Global General

Israel says it will still build in Jerusalem

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-03-26 23:03
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Israel says it will still build in Jerusalem
A section of the controversial Israeli barrier is seen between the Shuafat refugee camp (R), in the West Bank near Jerusalem, and Pisgat Zeev (rear), in an area Israel annexed to Jerusalem after capturing it in the 1967 Middle East war, March 24, 2010. [Agencies]

JERUSALEM - Israel insisted on Friday it would not change its policy of building homes in East Jerusalem, keeping the Jewish state at odds with Washington on how to renew stalled peace talks with Palestinians.

The statement on Jerusalem came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened senior cabinet ministers to consider confidence building steps for reviving negotiations, as proposed by US officials while Netanyahu was in Washington this week.

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"Israeli construction policy in Jerusalem has remained the same for 42 years and isn't changing," a written statement from Netanyahu's spokesman, Nir Hefez, said, suggesting Israeli cabinet ministers would not budge on that particular policy.

The Obama administration has been pressing Israel to halt settlement construction in East Jerusalem, an issue that created new friction this month when a plan to build 1,600 more housing units was published while Vice President Joe Biden was visiting.

Sparring over settlements risks jeopardising Israel's vital security ties with the United States, its biggest ally. However, Netanyahu has to balance these concerns with the possibility that his pro-settler government may fall apart should he bow to US demands.

Israel captured East Jerusalem in a 1967 war, and annexed it as part of its capital in a move not recognised internationally. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as capital of a future state they seek in the West Bank, land Israel also occupied by Israel.

Palestinians also insist settlement must cease totally before peace talks stalled since December 2008 may resume.

The West has long objected to Israeli construction of Jewish settlements in land Palestinians seek for a state, and the issue again dogged Netanyahu's talks with President Barack Obama on Wednesday as they sought a way to renew Middle East diplomacy.