Israel to build hundreds of homes in East Jerusalem

CNN ^ | Sunday, 1 June 2008

[MinorityRepublican]

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel has approved the construction of almost 900 new homes in East Jerusalem, a move that could hinder international efforts to secure a peace deal by year's end.

The Palestinians hope to make East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state.

A spokesman for Israeli Housing Minister Zeev Boim said his office will issue a tender this week for the construction of 884 houses, 121 of them in Har Homa. The rest will be in Pisgat Zeev.

Both are neighborhoods annexed by Israel in 1967. The housing ministry said it timed the issuance of the permits to coincide with the 41st anniversary of the annexation.

Israel and the Palestinians are in peace talks that include the future of Jewish settlements and East Jerusalem.

In March, Israel announced plans to build 600 homes in East Jerusalem as part of the Jerusalem mayor's initiative to construct 40,000 homes in the city to ease the housing plight of young couples.

At the time, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice -- who was in the region to shore up support for the peace initiative -- said Israel should stop all settlement activity.

Largely at the request of the United States, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert froze construction in both Har Homa and Pisgat Zeev, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.

The newspaper said Israel issued a tender last year for the construction of 300 housing units in Har Homa, sparking harsh international criticism.

As a result, Olmert said he will need to approve all future construction plans personally, the paper said.

[goldstategop]

Ehud Olmert is on his way out and he's retaliating against Israel's Left for opening a prosecution inquiry into him. So he no longer has any reason to keep his end of the deal up when they aren't keeping up theirs. In any case, Jews have the right to live in Jerusalem and there should be no apartheid in the city. Condi Rice has no business demanding any part of Jerusalem be made judenrein. Its going to be the united capital of Israel forever.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[BabsC]

No place on the planet should be judenrein. But then there are becoming fewer and fewer civilized places on the planet. Where will we go when the shadow of the sword of Islam is allowed to cover us all. When will the dumb masses fight back? Time is running out.

[A_perfect_lady]

Okay... Israel... make up your mind. Don’t do this “put settlers in, pull settlers out... put settlers in, pull settlers out.” Either Israel is yours or it isn’t. If it’s yours, FIGHT! If it’s not... come to the US! You can have New Jersey! The rest of it, I mean.

[nyyankeefan]

You can have New Jersey!....

are you nuts?....the Israelis would have to fight the ILLEGALS for it!!!!

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. or WOT [War on Terror]

----------------------------

Good.

[SJackson]

I don’t think Israel will be withdrawing from Jerusalem. Though everyone yaps about “Arab East Jerusalem”, there never was an “East Jerusalem” till the Arabs invented it, though there was a Jewish Quarter, in what we now pine over as “Arab East Jerusalem”. Jerusalem has had a Jewish majority since 1860, nearly 150 years, the first census being taken in 1840, when Jews were the largest group, though not a majority.

[Convert from ECUSA]

"Jews have the right to live in Jerusalem and there should be no apartheid in the city. Condi Rice has no business demanding any part of Jerusalem be made judenrein. Its going to be the united capital of Israel forever."

Right on!