Israeli settlements, "like firing on the dead body" of the peace process
Jerusalem (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Jerusalem municipality's planning commission may approve a project to build 1,400 homes in the neighbourhood of Gilo on the southern outskirts of the city. The news was reported by Meir Margalit, Jerusalem city councillor of the leftist Meretz party, on 16 January. Plans to build new housing units will be presented to the planning commission on January 24th. "Even though it will take years before the construction begins, this action is beyond the last nail in the coffin of the peace process," he said. "After the peace process has already been killed they are firing a few more bullets into it, to make sure it's dead. "
The spokesman for the city defends the planning commission, arguing that it is obliged by law to discuss any plan that is submitted. It states: "There has been no change in the planning policy in Jerusalem in the last 40 years. The Jerusalem municipality continues to advance construction for both Arabs and Jews according to the city plans. New construction in Jerusalem is necessary for the development of the city. "
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat says, "We condemn this Israeli decision in all possible terms. It is time for the United States administration to hold Israel responsible for the failure of the peace process. In view of that, we seek to the United Nations Security council this week a resolution declaring all Israeli settlements illegal". The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs considers Gilo an Israeli settlement built on Palestinian land.
In November 2008, the United States had objected to a plan to build 900 settlement at Gilo. And the dialogue between Israel and Palestine, supported by Americans fell through in September 2010, when Israel resumed construction of settlements in the occupied West Bank after a freeze of 10 months. This is why the Palestinians, as confirmed by Erakat, will no longer come to the negotiating table.
Meanwhile, Israeli politics was thrown into array yesterday after the announcement of Labour leader and Defence Minister Ehud Barak that he is leaving the party to found a new movement. Atzmaut ("Independence"), is the name of the future party, its ideological platform will be "Zionist, democratic and centrist," as stated by Barak in the same press conference. According to the newspaper Haaretz the decision would seem to be supported by Prime Minister Netanyahu, and the division was already made several days before the official announcement.
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