okayed new construction tenders for over 1,000 apartments it plans to build in Jerusalem, beyond the 1967 war cease-fire lines, local media said on Monday.
The Jerusalem Municipal District Planning and Building Committee of late released details of construction programs slated for three neighborhoods, Har Homa, Pisgat Ze'ev and Ramot, all of which lie beyond what is called the Green Line, where fighting between Israeli and Arab forces stopped in 1967.
Municipality officials said they are "continuing to build throughout the city for all sectors," according to the Ynet news site.
The Israeli Interior Ministry, responsible for such planning, said the details were approved earlier and according to procedure, the Ha'aretz newspaper reported.
The Palestinians have said that they would not hold peace talks with Israel as long as such construction continued.
The decision may be a sticking point in talks between U.S. officials and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to the United States this week.
Netanyahu Sunday met with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden prior to both of them addressing the Jewish Federations of North America 's General Assembly (GA) held in New Orleans.
A diplomatic row erupted between Netanyahu and Biden in March during the latter's visit to Israel over a similar decision to build 1,600 apartments in Ramat Shlomo neighborhood, close to Ramot.
However, Biden, referring to a previous meeting with Netanyahu, said disagreements between the countries "have only been tactical in nature," according to Ha'aretz.
Israelis and Palestinians should not take unilateral measures " that will prejudice the outcome of these negotiations," Biden said in his address to the GA audience, referring to both Israeli settlement construction and Palestinian threats to declare statehood.
Meanwhile, State Department Spokesman Phillip Crowley said "we are disappointed," in response to the building plans.
"The construction is in opposition to our efforts to restart negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians," Crowley said, according to Israel Army radio.
A activist from the left-of-center Ir Amim group told the radio that the plans, while legal, could negatively impact Israel's negotiations with the Palestinians.
Israel ended a 10-month construction freeze in West Bank settlements on Sept. 26, over U.S. and international pressure to extend the deadline.
