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Construction in the E. Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Homa. (Alex Levac)
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Last update - 07:41 07/12/2007
U.S. wants details on plan to build homes in East Jerusalem
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent, and Agencies
Tags: U.S., East Jerusalem 

The U.S. has requested that Israel provide clarifications on its plan to build more than 300 new homes in an East Jerusalem neighborhood, Israeli officials confirmed to Haaretz on Thursday.

The new housing would expand Har Homa, a Jewish neighborhood in an area Palestinians claim as the capital of a future state. The Palestinians call the area Jabal Abu Ghneim, and Palestinian officials have appealed to the U.S. to block the project.

The officials said U.S. diplomats who met with senior government officials in Jerusalem this week said that Washington hoped to gain insight on what the construction project would mean for the peace process.
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According to the officials, the Americans said they wanted to know "what this thing is exactly and where it's coming from." The officials told Haaretz that they had explained to the Americans that the construction of the 307 housing units was approved long before the Annapolis peace summit that took place last month.

"We told them this was nothing new, and that anyway this was a construction project inside Jerusalem, which is Israel's capital, and that we regard this as perfectly legitimate."

According to the road map, Israel is supposed to cease all settlement construction. But Israel does not consider construction in East Jerusalem to be settlement activity.

UN, Arabs condemn plan
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon slammed on Thursday Israel's plan to build more than 300 new homes in an East Jerusalem neighborhood.

"This new tender for 300 new homes in eastern Jerusalem, so soon after the Annapolis Middle East peace conference, I think is not helpful," Ban said, noting that the United Nations had a consistent position on the illegality of such settlements.

The new housing would expand Har Homa, a Jewish neighborhood in an area Palestinians claim as capital of a future state. The Palestinians call the area Jabal Abu Ghneim.

The future of Jerusalem is one of the most contentious issues facing Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in peace talks that are supposed to resume this month, following the landmark Middle East conference in Annapolis, Maryland.

An Israeli government spokesman has said the plan does not contravene Israel's commitment under a U.S.-sponsored "road map" for peace with the Palestinians.

Palestinian officials say it could damage the peace process re-launched under U.S. patronage at the peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland last week. Palestinian officials have appealed to the U.S. to block the project.

Under the road map, Israel has committed to stop settlement activity in the occupied West Bank, but distinguishes between that area and Jerusalem, whose municipal boundaries were expanded after the 1967 war and included a number of Arab neighborhoods and villages around the city.

The site of the new building lies between Arab East Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Bethlehem to the south.

Jordan also condemned Israel's housing plan, the official Petra news agency said.

Jordanian State Minister for Information, Nasser Judeh, said the Israeli measure contravenes international resolutions that consider the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as occupied territories.

He said the Israeli move would increase tension and threaten efforts to start direct negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis, build confidence between them and push the peace process forward leading to the establishment of a viable Palestinian state and a just and lasting peace in the region.

Judeh urged the Israelis to immediately halt the buidling plans.

Judeh added Jordan totally rejects the Israeli action and believes that the Jewish state's failure to meet its obligations under the road map peace plan and persistence in building settlements, are major obstacles to achieving serious progress in the peace process.

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      1.   What better details does the USA want 01:20  |  Marlene 07/12/07
      2.   it is still "facts on the ground" 01:29  |  Paul Freedman 07/12/07
      3.   All Construction In Areas Occupied in 1967 Must be Halted 01:30  |  Mr. Knowitall 07/12/07
      4.   Same old Israel.. Stealing more land, disrupting peace. 01:30  |  POP 07/12/07
      5.   Pouring more Oil into the fire 01:32  |  Ronen 07/12/07
      6.   US wants details on E. Jerusalem plan 01:34  |  marcel 07/12/07
      7.   When the us says jump olmert better jump 01:39  |  bernard ross 07/12/07
      8.   Dear George 01:43  |  Mark Lincoln 07/12/07
      9.   The cue sentence 01:44  |  Axel 07/12/07
      10.   What Better Details Does the US Want 01:56  |  Steve 07/12/07
      11.   Homes devellopment 02:00  |  Shmuelshachor 07/12/07
      12.   Against the Road Map, Har Homa subverts viable Palestinian state 02:05  |  Paul 07/12/07
      13.   Peace not Provocation 02:11  |  Mike in Scotland 07/12/07
      14.   East Jerusalem 02:22  |  Gene 07/12/07
      15.   Talking about `painfull concessions` 02:24  |  Ruthie 07/12/07
      16.   re: Mr. Knowitall 02:26  |  Efox 07/12/07
      17.   Steve 02:29  |  janmarie 07/12/07
      18.   Same old arabs, trying to steal Jewish land 02:35  |  David 07/12/07
      19.   Perfectly legitimate? Yes, according to settler law. 02:35  |  JJ 07/12/07
      20.   This action contradicts Israel`s pledge towards peace 02:39  |  POP 07/12/07
      21.   re: janmarie 02:54  |  Efox 07/12/07
      22.   re: POP 02:57  |  Efox 07/12/07
      23.   reL: Axel 02:59  |  Efox 07/12/07
      24.   re: JJ 03:00  |  Efox 07/12/07
      25.   #10 Steve 03:07  |  Boycott 07/12/07
      26.   Efox 03:07  |  janmarie 07/12/07
      27.   The US are working against the peace 03:14  |  Frank 07/12/07
      28.   Testing, Testing, Testing the US 03:15  |  Danny Collins 07/12/07
      29.   US DOESN`T WANT DETAILS, SHE KNOWS ALREADY 03:16  |  indrajaya 07/12/07
      30.   At it again. 03:18  |  Singer 07/12/07
      31.   From Annapolis right back to Apartheid policies 03:19  |  Jan 07/12/07
      32.   Israel wants details on Building in Washington, D.C. 03:21  |  ZADOK 07/12/07
      33.   Cut the Crap, Israel.... 03:21  |  R 07/12/07
      34.   Jordanian Law: Selling Real Estate to Jews is Punishable by Death 03:32  |  Straight Talk 07/12/07
      35.   NO to intrusion 03:38  |  Brod 07/12/07
      36.   Wrong time and wrong place 03:41  |  Mandela 07/12/07
      37.   #34 Straight Talk: Jordanian law on land selling meaningless... 03:47  |  Straight Man 07/12/07
      38.   #32 Zadok: Is Israel a sovereign country? Yes, but... 03:54  |  Ravi 07/12/07
      39.   Stupid Israel 03:56  |  John Hurt 07/12/07
      40.   Jordan is Israel 03:57  |  R 07/12/07
      41.   Never trust Zionists 03:58  |  Nissan 07/12/07
      42.   EFox: WTF are you talking about? Go Off Topic much? 03:59  |  POP 07/12/07
      43.   Mandela #36 04:02  |  Brod 07/12/07
      44.   Isreal should request US building permits info 04:08  |  Tory 07/12/07
      45.   #35 Brod`s `America should stop treating Israel as a colony` 04:16  |  Buh 07/12/07
      46.   Brod 04:17  |  janmarie 07/12/07
      47.   Efux... are you daft? 04:21  |  POP 07/12/07
      48.   Israel must stop expanding settlements - Pals terrorism 05:11  |  Gordon 07/12/07
      49.   #6 Just to point out to you, marcel 05:21  |  Johnboy 07/12/07
      50.   ANswer to # 6 05:27  |  Abe 07/12/07
      51.   #14 And, just to point out to you, Gene... 05:30  |  Johnboy 07/12/07
      52.   ANswer to # 6 05:33  |  Abe 07/12/07
      53.   a construction project inside Jerusalem ? 05:58  |  David James Vickery 07/12/07
      54.   #32 ZARDOK asks some questions 06:01  |  Johnboy 07/12/07
      55.   #25 Boycott 06:19  |  Steve 07/12/07
      56.   Israelis control what goes on in Israel. 06:21  |  David 07/12/07
      57.   Janmarie 06:25  |  Steve 07/12/07
      58.   #56 Such a marvelous statement, David! Except... 07:03  |  Johnboy 07/12/07
      59.   re:eFOX 07:38  |  SAM 07/12/07
      60.   Paul #12, look at a map- Hwy 398 connects to AbuDis 07:52  |  Dr. L. Brnd 07/12/07
      61.   What is mine & What is yours ! That is the Question. 08:50  |  Akram Zekaria 07/12/07
      62.   uproot the settlers 09:17  |  donnie 07/12/07
      63.   GREAT! STOP US MEDDLING 09:19  |  Goldberg 07/12/07
      64.   Stop construction means stop construction 09:46  |  Jason_M 07/12/07
      65.   Sabotage is the word; plain and simple 09:56  |  Chanalau, Tova 07/12/07
      66.   Annapolis my foot. 09:58  |  Steve the Pals. 07/12/07
      67.   54# Johnboy.And battery included 10:22  |  Akram Zekaria 07/12/07
      68.   If the US is serious about peace it will stop the building 10:30  |  Michael 07/12/07
      69.   CLARIFICATION??!!!!! 10:54  |  Yaakov Sullivan 07/12/07
      70.   Could we at least expect some honesty from Israel? 11:01  |  Yaakov Sullivan 07/12/07
      71.   Mullah David inBoston #18 11:09  |  Yaakov Sullivan 07/12/07
      72.   Efox forget it! 11:13  |  Yaakov Sullivan 07/12/07
      73.   ZADOK on humiliation #32 11:16  |  Yaakov Sullivan 07/12/07
      74.   Time to say "good-bye"....??? 11:19  |  Swiss (Dino) 07/12/07
      75.   Inchworm, inchworm, measuring the "Promised" Land 11:22  |  Clickfool 07/12/07
      76.   Steve on biblethumping #57 11:30  |  Yaakov Sullivan 07/12/07
      77.   donnie this talk about "semites" is not helpful #59 11:48  |  Yaakov Sullivann 07/12/07
      78.   What have you done for me lately 12:11  |  Nora 07/12/07
      79.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:EastJerusalemMap.jpg 12:19  |  Stan 07/12/07
      80.   I don`t need to study the history No. 10