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Last update - 00:00 14/12/2007
Government officials: Har Homa row sparked by 'two bureaucrats'
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: PA, Har Homa, East Jerusalem 

Two Housing Ministry bureaucrats unintentionaly set off a crisis between Israel and the Palestinian Authority - as well as international condemnation of Israel - when they signed a tender last week for the construction of 307 housing units in East Jerusalem's Har Homa neighborhood, Israeli officials said Thursday.

"This affair has sabotaged negotiations and cast a shadow on the international donor states meeting next week," a senior government official told Haaretz. "Because of a miserably timed, rash bureaucratic decision, we must prove anew that we are serious."

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fficials said that civil servants Sarah Zimmerman and Dubi Gal, who had approved the tender, had no idea it would provoke such a row.

"In past years, Zimmerman was even accused of delaying issuing of construction permits," a Ministry of Housing and Construction official said. "As far as they were concerned, it was just another tender."

Since the crisis began last week, Israel has been condemned by the U.S., UN and EU for okaying the plan to build in East Jerusalem, construction Palestinians see as undermining their goal of turning that part of the city into the future capital of a Palestinian state.


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      1.   Even USA doesn`t recognise Israeli occupation of E. Jerusalem 08:48  |  anti-racist 14/12/07
      2.   Only fair solution to E. J`lem is shared sovereignty 08:49  |  anti-racist 14/12/07
      3.   Only way to end racism in J`lem is to allow Pal housing growth 08:50  |  anti-racist 14/12/07
      4.   har homa 08:54  |  colin 14/12/07
      5.   Must be nice to be the scapegoat 08:56  |  Awake 14/12/07
      6.   anti racist is really ant semite 09:32  |  Paul 14/12/07
      7.   paul 7 10:16  |  realism 14/12/07
      8.   #2 so that Pal car thieves have unimpeded 10:58  |  anti crime 14/12/07
      9.   Israel ISN`T Serious! This Was ONLY Said To SAVE FACE!! 11:06  |  Proud Pal Defender 14/12/07
      10.   #7 Actually it is the Arabs building on Jewish land in Jerusalem 11:09  |  Terry 14/12/07
      11.   Passing the Buck 11:26  |  Yaakov Sullivan 14/12/07
      12.   Once more Israel folds like an umbrella,no spine left 11:28  |  Absolute Sweden 14/12/07
      13.   We must find the scapegoats...... 11:50  |  Esther 14/12/07
      14.   Evil Spin Doctors/"Government Officials" 12:33  |  Sam 14/12/07
      15.   #Absolute Sweden 12:49  |  Leser 14/12/07
      16.   Give me a break 12:51  |  Shelley 14/12/07
      17.   #13 Esther exposed 13:03  |  Eugene 14/12/07
      18.   FIRE THE TWO IDIOTS 13:55  |  MJ 14/12/07
      19.   Bureaucrats` fault? After housing minister pushed it for a week?? 15:03  |  zmogus 14/12/07
      20.   You are NOT serious 15:06  |  Pete 14/12/07
      21.   # 2 Canadian anti-racist: Correct and Barak in Taba in 2000 15:34  |  Max Zinger P.Chim. 14/12/07
      22.   #17 Eugene exposed 15:55  |  zmogus 14/12/07
      23.   But, the order has NOT been recinded 16:19  |  spyguy 14/12/07
      24.   Anti-racist,even Denmark and Sweden are unable to share any valua 16:27  |  Absolute Sweden 14/12/07
      25.   #22 zmogus 16:54  |  Eugene 14/12/07
      26.   Eugene on Esther 18:02  |  Mark of Lewiston 14/12/07
      27.   ENTIRE CONFLICT EXPLAINED IN LESS THAN 20 LINES 18:35  |  G. Marcus 14/12/07
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