Plans to build new housing units in east Jerusalem draw German condemnation
The United States has also harshly criticized the decision.
By REUTERSUpdated: NOVEMBER 19, 2015 16:17A laborer works on an apartment building under construction in the Har Homa quarter in Jerusalem(photo credit: REUTERS)
Germany on Thursday strongly criticized Israel's plans to push ahead with the building of hundreds of new housing units in east Jerusalem, saying it would undermine efforts to peacefully resolve the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the marketing of land for the construction of 454 homes in two east Jerusalem neighborhoods on Tuesday, an official said, including in Ramat Shlomo, territory Palestinians want for a future state.The United States has also harshly criticized the decision.The Palestinian Authority condemns building beyond the Green Line as a violation of international law aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.In unusually strong language, Germany, which has forged especially close relations with Israel in the decades since the Holocaust, said Netanyahu's plans ran counter to peace efforts."The plans of the Israeli government to press ahead with the building of settlements in Ramat Shlomo undermine efforts to achieve a peaceful solution of the Middle East conflict," a foreign ministry spokeswoman said in an emailed statement."Against the backdrop of continued tensions between Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank, all steps that could lead to an escalation should be avoided," she said.The building of 436 of the housing units in Ramat Shlomo was approved in 2012 but the project was frozen in an apparent attempt to avoid friction with Washington.Netanyahu reaffirmed his commitment this month to a two-state solution. Palestinians have rejected his demand that they recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people as a condition for the creation of a Palestinian state.
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